A minority of young people are negative about education and become disengaged*.  This study investigated their experience. Most saw the primary problem as the system.  For them, school was an environment that was hard to endure, where some teachers were indifferent to them, where learning was not possible and where, whatever their attitude, they could see little chance of success. They knew what helped them to learn and what did not, but had little influence to change how they were taught.