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This article addresses the conditions provided by a second chance school to facilitate young adults' re-engagement in education. Early school leaving (ESL) today represents one of many issues faced by young adults in the transition to upper secondary education and vocational education and training (VET). Second chance education is very limited in Portugal with only one pioneering institutions, the Escola de Segunda Oportunidades de Matosinhos (ESOM) in the outskirts of Porto Municipality, which confers grade 6th and lower secondary school (grade 9th) certificates. This school was launched to offer an alternative form of education and training to very early leavers in line with the guidelines of innovative and inspiring resources to tackle ESL (European Commission, 2017).

What makes ESOM particularly interesting for our purposes is its arts-based pedagogy, staff support and small subsidies that contribute to students' basic needs. Its vocational education emphasises creative and practical skills. It has a flexible timetable and a holistic approach to the curriculum with project-based learning at its core. Its relatively less rigid environment and presence of youth mediators facilitate students' sense of belonging. This second chance school is intended to provide a pillar for young adults in transition to becoming actors of their own educational and social pathways. Although we have no statistical follow-up on students' educational transitions after leaving this school, there are several indicators of its positive impact on their lives.

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