![](https://mmo.aiircdn.com/277/65ba83b3b4528.jpg)
It comes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Covid pandemic has caused a shift in the number of students seeking alternate approaches to education, according to the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board.
It says the youth reach programme in Mountmellick has seen a knock-on effect since the pandemic on the number of young people seeking its services.
School refusals and anxiety have also contributed to the change, according to the LOETB.
Communications Officer, Suzanne Hoey, says youth reach offers another options where school just isn't working: