When children struggle at school, they can be left to flounder, often going on to develop behavioural problems, but one school is trying a new way of keeping youngsters interested.

Nick Morrison reports on a scheme which could provide a blueprint for other schools.

DEAN is unhappy. His favourite CD is missing and he suspects his friend Jay knows where it is. Jay denies any knowledge of it, leaving Dean increasingly frustrated, until the CD in question drops out of Jay's pocket. Feelings, already running high, are taken to a new level, and the atmosphere is decidedly tense.

Such a dispute, particularly between two 12-year-olds, could easily sour a relationship, even if it does not escalate into violence. But in this case Jay is quick to apologise, Dean forgives his friend and the two shake hands.

This may be the sort of situation which happens dozens of times in every school every day, but in this case it is part of a lesson. Conflict resolution may not be on every school curriculum, but for these pupils it sits alongside self-esteem, counselling and anger management sessions as part of a normal school day.

On the whiteboard a series of posters reinforce the points being made in Dean and Jay's role play: Considering others' feelings; Each person has a point of view; Communicate and co-operate; Avoid insults; Apologise when you are wrong, and Mutual decision, they proclaim.

The session is being held in the ICAN base, a self-contained and purpose-built part of Greenfield School, Arts and Community College in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. ICAN, more a statement of intent than an acronym, was set up four years ago to provide an alternative curriculum for pupils who were not achieving at, or sometimes even attending, school.

"I got interested in the small proportion of children who took up a huge amount of time. They didn't want to come into school, and when they did, they couldn't engage and found it too challenging," says Jill Burdis, a former PE teacher who is now Greenfield's social inclusion manager. "I also felt that one education system didn't suit all children. I wanted to try and run a more practical curriculum."

After Jill's proposals were approved by the head teacher, she then went about selling it to staff and pupils. It was initially aimed at Year Nine students - 13 and 14-year-olds - who were either referred by staff or referred themselves to take part. Around half the year group applied for the 12 places on offer in that first year. Now, around 29 per cent of the school's 740 pupils are involved with ICAN in one form or another.

Children spend about half the time in their regular classes and the other half in ICAN sessions, where they draw up their own aims and responsibilities. A typical list from one group this year includes: work hard; help others; respect each other; work as a team, and listen to each other.

"A lot of these children haven't achieved much before, so we started a record of achievement, to build up a positive document of what they have achieved," says Jill. At the end of every half term, ICAN has a celebration of achievement, handing out awards to pupils who have performed well.

ICAN has a determinedly practical approach to lessons, but it doesn't just extend to sculpture, music and making jewellery, although those are in there. Group projects include drugs work, prison and domestic violence, and there is the opportunity to try new sports, including rock climbing, mountain biking and fell walking. And for half a term, the children spend half a day a week on community work, ranging from helping younger children learn to read to befriending residents in a nursing home.

But Jill insists it isn't just about having a good time, and there is a point to these activities.

"All the time we're working on skills such as communication, team-building, respect for others, trust and co-operation," she says. "We do make a difference with some of them all the time and with all of them some of the time. I'm not saying it works every time, but it has made a difference."

Staff are asked to identify pupils who might benefit from getting involved with ICAN, and highlight the specific areas where they could use help.

"It might be a child who doesn't come to school, it might be a child who doesn't last in a classroom, it might be a child who is unhappy or is introverted or insecure, perhaps lacking in confidence or self-esteem. It's any child who is finding it difficult to engage with a traditional curriculum, who is just not coping.

'IF we didn't intervene, perhaps some children would be permanently excluded, or may exclude themselves by long-term absence, or underachieve in exams. It's not a magic wand and it doesn't work all the time, but we do have success with most of the children," she adds.

By observing the children, Jill says they aim to identify the issues - from lack of self-esteem to a volatile temperament - and work on preventing them from hindering the child's progress. Much of their work is around developing social skills, and ranges from one-to-one counselling to group sessions.

"It might be the ability to hold a conversation, to listen, to respect, to share, to help, to work as a team, to become more independent. You could say a lot of our children are irresponsible, but we try to give them responsibility," Jill says.

In one recent example, a group of 11-year-olds said they wanted to go quad biking, so they were set the task of arranging it themselves, from booking the venue and the minibus to organising cover for their teacher. In another, a Year 11 group - of 15 and 16-year-olds, arranged to take younger children rock climbing, even giving them certificates for completing the session.

"Peer training is far more effective than an adult working with them, and the younger children get the benefit of trying a new sport, while the older ones learn how to organise their own budget and become aware of a different role in taking charge," she adds.

While it is difficult to measure the success of the scheme, the first of its kind in the country, Jill says there are signs it is working.

"Some of the children do get re-engaged with school, some of the children are not getting excluded as much, some children achieve more, sometimes it is that the children are happier or their confidence is improved.

"A child with a 50 per cent attendance rate may go up to 80 per cent, which is still poor, but it is huge progress," she says.

Although the nature of the work at the ICAN base means it is very time intensive, Jill believes this will be repaid by the benefits, not just to the school but to society as a whole.

"If you know a child is not succeeding, you have to look at why, because otherwise they're going to take a disproportionate amount of time up in a negative way. We're spending a lot of time with them, but in a very positive way, and it is cheaper than looking after a child who has been permanently excluded," she says.

And the difference she has seen in some of the children has sometimes been quite dramatic.

"They grow up. They start caring for each other and they become more independent, more trustworthy, they take the initiative more. It isn't a miracle, but it is a tool in the tool box. It is little steps, but it is moving up the steps. Sometimes it is three steps forward and two steps back, but we're heading in the right direction," she says.

"I just think that schools should make a difference, and if you have got to be a bit more flexible to meet somebody's needs, then you should do that. I'm not saying ours is the right way, but I think the fact that 29 per cent of our children are accessing something in the ICAN base speaks volumes. They're saying this is what they want. They like it, and that makes a difference."