The challenge of keeping young people in learning until the age of 18
Case study details
| Metadata item | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication date: | 21 October 2026 |
| Owner: | Office for National Statistics (ONS) |
| Contact: | SRS.Impact@ons.gov.uk |
Why keeping young people engaged matters
The Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) was introduced in England through the Education and Skills Act 2008 to address persistent disengagement and high rates of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). From 2013, young people were required to remain in education or training until the end of the academic year in which they turned 17, and until their 18th birthday in 2015.
The policy aimed to improve young people’s skills and qualifications and reduce inequalities in opportunity by encouraging continued participation in some form of learning. This participation could take several forms beyond the traditional school setting, including:
- further education colleges
- a traineeship or apprenticeship
- employment or volunteering alongside accredited training
Over a decade after full implementation, a systematic assessment was undertaken by a team of analysts from the University of Bath, the Edge Foundation and FFT Education Datalab.
Linking national evidence with local experience
The team examined whether the reform increased sustained participation, improved qualifications, and strengthened early labour-market outcomes. They also explored how the policy worked locally and what young people experienced when choosing and sustaining learning beyond the age of 16 (also known as post-16 learning).
Using a mixed-methods design, the team analysed the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset, available through the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service. This dataset linked school, further education, higher education, destination, earnings, and benefit records for more than 6.5 million young people across 11 school cohorts before and after the reform.
The researchers modeled similar pupils in cohorts before and after the RPA, accounting for:
- demographic and family background
- school attendance
- exclusions
- prior attainment
- existing trends in participation
Several outcome measures were then examined, including:
- sustained participation in education or training in Year 12 and 13
- dropout rates
- qualification attainment by age 18
- employment, earnings, and benefit receipts at age 20
Further qualitative analysis was then undertaken, with six local authorities (LAs) selected to participate in interviews and focus groups. The LAs spanned across the country and were selected to reflect variation in geography, deprivation, participation, and local provision. The findings from this analysis were also tested and developed through a policy co-creation event involving young people, local stakeholders, and policy architects.
A duty to participate was not enough on its own
The analysis found no substantial overall improvement in sustained participation. In Year 12, raising the participation age to 17 was associated with a small increase, largely driven by greater school participation. However, participation declined following the full implementation of RPA to age 18. In Year 13, both stages of the reform were associated with an overall decline in sustained participation in education and training.
In terms of qualifications, RPA was associated with higher attainment of grade 4 or above in GCSE English, but lower attainment across several broader qualification levels by age 18. Early labour-market outcomes were more positive, with increased employment and earnings at age 20 and less time spent receiving out-of-work benefits.
Local evidence explained why a legal duty did not translate consistently into sustained learning. Barriers included:
- a lack of re-engagement with those that initially transitioned into further education, employment or training but then dropped out
- the varying quality of careers advice available
- uneven coverage of non-academic routes
- limited access to apprenticeships and work with training
- reduced capacity of LAs to track and support young people
- delays and gaps in destination data making early intervention difficult
Young people also faced wider barriers to sustained participation, including poverty, transport difficulties, mental health needs, special educational needs and disabilities, and caring responsibilities.
Building a stronger post-16 support system
Legislation can create an expectation to participate, but sustained engagement depends on the support, provision, and coordination around it. The evaluation suggests that future policies like RPA should be supported by a varied offer that reflects young people’s circumstances, reliable data, sufficient local capacity, and clear responsibilities for tracking young people.
The analysis directly fed into a 2025 Social Security Advisory Committee report and directly informed a policy announcement from the Prime Minister regarding payments to families when young people undertake apprenticeships. Substantial engagement with multiple government departments and associated bodies has reinforced the research messages, with the findings supporting several plans to reform post-16 engagement with education and training.
Future policy should combine the duty to remain in learning with early intervention and credible pathways into education, training and employment.
Read the full report, including detailed findings.
About the ONS Secure Research Service
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About the author
Matt Dickson is Professor of Economic and Social Policy at the University of Bath and specialises in the economics of education, with particular focus on the causal effects of education on later life outcomes. Matt was principal investigator on this project which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The other investigators were Sue Maguire, Andrea Laczik, Maria Jose Ventura Alfaro, Dana Dabbous, Dave Thomson, and Olly Newton.