Raising the Participation Age Conference Derby 14 th July 2010 Beverley Annables

1. Raising the Participation Age Conference Derby 14th July 2010 Beverley Annables Quality Support & Guidance Division 1

2. Government’s vision for schools and education • Guided by the three principles: freedom, responsibility and fairness. • Give every child the best education, regardless of their background or their parents income, refocus the curriculum on core knowledge and content, reduce bureaucracy in schools so teachers can get on with teaching, and continue to offer parents more choice with the expansion of academies and the free school programme. • A White Paper is planned for late summer, setting out the Secretary of State's vision for education over the next few years.

3. Not in education, employment or training • The number of young people NEET remains too high. The Government is committed to narrowing the gap between the richest and the poorest and we are working to give all young people, regardless of their background, the best opportunities to progress their careers. • The Government made clear in the coalition programme that it will support the creation of apprenticeships, internships, work pairings and training places as part of our wider programme to get Britain working.

4. Financial Support • The longer term plans for financial support for 16-19 year olds will be considered in the context of the comprehensive spending review in the autumn. • The Government has confirmed that the EMA allowance will be paid in full this year.

5. Sixth Form College Reforms • Sixth form colleges will no longer be required to undertake learner views’ surveys. • Work to remove the requirement for Ofsted inspections of sixth form colleges rated as outstanding, unless their performance drops. • Review of all of the regulations, statutory guidance and duties that impact 16-19 providers and will make recommendations for reductions in the next few weeks.

6. Freedoms for FE Colleges • All colleges apart from poor performers will be able to move money between budgets. • The government will work to remove the requirement for Ofsted inspections of colleges rated as outstanding, unless their performance drops;

7. Apprenticeships • £150 million of the £200 million saved from Train to Gain this year will be recycled into delivering 50,000 extra Apprenticeship places for those ages 19+, focused on SMEs. • Increase the number of Apprenticeship places, develop progression routes into higher level skills, and improve the quality of Apprenticeships to make them better suited to the needs of employers and learners. • Make it easier for small businesses to take on Apprentices.

8. Information, advice and guidance • High quality careers education and IAG are crucial in helping young people make decisions that will set them on their way to success in adulthood and in their working lives, and reduce inequality by supporting young people to overcome barriers to success.  • The Government is currently considering how best to provide access for young people to high quality careers education, as well as other information, advice and guidance which will help them navigate the complex choices on offer to them about learning, careers and wider lifestyle.

9. Effects of Local Authority savings on IAG • “The Government announced the local government contribution to cross-government savings on 10 June. These savings include £311m in the Department for Education’s Area Based Grant (ABG) to local authorities in 2010/11. This reduction does not imply a direct cut to services funded by ABG, which include the provision of statutory information, advice and guidance to young people. • The overall impact on total local government expenditure will be a 3.6% reduction, and we expect local authorities to manage this reduction across all their services, whether the initial funding source is formula or area-based. I am not expecting cuts to fall disproportionately on IAG services over others – these are critical services for young people. The Government believes that local authorities do have scope to make efficiencies this year.” Nick Gibb response to PQ (23rd June)

10. Raising the Participation Age • Education & Skills Act 2008 places a new duty on all young people to participate in education or training until their 18th birthday. • In 2013 all young people in England will be required to continue in education or training to 17. In 2015 they will continue in education or training to 18. Young people will be able to choose how they participate, which could be in: • Full-time education, such as a school or a college; • Work-based learning, such as an Apprenticeship; or • Part-time education or training, if they are employed or volunteering more than 20 hours a week.

11. RPA Trials • From September 2009 to March 2010, ten local authorities and one sub-region took part in Phase 1 of the trials. Barnsley; Cumbria; Derby; East Sussex; Greater Manchester; Hertfordshire; Lambeth; Newcastle; Staffordshire; Swindon and Wandsworth. • The trials have been extended to a second phase, running from March 2010 to March 2011 - expanded to include a further five areas: Blackpool; Ealing; Plymouth; Worcestershire; and a combined trial of Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire.

12. Purpose of the Trials To develop approaches that can support national preparations for the delivery of RPA in 2013/15. Building on existing planning and good practice the Trials are testing effective approaches to: • Deliver a full IAG offer to young people to support RPA • Plan and deliver a system, building on the September Guarantee, that picks up those 16 and 17 year old that disengage with learning through the year and re-engages them in education or training • Develop area wide strategies for tackling local challenges and developing local solutions to deliver full participation

13. 3 key lessons from Phase 1 • Opportunity to strengthen the focus of existing Governance structures • Strong partnership working have helped the trials to be a success • Understanding the cohort - really good data systems