Other youth related education and employment news
The Department for Education has published Planned Expenditure on Schools, Education, Children and Young People's Services by local authorities: financial year 2013 to 2014. The Statistical Release, which provides a summary of the planned expenditure from all 152 Local Authorities, shows that spending on ‘Total Services for Young People' is planned to increase £664million in 2012/13 to £636million in 2013/14. Within the ‘Total Services for Young People' category, there will be a slight increase in Targeted Services from £277 million to £306 million but a larger fall in Universal Services from £386 million to £329 million. For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/planned-expenditure-on-schools-education-children-and-young-peoples-services-by-local-authorities-financial-year-2013-to-2014.
The Children's Partnership, the VCS strategic partner to the Department for Education, has launched a new website. The website provides policy and delivery advice to government on developing new and sustainable approaches to improving outcomes for children, young people and families. For further information visit www.thechildrenspartnership.org.uk.
IPPR has published Requires Improvement, a report on the causes of educational failure. Key findings from the report include that two out of five pupils do not achieve five A* - C grades including English and maths; if parents engage with their child’s education, attainment increases by 15 percent regardless of social background; and only 26 percent of white British boys eligible for free school meals achieved five A* – C grades at GCSE, compared to 36 percent of all pupils on free school meals.
The government has published a review of the adult discretionary learner support (DLS) fund for the further education sector. The DLS is aimed at supporting learners aged 19 or over, who are facing financial hardship. The report finds that the DLS scheme is working effectively and operating according to policy intent in terms of its targeting of disadvantaged learners. To download the report visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/dscretionary-learner-support-review.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has published A Skills Beyond School Review of England. The report states that England should expand the provision of post-secondary vocational training in order to meet the changing needs of students and employers, and that too few people were pursuing shorter vocational programmes at the post-secondary level that would give people the skills many employers were seeking. For further information visit www.oecd.org/newsroom/england-should-expand-provision-of-postsecondary-vocational-programmes.htm.
Barnardo's has published Helping the Inbetweeners: Ensuring careers advice improves the options for all young people. The report found that the abolition of Connexions, the move of the duty to provide careers advice from councils to schools, and the introduction of the National Careers Service has left young people with inadequate careers guidance. It states that these services were not reaching vulnerable young people, who are being let down by the reformed careers guidance system. To download the report visit www.barnardos.org.uk/helping_the_in_betweeners.pdf.