Much has been written about the lack of attention college students receive, and the lack of clout the sector has with policymakers and wider society alike.

However, there is one part of the student cohort for whom this is even more relevant than for their peers: the so-called six-week (or 42-day) leavers. If a student leaves their college course within the first six weeks of the academic year and does not move onto another course at the same institution, they do not appear in college statistics. They are completely invisible to the system.

And there are thousands of them. In 2016, Tes revealed that over 30,000 young people leave colleges each year before that crucial cut-off point. At the time, the data collected over two years from colleges around the country showed an increase of more than 13 per cent in the number of full-time 16-19 learners dropping out of their programme in the first six weeks.

There is no backlash and little attention paid, and so inevitably, there will be cases where staff might encourage students to leave before they are included in the institution’s success rates.

Personal circumstances

But that is not the whole story. This isn't a simple story of colleges quietly disposing of the students that have shown themselves to be unsuited to college life, or who have conducted themselves in ways simply not compatible with the demands of their course.

Quite the opposite. For starters, unlike with school pupils who are excluded, or those in FE who leave courses because they clearly fall short of the expected standard, for most of these young people, the reason why they are no longer at college is completely unknown.

It can range from them finding another course or an apprenticeship elsewhere to their personal circumstances simply not allowing for them to continue – from mental health issues to care responsibilities. Equally, we know of the financial challenges many students face, and many of them will find themselves overwhelmed and required to choose work over their studies.

Most at risk

Shakira Martin, vice-president for FE at the NUS students’ union, said that learners with financial or mental health difficulties, young carers and single parents are often most at risk of dropping out of education.

In 2015-16, for example, one in 10 learners on level 1 programmes left within the first six weeks of the course starting, compared with one in 25 studying at level 3, suggesting that lower-level learners are most at risk of dropping out.

There were also significant disparities between subject areas. While the early dropout rate in languages, literature and culture courses stood at 12 per cent, that compared with less than 5 per cent in arts, media and publishing - and less than 3 per cent among A-level students.

No funding

It is in the interest of colleges to get to the bottom of this – and not just because I am sure most FE staff care deeply about the welfare of their students. Six-week leavers not only fail to appear in the success-rate data of colleges – FE institutions also receive no funding for students who leave before the six-week cut-off.

When researching this 2016 article, I heard anecdotal evidence that students were being encouraged to stay beyond the 42 days to make sure the college received funding, before interest waned. I hope these cases are rare – mainly because I hope that the sector is better than that. No matter how tight funding is, I hope that it does not become so overwhelming an issue that individual students are compromised.

So what can the sector do about this? College and charity leaders have also previously called for better careers information, advice and guidance to help young people make the best choices about their education. The NUS has also stressed the crucial importance of adequate financial support to make sure students can make ends meet and still attend college.

There are also, however, some hands-on, practical things colleges can do. Make new students feel welcome and supported. Make sure they feel they have made the right choice. Get their parents and carers on sight where possible. And crucially, make them feel like they can succeed, and that college is opening doors for them – not slamming them in their face.

Julia Belgutay is deputy FE editor at Tes