The research literature defines school failure as the result of: early school leaving; low academic achievement; inability to participate fully in society; or poor well-being in adulthood (European Agency, 2019a). School failure is linked to a lack of inclusion and fairness in education and frequently manifests as school drop-out (OECD, 2012).
From a systemic perspective, school failure occurs when a system fails to provide fair and inclusive education services that lead to successful learning, engagement, wider participation in the community and transition to a stable adulthood. From an individual perspective, school failure is defined as the learner’s failure to either:
- obtain adequate qualifications when completing school;
- develop a minimum level of positive behaviour/knowledge/skills and advance to the next grade while at school – which can, in extreme cases, lead to school drop-out (European Agency, 2019a).