Report suggests teenagers failing to engage in education

A new report on teenagers' learning in England and Wales reports that many young people are failing to engage in education.

The review, from the Nuffield Foundation, covered the education and training of 14-19 year olds, and found that there is too much ‘policy busyness’ - and that the unprecedented amount of policy initiatives is unlikely to produce significant improvements to the education and training system as a whole.

A priority, highlighted by the report, was the need for more opportunities for young people outside of education and training. It found that the jobs market for 16 and17 year olds was mainly in low-skilled, poorly paid jobs, without training opportunities.

Suggested reforms include reducing the burden of assessment, ensuring more practical modes of learning for all young people and raising the status of vocational qualifications through linking them to licence to practice. The report's authors said: “There has been some, though only partial, success in widening access. But progression to higher education can be problematic for those with vocational qualifications, and there is a need for these qualifications to be viewed and utilised more positively.”

The report suggested that the current drive to ensure young people achieve the examination results needed to progress into higher education may have detracted from the quality of learning for 14-19 year olds, and such an approach may be turning some students away from education.

Lead director of the report, Professor Richard Pring, stated: “There is clearly a need, in the light of the changing economic, social and global conditions, for constant reappraisal of the aims of education at every level of decision-making.”

(CL)