Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department applies the same methodology for the number of people not in employment, education or training who are (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 18 to 24 years of age.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These statistics are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.
The methodology is consistent for all age groups and further details can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/neet-age-16-to-24-methodology. Estimates relate to the status of young people as recorded for the associated response period.
Additionally, estimates of young people age 16 to 18 participating in education and training using departmental administrative data are published annually at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.
This methodology enables an administrative estimate of those not in education or training. The LFS is used to estimate the proportion in employment. This source is considered the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET. This release is a snapshot of participation and employment at the end of the calendar year.
Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to prevent Further Education colleges from losing the whole funding allocation for students who do not meet the maths and English condition of funding.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education (FE) providers who do not support eligible students in maths and/or English under the maths and English condition of funding will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for each student and would not have their whole funding allocation removed. A provider is permitted to have non-compliance up to 2.5% of their total 16 to 19 cohort by opting them out of the requirements without incurring a financial penalty. This recognises that it may not be appropriate for all students to meet the requirements. Students with education health and care plans are eligible for an exemption.
The department is delivering a package to ensure every student is supported to make progress towards and attain level 2. This includes significant additional investment, including increases to the English and maths funding rate of 11% and the disadvantage payments of 7%, in 2025/26, and £800 million additional investment in FE in 2026/27.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help students to change their further education course.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Students in further education (FE) do have the option to change courses. The process can vary between institutions and may have implications for funding, which should be carefully considered.
For funding purposes, a student aged 16 to 19 is considered as having started a study programme once they have remained on that programme within the current funding year for a defined period of time, as per the funding guidance accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula/16-to-19-funding-2025-to-2026-rates-and-formula.
To support a change, colleges are responsible for providing independent careers guidance up to the age of 18, in accordance with the Gatsby Benchmarks. This includes ensuring that personal guidance meetings are available to all learners at key decision points, particularly when significant choices regarding study or career pathways are being made.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what timeframe her Department uses to determine how long young people are out of education, employment or training before they are categorised as NEET.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These statistics are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.
The methodology is consistent for all age groups and further details can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/neet-age-16-to-24-methodology. Estimates relate to the status of young people as recorded for the associated response period.
Additionally, estimates of young people age 16 to 18 participating in education and training using departmental administrative data are published annually at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.
This methodology enables an administrative estimate of those not in education or training. The LFS is used to estimate the proportion in employment. This source is considered the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET. This release is a snapshot of participation and employment at the end of the calendar year.
Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department engages with local authorities for the collection of data of the number of people not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department regularly engages with local authorities with regard to monitoring not in education, employment or training (NEET) data and fulfilling their statutory duties. Statutory guidance directs local authorities to track information about all 16 and 17-year-olds (and up to 25 for those with education, health and care plans) and report monthly via the National Client Caseload Information System. This information will include whether they are NEET or have characteristics that put them at risk of becoming NEET, so that they and their delivery partners can effectively target and support those young people.
This management information is published annually and includes a NEET comparative scorecard that supports local authorities in benchmarking their performance and helps them to identify weaknesses in tracking and engagement. This information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-neet-age-16-to-17-by-local-authority/2024-25. .
The department also works with local authorities to support the use of data tools to identify those at an increased risk of becoming NEET, so they can be monitored and targeted with extra support.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department uses data on people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) to develop policy in the context of changes in the number of people who are NEET.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department collects and uses a range of data and evidence relating to young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) to inform policy, including ‘Participation in education, training and employment’, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024.
The department also uses NEET age 16 to 24 statistics, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.
In developing policy, the department engages with a range of externally produced research and evidence, including through the Youth Futures Foundation – the What Works Centre for youth employment.
The post-16 education and skills white paper set out our objectives for a skills and employment system with a clear focus on re-engaging those who are NEET. The white paper recognises evidence shows there are certain characteristics that can increase the risks of young people becoming NEET. These include young people with low prior attainment, from low socio-economic backgrounds or who have special educational needs or mental health problems. The white paper includes a range of measures which apply the use of data to respond to these challenges, such as improving early identification and tracking through better data sharing and artificial intelligence-driven risk indicators.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of students who are at risk of being withdrawn from their study programme for not attending their GCSE retake lessons.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Wyre Forest to the answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 83275.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that further education colleges are able to apply discretion in relation to retaining students who may have been absent from maths or English GCSE lessons.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education colleges can decide to retain students who have been absent from their maths or English lessons, but they will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for every eligible student who is not offered the minimum planned teaching hours. This demonstrates the importance of supporting all students to make progress towards and attain level 2 in English and maths. A provider is permitted to opt out up to 2.5% of their 16- to 19 cohort from this requirement without financial penalty, where it is not appropriate to offer a student the minimum planned teaching hours.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to provide pathways for students who have been withdrawn from further educations due to their absence from Maths and English GCSE lessons.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Further education colleges can decide to retain students who have been absent from their maths or English lessons, but they will have their future funding allocations reduced by half the national funding rate for every eligible student who is not offered the minimum planned teaching hours. This demonstrates the importance of supporting all students to make progress towards and attain level 2 in English and maths. A provider is permitted to opt out up to 2.5% of their 16- to 19 cohort from this requirement without financial penalty, where it is not appropriate to offer a student the minimum planned teaching hours.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion or people without education, employment or training (a) left school and (b) left further education before the end of their course.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department publishes statistics on those not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the labour force survey (LFS) for young people aged 16-24. These are accessible at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief/2024.
Additionally, estimates of young people aged 16 to 18 participating in education and training using the department’s administrative data are published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2024. This release contains the most robust measure for 16 to 18 year olds NEET.
Both NEET sources are based on status at time of data collection and therefore the definition does not rely on being out of education and employment for a specific length of time before being categorised as NEET.
Neither source can be used to estimate the number of young people who left school/further education before the end of their course. However, they will be included in the statistics as NEET if they had left their course prior to the reporting timeframe and not taken part in any employment or alternative education at that time.