The problems are obvious. Schools operate to a pre-arranged, nationally recognised curriculum and - for very good reasons - are strongly geared towards exam results. Those young people who don't thrive in the classroom rarely find alternative provision within mainstream education. Teachers simply don't have the time to administer much in the way of one-to-one support.
This is the breach into which youth work can step. Getting projects and schools to understand the other, however, is a stumbling block. Schools might see individuals they perceive as "naughty" being apparently "rewarded" by doing things they enjoy through youth projects.
The challenge is for workers to prove that this type of attention will ultimately raise that young person's self-esteem, sense of responsibility and skill set. In other words, it will improve his or her readiness to re-engage with "real" education.
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