Major differences in the provision of post-16 education and training across the UK nations has been revealed by a new report exposing stark inequalities in outcomes for young learners.
However, while large inequalities in outcomes are a problem across the UK, the researchers say “the problem is most acute in Wales”.
Wales had the lowest participation in higher education and large numbers of young people not in education, employment, education or training (Neet), according to the research. It also had the lowest shares of young people with different educational qualifications.
‘Worrying inequalities’ in post-16 outcomes
The research, carried out by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and the University of Oxford’s Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), was funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
EPI research fellow Luke Sibieta said: “Our report exposes worrying inequalities in outcomes for students, as well as significant variation in the approaches taken to the provision of post-16 education and training across the four UK nations.
“We observe large inequalities across all four UK nations, but the problem is most acute in Wales. This is a situation which requires urgent action by policymakers in Wales.”
The report says that post-16 participation in education and training is “generally high” across all four home nations, with 92 to 93 per cent of 16- and 17-year-olds continuing into some form of education and training.
However, nearly 11 per cent of young people aged 16 to 18 in Wales were classified as Neet in 2022-23, compared with 8 per cent in England, 9 per cent in Scotland and 5 per cent in Northern Ireland.
The researchers also found “a bigger recent rise in Wales, with Neet rates for this age group up from 6 per cent in 2021-22”.
The report adds that while “higher-education participation has risen across all four nations”, only 30 per cent of 18-year-olds go on to higher education in Wales, compared with 37 per cent of 18-year-olds in England and 38 per cent in Northern Ireland.
Wales’ ‘concerning’ Pisa results
The report also highlights Wales’ “concerning” Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results, “showing relatively low levels of reading and numeracy scores”, and says “educational outcomes and inequalities are a source of major concern in Wales”.
However, while emphasising “the lower levels of education participation and outcomes amongst young people in Wales”, the report adds that inequalities are large throughout the UK: those from more disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to be in employment, more likely to have lower earnings and less likely to be in professional occupations when they do enter the labour market.
“These inequalities are of similar size across all four nations, with just slightly higher university attendance amongst the most disadvantaged students in England,” says the report.
In England about 20 per cent of 18-year-olds in the most deprived areas attend higher education, compared with about 15 to 16 per cent in Scotland and Wales. Over the past decade, the corresponding figure for Northern Ireland has remained at around 13 per cent.
‘Damaging’ policy churn
The report criticises “the level of policy churn” experienced in education and training, saying it is “enormous and potentially damaging for all the individuals and institutions involved”. It calls for “a new stable settlement”.
The report also calls for better data and statistics - saying that more effort should be made to produce data that allows for comparisons across the UK - and for a greater focus on inequalities in post-16 access and outcomes.
In Wales “more active and urgent action is required…to understand and improve post-16 educational outcomes and inequalities”.
Today the Welsh government announced an extra £2.5 million to support more young people into work or training. The money will be invested in the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme, which offers 16- to 19-year-olds advice, training and education.
The government said the funding had been announced in response to the high demand for the programme, which was launched in 2022.
