The new NHS 10-year plan is ambitious on prevention and on shifting services to community level. But where is the investment in adult learning crucial to achieve this?
We know adult learning supports people with their health & wellbeing providing essential information on topics like nutrition, exercise and managing mental health. Studies show the actual process of learning is beneficial of itself. Our learners tell us that courses change their lives – and the data proves it. The WEA’s impact report last month revealed that almost half – 47 per cent – of adult-education learners with a long-term physical or mental health condition saw their course as a means of managing the side effects of their condition.
Almost three-quarters of the 1,690 learners questioned said adult education had helped them to reduce or manage stress. Eighty-four per cent of those with pre-existing mental-health conditions said that taking an adult-learning course had improved their wellbeing.
And 35 per cent of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged learners said they had made fewer visits to health services since beginning an adult-education course.
Signposting to adult education courses is already established in social prescribing, where GPs suggest non-clinical approaches to help patients manage their conditions (especially around mental health). And most adult education is hyper-local. It is already based in community venues with learners travelling no more than a mile or two to their courses. Making it perfectly aligned to deliver the closer to home goal of the NHS plan.
However, cuts to adult education budgets are forcing a reduction in what’s available. And with funding devolved across mayoral combined authorities and local authorities access to tailored learning, whether socially prescribed by your GP or not, is a postcode lottery which as ever usually negatively impacts the most disadvantaged. And as the most recent ONS data reconfirmed, people living in the most deprived areas have significantly lower healthy life expectancy.
We would love to be part of the solution to the UK’s health crisis by providing more tailored learning and social prescribing courses to support wellbeing. Courses that help to deal with life’s challenges, from healthy cooking on a budget to building confidence and resilience, to debt management and financial literacy. We think they should sit side by side in learning centres, connecting communities and responding direct to local needs. But it’s not a priority for local and national funding.
Just a few weeks ago, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told MPs in the final session of the education committee’s inquiry into FE and skills that reduced adult education funding has been focused on providers that can deliver “the biggest bang for the smaller amount of buck that I’m afraid there has to be for adult skills funding”.
The current government continues to fail to recognise the true depth and breadth of adult education. It is compounding the chronic underfunding of post-19 learning with a 6 per cent cut to the adult skills fund and missing the opportunity for cross-cutting solutions across multiple government agendas; specifically, the reduction of NHS waiting lists. The reality of this short-sighted and neglectful position will result in the closure of courses that support people’s mental health and wellbeing, increasing the likelihood of them requiring more NHS support. It’s an own goal. There are ways and means to avoid it, but the government urgently needs a more joined up approach.
Increasing investment in more provision through the health budget, coupled with reversing the planned 6 per cent cut to adult education in the education budget, would help the new NHS Plan achieve its goals. So why isn’t the government connecting the dots?
School and college leaders have said more funding is needed if they are to hit new government tech targets by 2030.
The Department for Education recently consulted on plans to introduce five-year technology targets for schools and colleges, to help “end the postcode lottery in access to tech that has left too many pupils behind”.
It has now committed to moving ahead with the six standards, covering broadband internet, wireless networks, network switches, digital leadership, plus cyber security, and filtering and monitoring to keep pupils safe online.
DfE minister Stephen Morgan said: “For too long, we’ve seen a postcode lottery where some pupils thrive with cutting-edge technology whilst others are held back by outdated equipment.
“Meeting our six digital standards will ensure that by 2030, all schools and colleges have the digital provision they need.”
In a consultation, schools and colleges broadly supported the aims but called for more funding.
Around one-third (30 per cent) of the 108 schools that took part said they already meet the four proposed new standards, while 42 per cent said they could meet them by 2030. But a further 29 per cent said “we can’t meet them by 2030”.
The government noted “the concerns from a significant minority of schools and colleges” who do not currently think they can meet the standards.
“We acknowledge the financial pressures schools and colleges face, as well as other barriers around expertise and technical knowledge. We will prioritise work to further understand the barriers and provide support over the coming years to prepare them for 2030,” it said in its response.
More funding needed
Julie McCulloch, director of strategy and policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “While we recognise that the Department for Education is putting in place some support, we are not convinced it goes far enough in providing the level of investment that is clearly required to ensure equitable access to digital technology.”
National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede added: “If we want schools and colleges to prepare students for life and work, the lack of technology infrastructure is a problem and the government must provide to new funding to help alleviate the problem and support them to use technology in cutting edge ways.”
Millions in apprenticeship provider “failure” write-offs, the skills minister’s salary and payouts to senior officials all feature in the Department for Education’s accounts this year.
The department’s annual report for 2024-25 was published this morning, as were the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s final accounts following its merger with the DfE in March.
Here’s what we learned…
Hefty cash losses from apprenticeship ‘failures’
The department suffered £24 million in losses and claims that were waived or abandoned in more than one thousand cases that were not linked to student loans.
Several apprenticeship providers and one college were named individually where the value of the written off funding clawback by the government hit over £300,000.
This included Vocational Skills Solutions, which closed down in 2023 and left the taxpayer £633,000 out of pocket.
Debts totalling £6.6 million were written off after the “corporate failures” of six apprenticeship providers: Vista Training Solutions, ARC Academy UK, Apex Management Consultants, Insight Development & Consultancy, People and Business Development, and Hair and Beauty Industry Training.
Vista Training Solutions cost the DfE £2.2 million. The company’s director, Shakar Habib has since received a six-year ban, as reported by FE Week in January 2024.
The department also waived £2.016 million owed by ARC Academy UK Ltd, which was judged ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted before closing.
The remaining providers had less than £1 million waived.
Most debts related to “overstated funding claims” that the DfE seeks to reclaim where possible, “but in some cases the provider has failed”, the report said.
The department also recorded a loss of £510,000 to Lambeth College this year, which merged with London South Bank University in 2019.
Meanwhile, £1.6 million was also written off for Weymouth College, which merged with Kingston Maurward College in 2024.
And UTC Warrington also had £825,000 written off for un unspecified reason.
Smith’s salary revealed
The department paid skills minister Jacqui Smith an £86,804 basic salary in the 2024-25 financial year after she started part way through the financial year in July, equivalent to an annual salary of £117,851.
This is a higher yearly wage than education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s £67,505, although Phillipson also receives an MP’s salary of equivalent to £91,346.
As a member of the House of Lords, Smith does not receive a salary and has never claimed a £342 daily attendance allowance, according to latest data that goes up to February, although she claimed £800 in secretarial expenses in September last year.
Bumper pay rise for top boss…
DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood saw her salary band rise to between £180,000 and £185,000 pounds last year, up from between £170,000 and £175,000. Her pension benefits also increased from £108,000 to £137,000.
It means her pay and benefits rose by 12.3 per cent, compared to a DfE staff average of 5.2 per cent.
…and big increase in exit packages
The DfE and its agencies and arms-length bodies paid out £3.9 million in exit packages to 64 departing staff in 2024-25. In 2023-24, it had paid £1.27 million to 30 people.
Two of the exit packages last year were worth between £150,000 and £200,000, while six were between £100,000 and £150,000.
Exit packages are for staff who are made redundant or retire early. It does not name which staff the payments relate to.
The DfE also sometimes makes special “severance payments” when employees or contractors resign, are dismissed or reach an agreed termination of contract.
In 2024-25, it made 23 payments totalling £1.3 million up from two payments totalling £115,000 in the year prior.
The highest payment was £142,186.
£17k payout for Keegan
Ministers get severance payments when they leave office, regardless of whether they resign, are sacked or voted out as MPs.
The report shows former education secretary Gillian Keegan received £16,876 last year after losing her seat, while departing schools minister Damian Hinds and skills minister Luke Hall got £7,920. Former children’s minister David Johnston received £5,593.
The document also shows £7,920 was also paid out to Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon, who both resigned as ministers in late 2023.
£234k to Keegan’s husband company, £21k to Smith’s consultancy
It’s not just axed ministers getting pay days.
The report details related-party transactions, spends by the DfE with organisations linked to ministers and board members.
It shows £234,000 was spent with Centerprise International Holdings Limited, an IT provider of which former education secretary Gillian Keegan’s husband is a non-executive director.
Jacqui Smith
Meanwhile, £21,000 was paid during the year to Jacqui Smith Advisory Ltd, a company owned by the current skills minister Baroness Smith. And £14,000 went to Steve Crocker Consultancy Ltd, run by DfE board member Steve Crocker.
The accounts do not state what the payments are for but a government spokesperson told FE Week the extra payment to Smith relates to her time as the DfE-funded independent chair of Sandwell Children’s Trust, which she stepped down from before joining government.
Fraud and audit
The ESFA’s counter-fraud team claims to have detected £20 million in fraud and prevented a further £71 million being paid out, from the £79 billion in public funds it distributed.
During the year it recovered £10 million, which includes amounts from cases in previous years.
It also carried out funding audits of 79 FE colleges and 91 independent training providers, although it did not specify how much funding was clawed back.
The number of new allegations the counter-fraud team handled increased from 142 to 246 in 2024-25, with 118 cases relating to ITPs and 41 to colleges.
However, more than 200 of these allegations did not proceed to a formal investigation as they did not meet the threshold, were referred to other bodies, or concluded with “advice” to colleagues.
Contrary to its own policy, the ESFA has only published two reports detailing counter-fraud investigations, despite carrying out nearly 200 full investigations between 2017 and 2024.
But the DfE’s annual report says merging with the ESFA will “ensure a more cohesive approach” to investigations, positioning it “at the forefront of counter-fraud efforts across government”.
£13.6m Ecctis repayment
The DfE’s counter-fraud team, separate to the ESFA’s, secured a £13.6 million repayment from its contractor Ecctis, which runs the UK’s official agency for recognising international qualifications and running language tests.
Earlier this year, permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood said a “very hard” review of Ecctis found that the company had failed to reinvest profits from the not-for-profit contract back into the service as promised.
The accounts say the department has now “strengthened” contractual management arrangements.
Loans rise
The DfE’s total amount loaned to FE providers increased from £170 million to £256 million.
It lent a total of £103 million during the year and received £44 million in repayments.
Following public sector reclassification the DfE has faced growing demand for financing from colleges, which have lost the freedom to take out commercial loans in most cases.
During the year nine colleges received £25 million in emergency funding or loans, which the DfE says protected 61,000 learners.
A further £91 million was loaned to 24 providers, most of which were FE colleges, according to the accounts.
£600m ‘irregular’ grant spend identified by auditor
The DfE paid out £88.3 billion in resource grants and £5.5 billion in capital grants in 2024-25.
Gareth Davies, the comptroller and auditor general to the House of Commons, said he identified irregular grant spend in several areas.
Within the core department, he identified estimated irregular grant spend of £61 million relating to various grant streams.
“I also identified an estimated £588 million of irregular spend within ESFA and £63 million of known irregular spend,” he added.
No further details on which grants were irregular and how was provided.
A large midlands college group has left a local MP “very disappointed” after closing a college campus in their local town that was opened 50 years ago.
On June 4, Warwickshire College Group’s (WCG) board signed off the decision to close its Evesham New College campus at the end of this academic year after a “comprehensive public consultation”.
Motor vehicle, hair and beauty, construction, art ESOL and apprenticeship provision will move from the campus in Evesham, which opened in 1970, to Pershore College, a rural campus that is a 5.5 mile drive away, or fifteen minutes by public transport.
WCG claims the move is needed to address longstanding issues of “underutilisation, financial inefficiency, and limited facilities”.
The Evesham campus has about 200 full-time learners and operates at a “marginal surplus” of £100,000 per year, the college argued.
Nigel Nuddleston, MP for Droitwich, Evesham and the villages said: “I remain very disappointed by the decision to close Evesham College, and I know many constituents are understandably concerned about the impact on students, staff and the wider community.
“While I appreciate the financial pressures faced by the college, I believe it is important that where possible proceeds of the sale are properly re-invested into the Pershore campus for the benefit of my constituents who would otherwise miss out.”
Students at the Evesham campus will be offered free transport for all existing learners and September 2025 starters for “at least the full academic year”, the college said.
What will be lost?
WCG describes the Evesham campus as a “small and friendly” FE college that provides “essential” adult part time courses in its workshops, salons, studios and “fully equipped Energy Training Centre”.
In 2020, it celebrated the site’s 50 year anniversary, praising the “key role” it has played in thousands of people’s lives.
The college argues it has now committed to “over £1.5 million” of investment in the Pershore College campus to “accommodate the transition”, including a “new Construction Academy”, upgraded workshops, and “new wellbeing spaces”.
Regarding the future of the Evesham site, WCG told FE Week: “Options for the site’s long-term future are still to be considered by the corporation, and at this stage, even if a sale is the option taken, then it would not be commercially appropriate to comment on proceeds.”
A controversial chapter
The closure marks the end of two college sites that were adopted by WCG in a merger with South Worcestershire College in 2016.
Earlier this year, the college group confirmed it has finally sold its Malvern Hills campus to pay off government funding clawbacks and debts after winning a controversial legal battle with the local council two years ago.
Both the Evesham and Malvern Hills sites were previously part of South Worcestershire College, but merged with WCG in 2016 with the promise of “significant benefits”.
At the time, then-WCG principal Angela Joyce claimed her college would provide “a broader curriculum”, a wider range of specialised facilities and “an enhanced overall student experience”.
‘Asset stripping‘
Local Lib Dem councillor Dan Boatright-Greene, a former FE teacher, said the loss of the Evesham college will have a “huge impact” on local young people due to the additional distance they will need to travel.
He said: “I will never forgive Warwickshire College Group for asset stripping the former South Worcestershire Colleges sites.
“Despite their protests I am adamant that their plan was always to do this ever since they took over the colleges.
“My personal view remains that all proceeds from any sale should be used to invest in the relevant location and not used to prop up their sites in Warwickshire.
“Bigger is clearly not always better and economy of scale has clearly not worked.”
A WCG spokesperson questioned whether Boatright-Greene had engaged with the consultation process and offered to show him around the Pershore College campus.
‘The end of an era’
Sara-Jane Watkins, principal and chief executive of WCG, said: “We recognise that this change marks the end of an era for Evesham New College, and that many people will feel sadness and concern.
“But this is also the beginning of a stronger, more resilient future for learners and ensuring one sustainable and vibrant college within Wychavon.
“We are protecting all current courses, expanding what we offer, and ensuring that every learner, including those with additional needs, receives the support and opportunities they deserve.”
Gill Clipson, chair of the WCG board of governors, said: “This has been a thoughtful and considered decision, taken with care and compassion.
“We have listened carefully to the feedback and responded where we could.
“By consolidating provision at Pershore College – just four miles from Evesham – we can deliver a higher-quality learning environment, invest in future skills, and ensure long-term educational sustainability.”
I’ve been delivering accounting skills for over 20 years, and while staffing challenges have always been present, the sector is approaching a crisis. Cancelled classes and delayed cohorts are unwelcome consequences of tutor shortages – and it’s not just affecting accounting.
The National Audit Office’s recent report shows that in 2022-23 there were 2,500 unfilled teaching posts in the FE sector, with forecasts estimating the need for an additional 8,400–12,400 FE teachers by 2028–29. Sadly, the government’s response feels insufficient, meaning that recruitment and retention is the number one concern among sector leaders, with 18 per cent identifying it as the most pressing future challenge.
As learner numbers continue to rise and private providers lure tutors with favourable pay and conditions, it’s time to consider a more organic, sustainable solution.
‘Grow Your Own’
Building your team of AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) tutors not only increases capacity for learner numbers, but also reduces pressure on other staff members, positively impacting attendance, morale and work-life-balance – something we can’t afford to ignore if colleges want to retain the brilliant tutors they already employ.
I’m a strong proponent of the ‘grow your own’ approach – because it works. It is the path I took when I was studying accountancy as a career changer over 20 years ago, and I’ve seen the benefits first-hand, both for accountants-turned-tutors and for the colleges who support them. With a shift in mindset and structured support, it can deliver real, long-term impact.
Being open to recruiting brand new teachers empowers your AAT tutors, allowing them to harness the potential they see in learners, colleagues or professional contacts, and train them in ways that compliment your college culture.
It also helps to avoid the uncertainty associated with hiring external candidates: will they be a good fit for your team; will they be disruptive? Then there are expensive agency fees, a lengthy hiring process and the need to re-advertise hard-to-fill roles. And let’s face it – AAT tutor roles sit firmly in that category.
Learners approaching the end of their studies are a great starting point for recruitment, but don’t discount those who are already established accountants – perhaps even currently working in your college’s own finance team. I know a number of fantastic tutors who have a foot in both camps, teaching alongside their ‘day job’ in industry. They relish the opportunity to inspire others and learners benefit from seeing their subject brought to life in an authentic way.
An AAT qualification doesn’t have to equate working in accountancy
Many AAT learners simply don’t consider teaching because their focus is firmly on becoming an accountant. But as tutors, we’re in the perfect position to plant the seed.
Mentioning teaching pathways during course inductions or classroom discussions can make all the difference. I look for learners who support others, making explanations or sharing their work experience, and encourage them to continue; it helps them learn as well as helping the student that they are supporting.
Presenting yourself as an attractive employer is key. Flexible hours, blended delivery and support with lesson preparation can all go a long way in helping potential teachers see this path as a viable, exciting next step.
There are few professions as deeply rewarding as teaching. I still get a buzz when I see a student embrace their potential. The sense of fulfilment, from helping someone transform their future, is what keeps me going. In my experience, learners are passionate about accounting and want to share their knowledge.
How to support interested learners
Reassure them that it’s not a complicated process. These days introductory teacher training courses are delivered online, so basic teaching skills can be obtained more flexibly.
Don’t underestimate the importance of support in the staffroom. Shadowing or guidance from established tutors in their team can provide valuable ‘on the ground’ insight to life in the classroom.
Ready to rekindle the joy of teaching?
I didn’t go into FE because it was easy. I went into it because it changes lives. And although it’s had its challenges, I’d do it again without a second thought.
By nurturing talent from within, we’re not just addressing a staffing crisis. We’re building a future-ready teaching workforce that knows our learners, understands their journey, and is already invested in their success.
Exams regulator Ofqual has admitted botched data “significantly overstated” the number of students receiving extra time in exams for the last decade.
Access arrangements are adjustments given for learners with special needs, disabilities, or injuries to help ensure they are assessed fairly. They can include receiving 25 per cent extra time in exams, or the help of a reader or scribe.
Ofqual data has shown the proportion of pupils with access arrangements soared in recent years. The number rose by 12.3 per cent in 2023-24 to around 625,000, with three in ten pupils granted extra time.
However, the regulator has now admitted the proportion of students getting access arrangements overall is actually closer to 14 per cent.
Late last year, concerns were also raised about a growing gap between the use of access arrangements between private and state schools.
Almost 42 per cent of private school pupils received extra time, according to the Ofqual data, far above the 26.5 per cent in state secondaries.
The education secretary told the Financial Times the divide as “a real concern”, and asked Ofqual to investigate “why so many children require this support”.
Following a review, Ofqual said it found issues with the statistics, dating back to 2014. The officials access arrangement statistics for the past decade have now been withdrawn.
Error in data
Ofqual’s statistics were based on data collected by exam boards. However the review found they “significantly overstated” the number of pupils receiving access arrangements.
According to the regulator, the error is due to the way the data was recorded and aggregated, such as including arrangements for students who did not sit exams that year, or including duplicate applications for the same student.
It said new analysis suggested the actual proportion of students receiving access arrangements was “broadly in line” with the proportion of students with special educational needs, without an EHCP.
There are now almost 1.3 million pupils in schools in England who fall into this category, equating to 14.2 per cent of pupils – up from 13.6 per cent in 2024.
New data based on an “improved methodology” will be published later this year following a “comprehensive” review of evidence, Ofqual said.
Wrong data ‘frustrating’
Tom Bramley, executive director of research and analysis at Ofqual, said: “We are correcting the record as soon as possible. The access arrangements process has not changed, and students who received support did so appropriately.
“This issue is limited to our access arrangements dataset and our other statistics are not affected.”
Ofqual is “working closely with the Office of Statistical Regulation” on fresh data, and says it will also work with exam boards to improve data quality and reporting.
The regulator says there was “no change” for students who are receiving or applying for access arrangements, and those already granted remain “appropriate and valid”.
Tom Middlehurst, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, welcomed the withdrawal and correcting of the data, but said it was “frustrating that the data was apparently incorrect in the first place”.
Ofqual ‘was aware of error’
A senior industry source also claimed the regulator had been aware of concerns about the data error for at least two years.
They argued that while exam boards collect the data, it is processed by Ofqual, and it was the regulator’s responsibility to check it.
They said one reason likely to contribute to the overstated number was that pupils who are granted access arrangements are kept on exam boards’ system for a period of around two years, to save them from reapplying each time they sit exams.
In response, Ofqual said it had always recognised limitations to the data, but the new analysis revealed the scale of the issue for the first time. The regulator added it decided to withdraw the statistics after discussions with the Office for Statistics Regulation, who they have been working with on the issue.
But Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, added: “Ofqual is supposed to be the trusted source for exam statistics and as a result of these significant errors, independent schools have wrongly seen their results undermined and their integrity questioned.
“We are pleased that the investigation instigated by the DfE will lead to a correction of the record and we hope an apology will be forthcoming.”
Apprenticeship starts rose 7 per cent in April despite warnings the chancellor’s tax hikes and rises to the minimum wage would wreck recruitment.
Department for Education data published today shows the number of apprentice newcomers increased from 21,100 in April 2024 to 22,600 in the same month this year.
The rise was driven by new apprentices aged 25 or older and higher level apprenticeships – in line with recent trends.
However, adverts on Find Apprenticeship Training over the last three months – April, May and June – have decreased compared to those in the previous year by 22 per cent, 17 per cent and 18 per cent respectively. For each of those months in 2025 the number of apprenticeship adverts sat at just above 4,500.
Meanwhile, overall vacancies in April and May increased – by 17 per cent and 21 per cent – but this was “primarily due to the British Army, who placed 2,840 vacancies in April and 2,880 in May”, the data states.
The 6,500 vacancies on Find An Apprenticeship in June 2025 were 33 per cent down on those in June 2024.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £40 billion in tax rises in her autumn budget, which kicked in from April.
This included increasing employer national insurance contributions by 1.2 percentage points and a national living wage rise of 6.7 per cent from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour, while the apprentice minimum wage went up 18 per cent to £7.55 an hour.
Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds admitted the increases were likely to impact companies’ ability to hire new staff and an FE Week investigation in November found early signs that apprentices were either being let go or recruitment was being put on hold in industries like hairdressing and early years.
However, the government did remove English and maths functional skills requirements for adults aged 19 and older in February – hoping to remove barriers to apprenticeships and increase starts and completions.
Today’s data shows that for the first three quarters of 2024-25 – August to April – overall starts have risen 2 per cent to 284,190 compared to the same period for the previous year.
Apprenticeship starts in March – a month before the tax and wage rises – surged by 18 per cent from 23,570 in 2024 to 27,900 in 2025.
I don’t think deficit narratives about poverty are constructive and, moreover, they’re inconsistent with our core mission as educationalists. Our profession should certainly discuss poverty and education, but specifically in terms of understanding when and how poor children do well. Too often, when poverty is mentioned, this focus is lost.
I’m not in any way unsympathetic to the experience of poverty or the wider disruptions it can bring and, if it matters to some, I do have “lived experience” of it. I’m also not suggesting we should ignore the difficulties poor pupils or students have. FE colleges provide lots of welfare support from bursaries to food banks, help with meals, transport costs and even facilities to wash clothes. Many schools do the same.
However, I personally believe that support should be given discreetly and shouldn’t signal a drift from education towards a quasi-welfare service. When you are born or brought up poor, learning and developing your human talents is almost the only power you have to create a better future – and our job is to keep that hope alive.
Data shows there is a clear correlation between poverty and educational outcomes, but the evidence about causation is more complex. For much of the period from 2010 to Covid, educational outcomes improved. In 2012, for example, only 36 per cent of five-year-olds eligible for free school meals reached a good level of development. But 57 per cent did so by 2018-19. We don’t yet know whether this will continue through the system because this cohort won’t reach 16 until 2029-30. But we could see improvements at 11, 16, 19 in terms of chances of university progression before Covid (and other factors) interrupted progress.
It’s also important to note that underneath these averages there are huge variations between different poor children. In terms of ethnicity, the highest performing group on free school meals are Chinese children and the second highest are Indian. In terms of gender, girls do better than boys and, in geographical terms, free school meals recipients in London outperform their counterparts in post-industrial or coastal towns.
The general conclusions which can be drawn are that outcomes for poor children are not monolithic: they can improve and some already do very well.
So, we need a better understanding of when and how poverty matters in educational terms. There are clues to help us …
Relative poverty, a measure of inequality rather than poverty levels as such, may be less important than absolute poverty. The latter measures whether poor children are better off than in the past and gives a more optimistic picture. The number of children in absolute poverty (after housing costs) fell from 32 per cent in 2003 to 26 per cent in 2024.
In What Money Can’t Buy, economist Susan Mayer acknowledged that all children need a level of “basic necessities” to succeed – but after that point is reached, there’s no straightforward correlation between more money and better educational outcomes.
This is common sense. Some things, like luxury cars and five-star holidays, cost a lot, may result from privilege and give some children huge material benefits – but they have zero impact on their educational achievements. Being a Chelsea season ticket holder, for example, is probably a sign that a child is from an affluent family, but it won’t improve their cognitive skills. And this is good news because, if it wasn’t true, poor children would stand no chance at all.
Mayer argued that factors bigger than family income affect outcomes, with parental characteristics being the most significant. These are complex, she acknowledged, but she identified parental education, cognitive abilities, mental health, parenting practices and behaviours as being especially influential.
Again, there’s a common sense to this. Complementary findings arise from studies of educationally successful poor children, such as the Chinese and Indian high performers. These conclude that cultural values and parental expectations, work ethic and attitudes to learning, behaviour standards, plus community and peer norms, were factors that explained their success. Interestingly, belief in superior ability featured low in these characteristics. Effort and commitment were of much greater import.
Parents cannot do everything on their own, of course. Institutions are very important too and where they do produce exemplary results with a disproportionately disadvantaged intake, they tend to favour similar approaches. Whether that is Michaela school in Wembley, Tauheedul in Blackburn or Mercia in Sheffield, their approach tends to have similar characteristics focussed on strong behaviour, work ethic and high expectations – plus something that the average parent can’t ensure: excellent teaching, learning and assessment.
It follows then that poor children’s chances of achievement increase when their parents and educators share a set of characteristics. The problem we have is understanding why it seems so difficult to extend this across the country and there are two aspects to consider. First, there are those who don’t achieve because they’re excluded, opt out or otherwise don’t respond to a highly-disciplined environment in which their peers thrive. And then there’s geography.
The significant improvement in London’s educational outcomes in the last twenty years shows what can be achieved, but other areas remain consistently at or near the bottom in achievement terms despite numerous initiatives. Excellence in Cities, Education Action Zones, national strategies, pupil premium, opportunity areas, academies and free schools have all had some success. But none have brought consistent progress across all areas of the UK.
So, here is the dilemma to be resolved.
What is it about institutions, families, communities and neighbourhoods which make it so difficult to bring educational success to those who are ‘left behind’?
Poverty and money might be part of the answer – and cash transfers do have a role to play. But they won’t make a real difference unless we look beyond money and examine the wider aspects of disadvantage that really hold children back. And what we cannot and should not ever do is throw our arms up in the air and just blame “poverty”.
The government has set up an advisory panel of young people to help “shape” its policies for keeping them in education, employment or training.
Made up for 17 young people aged 18 to 24 “with experience” of being out of work and or training, the Youth Guarantee Advisory Panel will feed back its “insights” on employment support, barriers to work and new government policies.
It comes amid “worryingly high” estimates of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), currently believed to be about 930,000, or one in eight 16-to-24-year-olds in England.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates, for January to March this year, place the number of NEET young people at about 930,000, or 12.5 per cent of the population.
The advisory panel follows the Get Britain Working whitepaper last year, which included £45 million in funding for eight youth guarantee “trailblazer” areas that will test out ways to bring NEET numbers down ahead of a promised “national roll-out”.
In an announcement, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the panel has already held “some early sessions” and will now meet every six to eight weeks.
Insights will be “fed back” to relevant senior officials and ministers after sessions.
Early feedback has included emphasis on the obstacle mental health challenges pose, and schools’ “overemphasis” on UCAS applications rather than tailored careers advice that explores other options such as apprenticeships and training.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Young people know better than anyone the challenges they face – and the support they need to succeed.
“That’s why their voices will shape how we will deliver a youth guarantee that truly works, opening up real opportunities for every 18-to-21-year-old to be in work, training or education.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “For too long, young people have been talked down to and had their opinions dismissed. The youth advisory panel’s contributions so far have been incredibly insightful, and we are already starting to implement some of their suggestions.”
Panel members were recruited with the help of Youth Futures Foundation and Youth Employment UK – but only two of the 17 members have been identified.
Shana Fatahali, a panel member who is also Future Voices Group Ambassador for the Youth Futures Foundation said: “Since we are the ones using the system, we are aware of its challenges and where it needs to be improved. For this reason, youth voices are important.
“I’m honoured to be a member of an organisation that is influencing actual decisions and introducing alternative perspectives. I can’t wait to keep advocating for a system that genuinely hears, involves, and supports all youth.”
The DWP has refused to name all the panel members at this stage.
Earlier this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced a £500 million “better futures fund” for charities and civil organisations to invest in youth services.
