Demos: Schools failing half of all young people

Secondary schools across the country are failing to provide appropriate teaching for the 50 per cent of all young people who do not go on to higher education according to a report from the think tank Demos published today.

With damning findings for the school system, The Forgotten Half calls for greater cooperation between schools and local business communities and for Ofsted to judge schools on work-related learning strategies to make sure that young people who don’t go to university get the same support to enter the labour market.

The report, produced in partnership with the Private Equity Foundation
criticises the tendency to privilege ‘teaching to the test’ over the development of skills essential for the workplace such as communication and practical skills.

Work-related learning was also found to be low quality and young people failed to benefit from compulsory Year 10 work experience due to poor links with local businesses and a failure to join up work experience with classroom learning.

It also found that schools severely undervalue the importance of part-time work, after school clubs and volunteering in building young people’s skills, experience and CVs.

The Forgotten Half found that careers advice in schools was biased towards attending university and that little or no information was provided about apprenticeships or opportunities to work in the local area.

Shaks Ghosh, CEO of the Private Equity Foundation, said: "This is a wake up call – as a society we are failing 50 per cent of our young people and we each have a vital role to play in supporting this forgotten half.

" Well-intentioned teachers strive, often in difficult circumstances, to do the very best for their pupils but many kids are leaving school holding a piece of paper which helps them only in joining the NEET waiting list.

"Voluntary organisations are providing vital services yet many young people have entered a revolving door of service dependency. Businesses complain that young people do not have the premium skills to make them employable.

"Alongside Government, we can all create the step change together. This report understands and answers these issues. It is a call to action: we must all make sure we are on the side of the forgotten half.”