Getting to the root of the NEET problem

The Select Committee that Shaks gave evidence to in January has now completed its enquiry. Her evidence was highly valued by the Committee and the final report mentions a number of PEF’s insights into how to get to the root of the NEET (young people not in education, employment or training) problem.

PEF has also supported the latest major piece of research into the issue.  Ex Curricula, by leading think-tank Demos, was published in February and sets out the scale and cost of this crisis in our communities.

It estimates that the current generation of 16 to 18 year old ‘NEETs’ will cost society an estimated £31bn over their lifetime, including the costs of unemployment, to health services and to the criminal justice system.

Yet, successive government policies to tackle the issue have had limited success.
 
The report goes beyond the immediate problem to look at root causes.  It highlights the lack of a properly-resourced, early intervention approach to tackle disengagement amongst younger children who are at risk of becoming tomorrow’s generation of NEETs.
 
The study has found that 11.5 per cent of 15,000 children surveyed are starting school without the behavioural skills they need to learn in the classroom or build relationships with peers.
 
Drawing on original analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study, Ex Curricula sets out recommendations in the areas of parenting and early years provision for 0 to 5 year olds, behaviour and exclusion, special educational needs and spreading evidence-based, preventative practice in schools.

To see the full report please click here or click here to see coverage on the BBC’s website.

Read the Select Committee report in full here.