Alternative education encompasses many forms of teaching and learning. As stated by Dr. Arie Kizel of the University of Haifa, (p. 3) alternative education challenges, sometimes fully and at other times in part, the foundations of the regular, traditional, conservative, state education.

Guided by this principle and by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1990) , the Maltese Government re-introduced vocational education in Malta.  In this paper, I wish to start by exploring the concept of alternative forms of education internationally, especially within the EU, of which Malta is a member and also the UK, of which Malta is a former colony and enjoys a special relationship.  I will seek to understand whether they fall within or are outside the concepts of regular and inclusive forms of education.

Alternative forms of education have been introduced in Malta, in the last three years, primarily to cater for students with behavioural problems and/or, are habitual absentees and/or are on the verge of early school leaving. This paper aims to answer the major research question of :

Can challenging behaviour, persistent absenteeism and early school leaving be tackled by off-site schooling?

Malta has a problem with these three issues as addressed by the Managing Behaviour Policy which was published in 2014, as part of the Respect For All framework. Studies done by Darmanin (2012) and Borg (2013), look to the UK system for answers.

In fact, the UK has a number of alternative education providers ranging from independent schools, home-schooling, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), Education Centres (ECs) to prison education. According to McCluskey et al. (2014 p.603) PRUs are often regarded as a ‘dumping ground’. Students who have been educated within AEPs find it hard to reintegrate back into mainstream education due to the unsuccessful re-integration programmes within both schools and colleges (McCluskey et al. 2014 p.604). In the case of Malta, the concept behind the setting up of the Alternative Learning Programme School, situated in the urban town of Paola, was to be a dumping ground for unwanted students in the mainstream education.

In this school, there is a huge emphasis on vocational education. It is open to both boys and girls who come to do their last year of formal schooling (form 5) at this school. After the one-year course, they move on to post-secondary education or start working.

Within this background, this paper moves to see the views of a selected number of students and teachers teaching at this school, about the quality of education that they are receiving, and its pros and cons. What made the students leave mainstream education and enrol to this school? How is their experience overall at the Alternative Learning Programme? Are they happy now? Would they consider having a teacher coming to their house to homeschool them? Were they willing to use virtual schooling?

What is the opinion of the teachers who teach at this school? Are they happy? How do they go about dealing with students who show challenging behaviour? What difference do they see from their experience in mainstream education?

Borg, A. (2013) Learning Support Zones: The Unheard Voices of Students exhibiting Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties http://roar.uel.ac.uk/3437/1/2013_DEdChPsy_Borg.pdf Accessed on 19th November, 2016. Darmanin, M. (2012) The learning support zone : teacher's perceptions and expectations https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/7716 Accessed on 20th November, 2016. Early School Leaving Strategy education.gov.mt/esl/Documents/School%20Leaving%20in%20Malta.pdf Accessed on 21st November, 2016. Kizel, A. (2015). What is so Alternative about the Alternative Education? The Scale of 11 Challenges set by the Alternative Education http://www.akizel.net/2016/01/what-is-so-alternative-about.html Accessed 9 December, 2016. McCluskey, G., Riddell, S. and Weedon, E. (2015) Children’s rights, school exclusion and alternative educational provision, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(6), pp. 595–607. McGregor, G. & Mills, M. (2012) Alternative education sites and marginalised young people: ‘I wish there were more schools like this one’, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16:8, 843-862, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2010.529467 Accessed on 27th December, 2016. “The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child” (1990) http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/UNCRC_PRESS200910web.pdf Accessed on 27th December, 2016.