Newly released data from the Department for Education highlights significant disparities in the paths taken by school leavers across England. The report, focusing on the activities of students five years after completing year 11 at a mainstream state school in 2017, revealed that 43.6% of Oxfordshire students were still engaged in education by 2022, while 36.4% had moved into employment. Nationally, 43.2% were in sustained education and 33% were employed, reflecting slight regional differences.
One of the key findings from the report is the vast variation in outcomes by region. For example, 55.9% of London’s 2017 school leavers remained in sustained education after five years, compared to just 38.4% in the North East. The South East—including Oxfordshire—mirrored the national average, with 43.6% of students engaged in post-school education.
Addressing Regional Inequalities
Sir Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust charity, underscored the need for urgent action to tackle these educational disparities. He pointed to the challenges young people have faced in recent years, including the pandemic, inadequate mental health support, and rising living costs, which have exacerbated the attainment gap between wealthy and disadvantaged students.
“The gap between the wealthiest and poorest students is now at its widest in a decade,” Sir Peter lamented. He urged political leaders to prioritize education and called for a comprehensive national plan to address these inequalities. Drawing inspiration from past initiatives, he emphasized the need for a renewed focus on “Education, Education, Education.”
Challenges for Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
The report found significant disparities for students who received special educational needs (SEN) support. Across England, only 24.2% of SEN-supported students were still engaged in education five years after leaving school, compared to 45.8% of their peers without additional needs. Oxfordshire’s figures were even more concerning: just 18.8% of SEN students continued in education, while almost half (46.9%) entered employment. Nationally, 28% of SEN leavers had no recorded ‘sustained destination,’ meaning they were neither in education nor work for at least six months—a sharp contrast to the 12.1% among their non-SEN peers.
Declining Apprenticeship Uptake
The government has invested in promoting apprenticeships, yet the data reveals a downward trend in their adoption. While 10% of students who left key stage four between 2013 and 2015 had enrolled in apprenticeships three years later, this figure fell to 7% for the 2018 cohort and 7.6% for the 2019 cohort. Oxfordshire reflects this national trend, with 7.6% of its 2019 school leavers entering apprenticeships.
Interestingly, research by the Sutton Trust and UCAS highlights a strong interest in apprenticeships among students. Around 40% of young people considering undergraduate degrees indicated they were equally interested in apprenticeship opportunities. This data suggests that, despite declining participation rates, there’s an untapped appetite for apprenticeships among young learners.
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