A new book provided a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the emerging 14-19 phase in education and training in England, focusing on A Levels and GCSEs, the 14-19 diplomas, vocational learning, apprenticeships, and institutional collaboration. It called for a more unified and strongly collaborative approach.
Source: Ann Hodgson and Ken Spours, Education and Training 14-19: Curriculum, qualifications and organization, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Dec
A report examined and contrasted the life experiences of university students and former offenders. A gulf had opened between graduates, who could survive in a shrinking jobs market, and less privileged teenagers, who were left to drift into crime. All the young offenders stated that they had received little if any support from their family, their local community or the education system while growing up; and they described their local neighbourhood as a 'suffocating' environment, where crime was prevalent and a climate of fear existed within the community.
Source: Coping with Kidulthood: The hidden truth behind Britain's abandoned adolescents, Barrow Cadbury Trust (020 7391 9220)
Links: Report | BCT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Dec
The Scottish Government began consultation on proposals to encourage more young people to stay in learning after they turned 16. It proposed improvements to the way in which the most vulnerable young people – learning in a community setting or with a third sector provider – were supported. It also proposed refocusing the support available to young people in school, college, and work-based learning towards those most in need.
Source: 16+ Learning Choices: First step activity and financial support, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Consultation document | SG press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Nov
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that proposed teaching changes for pupils aged 14-19 in Wales should not proceed unless more financial details were made available. Under the proposals, schools and colleges would have to share resources to give pupils more study choices.
Source: Report on the Financial Implications of the Proposed Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure, Finance Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Nov
A report made a number of recommendations designed to help reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training ('NEETs'), including: encouraging one-to-one relationships between advisers and NEETs, with young people given more say in the services they use; and creating a one-stop shop approach to supporting young people, providing access to services such as careers guidance, health information, legal help, housing support, and information technology assistance in one package rather than from multiple sources.
Source: Towards a NEET solution: Tackling underachievement in young people, Confederation of British Industry (020 7395 8247)
Links: Report | CBI press release | Personnel Today report
Date: 2008-Oct
The government published a plan for implementing its proposed reforms of education and training for young people aged 14-19 (in particular, the introduction of new diplomas), over the period to 2015.
Source: Delivering 14-19 Reform: Next Steps, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Plan | Summary | Hansard | DCSF press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report | SkillsActive report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report said that widespread poor education and careers advice was preventing large numbers of academically able pupils from non-privileged homes going on to higher education, and diverting them into a 'cul de sac of opportunity'.
Source: Increasing Higher Education Participation Amongst Disadvantaged Young People and Schools in Poor Communities, Sutton Trust (020 8788 3223)
Links: Report | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report by a committee of MPs said that there was still 'much work to be done' to convince parents, employers, and universities that the new diplomas were a credible alternative to existing qualifications.
Source: Preparing to Deliver the 14-19 Education Reforms in England, Thirty-ninth Report (Session 2007-08), HC 413, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2008-Oct
A briefing paper examined how estimates of the number of young people who were not in education, employment or training ('NEET') were derived, and what they revealed about historical and geographical trends in the estimates.
Source: Rates of Post-16 Non-participation in England, Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training/Department of Educational Studies/University of Oxford (01865 274037)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Oct
A report said that diplomas and apprenticeships would not help reduce the number of young people who dropped out of formal education. The government's focus on qualifications risked disaffecting more young people, because it did not suit those who struggled with formal learning. A more flexible approach was needed, and greater recognition of work-based learning rather than a formal qualifications framework.
Source: Rathbone/Nuffield Review Engaging Youth Enquiry, Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training/Department of Educational Studies/University of Oxford (01865 274037)
Links: Report | Nuffield press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report said that expanding apprenticeship schemes would be of little value unless the government stopped interfering with the design and content of apprenticeships, and adopted a more realistic partnership approach with employers and training providers. Apprenticeships in England were a government-led model that had started out with the best of intentions, but had resulted in increasingly narrow education and training provision for young people and adults seeking improvement.
Source: Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin, Towards Expansive Apprenticeships: A commentary, Teaching and Learning Research Programme/Institute of Education (020 7911 5577)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Oct
The government began consultation on guidance in relation to schools' role in promoting well-being, and on the support they could expect from their local authority and other partners in the children's trust.
Source: Schools' Role in Promoting Pupil Well-being: Draft guidance for consultation, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DCSF press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jul
The government published the results of consultation on proposed reforms to education and training for pre-19 and post-19 learners; and set out the next steps in implementing the changes, including the creation of a Skills Funding Agency and Young People's Learning Agency.
Source: Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver – Update and Next Steps, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Report | DIUS press release
Date: 2008-Jul
A report said that over 3,250,000 vocational qualifications were awarded in 2007 – a rise of 8.3 per cent on the previous year, and a 117 per cent rise on the numbers awarded five years previously.
Source: The VQ Landscape 2008: A review of vocational qualification achievements in the UK, Edge Foundation (020 7734 6434)
Links: Report | Edge press release | BBC report | Personnel Today report | TES report
Date: 2008-Jul
A report said that young people in the United Kingdom who left school without qualifications found it particularly hard to get jobs; and that the government needed to take vigorous action to help them with education and training, and with job-search support.
Source: Jobs for Youth: United Kingdom, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (+33 1 4524 8200)
Links: OECD press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | FT report
Date: 2008-Jul
A think-tank report said that the government's new diploma scheme in England would not improve on existing qualifications, and that the generic components – including functional and personal, learning and thinking skills, a project, and work experience – were of 'questionable value'. It was not clear what the diploma would qualify people for, and it was 'extremely doubtful' whether one qualification could be fit for the wide range of purposes that needed to be served, such as university entrance and recruitment to different levels in employment.
Source: Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, The Diploma: A Disaster Waiting to Happen?, Centre for Education and Employment Research/University of Buckingham (01280 820338)
Links: Report | NUT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Guardian report | BBC report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Jun
The main employers' organization urged the government to think again about its 'over-ambitious' plans to introduce a new range of academic diplomas in humanities, languages, and sciences.
Source: Press release 23 June 2008, Confederation of British Industry (020 7395 8247)
Links: CBI press release | NUT press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jun
A report said that there was a 'systemic crisis' of general (or 'academic') education in the 14-19 phase in England. General education was selective, particularly post-16, casting a shadow over 'alternative' vocational provision; it encouraged mechanical and instrumental learning habits; the individual subject approach failed to support a broad and coherent curriculum; the emphasis on examinations, exacerbated by their use in performance tables in England, contributed to learner alienation and drop-out; and learners of all abilities, who did remain in this route because of its status and progression opportunities, were often unchallenged and bored. The report described the government's defence of GCSEs and A-levels as 'politically inspired'.
Source: Ann Hodgson and Ken Spours, General Education in the 14-19 Phase, Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training/Department of Educational Studies/University of Oxford (01865 274037)
Links: Report | IOE press release | Telegraph report | FT report
Date: 2008-Jun
At the end of 2007 over 78 per cent of young people in England aged 16-18 – the highest ever figure – were taking part in education, work, or training.
Source: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England, Statistical First Release 13/2008, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | 4Children press release | AOC press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2008-Jun
A report said that, despite several attempts at qualifications-led reform during the previous 15 years, the overall participation rate for young people aged 16-18 had not increased since 1994 – raising questions about the approaches to reform being used. There had been a concentration on the assessment of achievement, rather than on improving the learning experience; a failure to give sufficient influence to those who knew the learners and their needs; and a failure to focus on the needs of those who were not heading for university at 18.
Source: Geoff Stanton, Learning Matters: Making the 14-19 reforms work for learners, CfBT Education Trust (0118 902 1000)
Links: Report | Summary | CfBT press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-May
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers criticized as 'potentially disproportionate' the government's intention to coerce young people aged 16-18 into education and training through the use of criminal sanctions. It also called for children to be given the right to withdraw from religious worship in schools.
Source: Legislative Scrutiny: Education and Skills Bill, Nineteenth Report (Session 2007-08), HC 553 and HL 107, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons) Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | BHA press release | NSS press release | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-May
An article examined the impact of educational attainment on juvenile conviction rates, using information at local education authority level in England. An increase in educational attainment between cohorts was associated with reductions in conviction rates for most offences, although not for violent crime. Reductions in poverty were associated with decreasing conviction rates for violent crime, criminal damage, and drug-related offences: whereas increasing unauthorized time away from school was associated with higher conviction rates for theft.
Source: Ricardo Sabates, 'Educational attainment and juvenile crime: area-level evidence using three cohorts of young people', British Journal of Criminology, Volume 48 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-May
The Welsh Assembly government began consultation on a strategy designed to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment, or training. Despite some progress in tackling the problem, the number of young people classed as 'Neets' remained unacceptably high – at 10 per cent of all those aged 16-18. The Assembly Government wanted to ensure that local councils, schools, and further education institutions worked together to deliver more attractive and flexible learning options.
Source: Delivering Skills that Work for Wales: Reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document | BBC report
Date: 2008-May
A think-tank report said that the number of young people leaving school without 5 basic GCSE 'G' grades, including in English and maths, had risen, despite billions of pounds of investment in education. Almost 90,000 pupils fell into the category in 2007, the highest figure since 1998. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Chris Skidmore, The Failed Generation: The real cost of education under Labour, Bow Group (020 7431 6400)
Links: Report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Apr
A report examined the impact of non-formal learning on the life chances of young people. Improving motivation, self-control, and interpersonal skills led to better outcomes in education, employment, health, and the local environment. It recommended that youth work should play a role in the additional support required to navigate mainstream education and make good choices in the light of the recent 14-19 qualification reforms.
Source: Louise Bamfield, The Contribution of Non-formal Learning to Young People's Life Chances, National Youth Agency (0116 285 3700) and Fabian Society
Date: 2008-Apr
A pilot scheme in Scotland, which involved developing new qualifications to give pupils skills for life and for the workplace, was found to have been well received by schools, colleges, teachers, and pupils; and to have raised the status of vocational learning.
Source: Thomas Spielhofer and Matthew Walker, Evaluation of Skills for Work Pilot Courses: Final Report, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report | Summary | SG press release
Date: 2008-Mar
A report said that the government should build on the transfer of 16-19 Learning and Skills Council funding to local education authorities to create a single 14-19 funding system. Funding barriers should not prevent young people aged 14-19 from choosing the best mix of providers delivering the most interesting mix of qualifications and curriculum opportunities.
Source: Mark Corney and Mick Fletcher, Localism and 14-19 Funding: Putting learner choice first, Campaign for Learning (020 7930 1111)
Links: Report | CFL press release
Date: 2008-Mar
The government began consultation on proposals to simplify the qualifications system at ages 14-19. It set out plans to incorporate existing qualifications into four key national qualification structures: diplomas; GCSEs and A-levels; apprenticeships; and a foundation learning tier of courses that would act as a route into higher level qualifications. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education)
Source: Promoting Achievement, Valuing Success: A strategy for 14-19 qualifications, Cm 7354, Department for Children, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | DCSF press release | UCU press release | AOC press release | NUT press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Mar
The government published a White Paper setting out the funding mechanism designed to support the proposed raising of the school-leaving age to 18. The Learning and Skills Council would be abolished, and most of its funds transferred to local education authorities. LEAs would be responsible for commissioning courses and training for young people aged 16-19; they would also be held accountable for ensuring that young people stayed in education or training until the age of 18. There would be a new Skills Funding Agency to act as a funding body for further education colleges.
Source: Raising Expectations: Enabling the system to deliver, Cm 7348, Department for Children, Schools and Families, TSO (0870 600 5522) and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
Links: White Paper | Hansard | DCSF press release | LSC press release | YJB press release | TUC press release | NASUWT press release | PCS press release | AOC press release | BBC report | Personnel Today report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Mar
A report examined the impact of the education maintenance allowance using administrative data. There was an increase in both participation and attainment for young people from disadvantaged areas.
Source: Haroon Chowdry, Lorraine Dearden and Carl Emmerson, Education Maintenance Allowance: Evaluation with Administrative Data, Learning and Skills Council (0870 900 6800)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Feb
Provisional figures showed that 73.9 per cent of young people in England aged 19 reached level 2 (equivalent to 5 'good' GCSEs) in 2007, and that 48 per cent of those aged 16 reached level 3 (equivalent to 2 'A' levels) – compared to 71.4 per cent and 46.6 per cent respectively in 2006. (GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education; A = Advanced)
Source: Level 2 and 3 Attainment by Young People in England Measured Using Matched Administrative Data: Attainment by Age 19 in 2007 (Provisional), Statistical First Release 04/2008, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: SFR | DCSF press release | LSC press release | Liberal Democrats press release | FT report
Date: 2008-Feb
The Education and Skills Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to raise the compulsory education participation age in England to 17 by 2013 and 18 by 2015.
Source: Education and Skills Bill, Department for Children, Schools and Families, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 14 January 2008, columns 657-759, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | Barnardos press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Personnel Today report | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Jan
A think-tank report said that the government had 'ludicrously over-estimated' the benefits of raising the education and training leaving age to 18, and massively under-estimated the costs. The policy would almost certainly have a serious, negative impact on the job market for young people.
Source: Alison Wolf, Diminished Returns: How raising the leaving age will harm young people and the economy, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Date: 2008-Jan
