Young people and education

The Department for Education has published departmental advice for professionals on when and how to share information about children, young people and families.

The advice, which can be downloaded at www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-sharing-for-practitioners-and-managers, aims to help practitioners and their managers decide when and how to share information legally and professionally.

The Department for Education has also published a summary of the initial findings from the Our Future study, which followed young people's lives over a number of years to see how and why changes happen.

The initial findings, following a survey of young people aged 13 and 14, included that:

• 29 percent of boys and 41 percent of girls strongly agreed that they work hard in school;
• 68 percent of boys and 60 percent of girls said it matters a lot to them to have a job which pays well, and 49 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys said that they wanted a job where they help people; and
• 79 percent of boys and 80 percent of girls use Facebook and 31 percent of boys and 45 percent of girls use Twitter.

To download the report visit www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283485/Our_Future_News.pdf.

The Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) has published statistics on full-time undergraduate applications, which show that:

• Overall applicant numbers are up by four percent, to 580,000, only slightly below the record level of 2011, which was 583,350;
• The application rate for English 18 year olds has increased to the highest ever level of 34.8 percent;
• The application rate for disadvantaged young people from England has also increased to the highest ever level of 20.7 percent, meaning that 18 year olds living in the most disadvantaged areas of England are nearly twice as likely to apply than they were 10 years ago; and
• Over 87,000 more women than men have applied, a difference that has increased by 7,000 this year, meaning young women are a third more likely to apply to higher education than young men.

For further information visit www.ucas.com/news-events/news/2014/ucas-reports-4-cent-increase-number-applicants-higher-education.

An annual online guide published by the Who Cares? Trust has revealed that fewer universities are offering care leavers accommodation all year round. The figure has fallen from 93 percent of higher education institutions last year to 86 percent this year.

For further information visit www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1141895/university-support-care-leavers-decline?utm_content=&utm_campaign=310114_Daily2&utm_source=Children%20%26%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cypnow.co.uk%2Fcyp%2Fnews%2F1.

Finally, the Edge Foundation, an independent education charity, has published the results of a survey of over 2,000 18-35 year olds, which found that:

• Many young people are being actively discouraged from opting for vocational education, with just 27 percent of parents judging it to be worthwhile; and
• 36 percent of students who pursued a vocational route were advised by school that they would be more successful if they chose the academic pathway and 22 percent told that they were too clever for vocational education.

For further information visit www.edge.co.uk/news/2014/february/children-labelled-too-clever-for-vocational-education.