While previous work on preventing young people from being not in employment education and training (NEET) while 16-19 has focused on the 16-19 age group, understanding of the very early indicators and causes of becoming NEET –  the problems that manifest at younger ages – is much less developed.

In partnership with the Private Equity Foundation, the research will be informed by information about children’s experiences at school, in the community and at home, collected from local authorities across the UK, alongside a review of international research and evidence.

The project aims to understand how problems might be addressed at a much earlier stage in the life cycle so that the chance of becoming NEET is reduced.

Almost one in ten 16-18 year olds were not engaged in education, employment or training (‘NEET’) in late 2007 – a status associated with huge costs both in terms of later life outcomes for these young people and for society. These are young people whom the system has failed. There has rightly been a strong focus on trying to reduce these numbers, but it has met with limited success.

This is because politicians and policymakers have failed to recognise the extent to which the very visible problem of disengagement post-16 is only the tip of the iceberg. It is symptomatic of some deeper problems that run through our education system. Many of these young people have had poor experiences of the education system that long predate their NEET status. It is clear we have a problem with disengagement amongst younger groups.