Blog

Thursday 28th May 2026

What the Rise in Young People Not in Education or Work Means for Schools

New figures showing that more than one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training should concern everyone involved in schools.

The term often used for this group is NEET - young people who are not currently learning, training or working. Behind that label are young people who, in many cases, have become disconnected from school, college, training and the world of work.

This is not simply a jobs issue. It is an education issue too.

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That does not mean schools are to blame. Teachers and school leaders are already dealing with rising absence, increasing SEND need, mental health difficulties, stretched budgets and post-pandemic learning gaps. However, schools are often the first place where the warning signs of later disengagement appear.

Disengagement starts early

Young people rarely become disconnected from education and work overnight.

For many, the process begins much earlier. Persistent absence, low confidence, weak literacy, poor attainment, repeated suspensions, unmet SEND needs and a lack of belonging can all make it harder for pupils to imagine a positive future.

By the time a young person reaches 16 or 17, the pattern may already be well established. If they have struggled to attend school, access the curriculum or see a clear route into further study or work, the transition after Year 11 becomes much more fragile.

This is why early intervention matters.

Attendance and belonging

Schools are under intense pressure to improve attendance, and regular attendance is vital. Pupils need to be in school to build knowledge, develop confidence and gain qualifications.

However, attendance is closely linked to belonging.

If pupils feel that school is not for them, attendance becomes harder to sustain. Strong pastoral care, effective SEND support, positive relationships and a broad curriculum all help pupils feel known, valued and supported.

Careers education matters

The rise in young people not in education or work also highlights the importance of careers education.

Pupils need regular, meaningful guidance about apprenticeships, college courses, vocational routes, university and local employment opportunities. Work experience and employer contact can also make the world beyond school feel less daunting.

Schools cannot do this alone. Employers, colleges, training providers and local authorities all need to work with schools to help pupils understand the options available to them.

The role of English and literacy

For English teachers, this issue is especially relevant.

Literacy is about much more than passing GCSE English Language. Young people need to read information accurately, write clearly, speak confidently and adapt their communication for different audiences and purposes.

These are the skills needed for college applications, CVs, interviews, workplace communication and everyday independence.

English lessons can help pupils express who they are, what they can do and what they hope to become. When pupils see communication as a real-world skill, the subject becomes more meaningful.

Schools need support

The latest figures should be treated as a warning. Reducing the number of young people outside education, employment and training cannot be left to schools alone.

Schools need proper support from health services, local authorities, employers and government. The pupils most at risk often face complex barriers, including poor mental health, difficult home circumstances, unmet SEND needs or low confidence.

If the country is serious about avoiding a lost generation, it must invest in the places where young people’s futures first begin to take shape: schools.

Tuesday 19th May 2026

SEND Reform: Will Every Teacher Become a SEND Teacher?

The government’s latest schools white paper proposes a major overhaul of SEND support in England, with mainstream classroom teachers placed at the centre of the new system.

The reforms are expected to include Individual Support Plans, earlier intervention and a stronger legal expectation that teachers adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. A £200 million training programme has also been announced to support schools as they prepare for the changes.

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On paper, the aim is clear: more pupils with SEND should receive timely, effective support in mainstream schools without waiting until problems escalate. For many families, teachers and school leaders, that ambition will be welcome. Early support is nearly always better than late intervention, and too many children currently wait far too long for help.

But the reforms also raise a serious question: what will this mean in practice for classroom teachers?

For years, schools have been told that SEND is everyone’s responsibility. These proposals appear to make that expectation even more explicit. Rather than SEND support being seen mainly as the responsibility of the SENDCO, teaching assistants or specialist staff, the focus shifts more firmly towards everyday classroom practice.

That may be the right principle, but it comes with obvious challenges.

Teachers are already working in classrooms where pupils have a wide range of needs, abilities, emotional pressures and barriers to learning. In one lesson, a teacher may be supporting pupils with dyslexia, autism, ADHD, speech and language needs, anxiety, trauma, low prior attainment and gaps in basic literacy — all while managing behaviour, delivering the curriculum and preparing pupils for assessment.

So when policy says teachers should adapt teaching for pupils with SEND, many will ask: with what time, training and support?

The promised training programme is therefore crucial. If the reforms are to work, professional development must be practical, subject-specific and realistic. Teachers need more than broad statements about inclusion. They need clear strategies they can use in busy classrooms, with real pupils and limited time.

There is also the question of workload. Individual Support Plans may help clarify what pupils need, but if they create another layer of paperwork, teachers and SENDCOs may find themselves under even greater pressure. The success of the reforms will depend partly on whether these plans simplify support or become another administrative burden.

Staffing is another concern. Inclusive practice cannot rely on goodwill alone. Many schools are already struggling with reduced support staff, limited specialist input and stretched SENDCO capacity. If more pupils with complex needs are to be supported successfully in mainstream classrooms, schools will need the resources to make that possible.

There is a risk that the reforms could raise expectations without changing the conditions in which teachers work.

However, there is also an opportunity here. Done well, the reforms could lead to earlier identification, better classroom support and a more consistent approach to helping pupils with SEND. They could strengthen teacher confidence and reduce the sense that support only begins once a pupil has reached crisis point.

The key phrase is done well.

SEND reform will not succeed because of policy documents alone. It will succeed or fail in ordinary classrooms: during phonics lessons, maths interventions, GCSE revision sessions, group work, transitions, behaviour incidents and conversations with parents.

Teachers will need training. SENDCOs will need time. Schools will need funding. Pupils will need support that is meaningful, not just promised.

The ambition to make mainstream schools more inclusive is important. But inclusion cannot simply mean asking teachers to do more with the same resources.

If SEND really is to become everyone’s responsibility, then support for SEND must become everyone’s priority too.

Wednesday 13th May 2026

Why Are So Many New Teachers Not Entering the Profession?

A new report has raised serious questions about teacher recruitment and retention in England, after research found that nearly a quarter of newly qualified teachers do not immediately enter the profession.

According to research from the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, reported by Tes, 22% of newly qualified teachers in England were not teaching in the autumn after completing their training. That is roughly double the one-year attrition rate for first-year teachers, which stands at 11%.

The findings are worrying because they suggest the teacher supply problem is not only about getting people into training. It is also about what happens after they qualify.

The study surveyed 409 trainee teachers towards the end of their training year, then followed up with them in the autumn. By that point, 78% were teaching, while 22% were not.

One of the key issues identified was the gap between expectation and reality. Trainees reported being negatively surprised by the volume of administration, the workload involved in lesson planning and the length of the working day.

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For many experienced teachers, this will sound familiar. Teaching is often presented as a classroom-facing profession, built around relationships, subject knowledge and helping pupils make progress. All of that is true. But the reality also includes data entry, emails, meetings, behaviour follow-up, marking, safeguarding concerns, SEND paperwork and constant preparation.

That administrative load can be a shock, especially for new teachers still trying to build confidence in front of a class.

The research also found some more positive experiences. Trainees were pleasantly surprised by the support they received from mentors and by the relationships they built with pupils. That matters. It reminds us that the core of teaching — working with young people and making a difference — remains powerful and rewarding.

However, the broader question remains: why are so many qualified teachers not making the move into the classroom?

Researchers suggest there is no single explanation. Some may decide that teaching is not the right fit. Others may be affected by personal circumstances beyond the control of schools, training providers or policymakers. But the findings point clearly to a vulnerable transition point between qualifying as a teacher and actually entering the profession.

That should concern everyone in education.

Schools need new teachers, but new teachers also need a sustainable job. If the first encounter with full-time teaching is dominated by workload, admin and long hours, it is hardly surprising that some decide not to continue.

This is not about lowering standards or pretending teaching will ever be easy. It is a demanding profession. But it should not be so demanding that people who have trained, qualified and shown commitment are lost before they properly begin.

The challenge is to make the early stages of teaching more manageable. That means realistic timetables, strong mentoring, sensible marking policies, reduced unnecessary admin and a school culture that helps new teachers develop rather than simply survive.

Recruitment campaigns can encourage people into teacher training. But if nearly a quarter are not entering the profession after qualifying, recruitment is only part of the answer.

The bigger question is whether the job new teachers step into is one they can realistically sustain.

At a time when schools are already under pressure from workload, funding challenges and rising pupil need, keeping new teachers in the profession has never mattered more.

Monday 11th May 2026

Are Teachers Working an Invisible Extra Day Every Week?

A recent Tes report has highlighted what many teachers will already know from experience: workload remains one of the biggest pressures facing the profession.

According to a global survey of almost 3,000 educators across 196 countries, nearly two-thirds of teachers say they are working almost an extra day each week because of increasing workload. The survey found that 38% of staff estimate they do more than nine additional hours per week, while only 4% said they are able to work within their contracted hours.

For anyone working in schools, these figures are unlikely to come as a surprise. Teaching has never been a job that ends neatly when the bell goes. Planning, marking, assessment, behaviour follow-up, emails, meetings, SEND paperwork, safeguarding concerns and parent communication all stretch far beyond classroom hours.

The Tes survey identified lesson planning as the most common cause of additional working time, cited by 73% of respondents. Administration and marking were each mentioned by 60% of those surveyed.

This matters because workload is not just a personal wellbeing issue. It affects teacher retention, recruitment, classroom energy and the quality of education pupils receive. When teachers are regularly working evenings and weekends, it becomes harder to sustain the enthusiasm, patience and creativity that good teaching requires.

The report also found that 42% of staff described themselves as very or extremely overwhelmed. Stress and workload were identified as the two biggest reasons people leave the profession, cited by 55% and 54% of respondents respectively.

There is, of course, no simple solution. Some tasks are unavoidable. Pupils need lessons planned, work assessed and support put in place. But the key question is whether schools and policymakers are doing enough to reduce unnecessary workload.

Could marking policies be simplified? Could data collection be cut back? Could meetings be shorter and more purposeful? Could technology genuinely save time rather than add another layer of expectation? Could teachers be trusted to focus more on what directly improves learning?

The survey also points to growing interest in flexible working. More than three-quarters of respondents said access to flexible or hybrid working was important or extremely important, yet 68% said they had no access to either.

That raises a difficult but important question for schools. Teaching is, by its nature, a face-to-face profession. Pupils need adults in classrooms. But there may still be room for more imaginative thinking around planning time, leadership roles, part-time working, remote meetings or flexible approaches to non-teaching tasks.

Perhaps the most telling finding is that, despite these pressures, most teachers still reported moderate to favourable job satisfaction. That says a great deal about the commitment of the profession. Teachers are not complaining because they do not care. In many cases, they are overwhelmed precisely because they care so much.

The challenge is to make teaching sustainable.

If schools want to keep experienced teachers, support new staff and protect the quality of education, workload cannot be treated as an unavoidable part of the job. It needs to be treated as a serious issue affecting the whole education system.

An invisible extra day of work each week may not appear on a timetable, but for many teachers, it is very real.

Wednesday 6th May 2026

Are Inclusive Schools Being Unfairly Penalised by Ofsted?

A new analysis from school leaders’ union NAHT has raised serious concerns about the way Ofsted’s new inspection framework affects schools serving disadvantaged communities and pupils with SEND.

The union reviewed more than 650 Ofsted inspection reports and found that schools with higher levels of deprivation or higher numbers of pupils with special educational needs were more likely to receive a ‘needs attention’ judgement in key areas such as achievement, attendance and behaviour.

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According to the analysis, one third of schools with above-average pupil eligibility for free school meals received a ‘needs attention’ judgement for achievement. By contrast, fewer than one in five schools with below-average free school meal eligibility received the same judgement.

There was a similar pattern in attendance and behaviour. Almost a quarter of schools with above-average free school meal eligibility were judged as needing attention in this area, compared with one in ten schools with below-average eligibility. Schools with higher numbers of pupils with SEND were also more likely to be marked down for attendance and behaviour.

The findings have prompted concern because the government has repeatedly spoken about wanting more children with SEND to be educated successfully in mainstream schools. However, school leaders argue that if inspection judgements rely too heavily on national averages, schools taking an inclusive approach may be placed at a disadvantage.

This is the central issue. A school may be working extremely hard to support pupils facing poverty, complex needs, poor attendance, difficult home circumstances or significant barriers to learning. Yet if overall outcomes are still below national averages, that work may not be fully recognised in the final judgement.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman has argued that expecting every school to meet or exceed national averages creates an impossible demand, particularly for schools working in the most challenging circumstances. Schools Week also reported that Ofsted has said it will publish official data on inspections carried out under the revised framework, along with its own analysis.

The Local Government Association has also responded to the issue, saying that Ofsted’s framework should place greater emphasis on inclusive practice and on whether schools are meeting the needs of the communities they serve. It also warned that schools which do not play a meaningful role in supporting vulnerable children should be held to account.

For teachers and school leaders, this raises an important question: how should inspection balance outcomes with context?

No one would argue that disadvantaged pupils or pupils with SEND should be expected to achieve less. High expectations matter. But schools also need an accountability system that recognises starting points, barriers to learning and the complexity of inclusion.

If schools feel that being inclusive increases the risk of being marked down, the system may unintentionally discourage exactly the kind of practice it claims to value.

At a time when many mainstream schools are already under pressure from rising SEND need, attendance challenges, behaviour concerns and limited funding, this debate is likely to become increasingly important.

The key question is not whether schools should be accountable. They should. The question is whether the current system fairly recognises the work schools do with the pupils who need them most.

Tuesday 5th May 2026

Schools to Go Smartphone-Free for Year 7 Pupils

All 10 secondary schools in Brighton and Hove are set to introduce a smartphone-free approach for Year 7 pupils from September 2026.

Under the new arrangement, pupils entering secondary school will not be allowed to bring smartphones into school if the devices can access the internet, use social media or take photos and videos. The move will initially apply to Year 7 students, who are usually aged 11 to 12, with schools reviewing the impact during the 2026–2027 academic year.

The decision has been made collectively by the city’s secondary headteachers, who have written to parents explaining the reasons behind the change. School leaders say the aim is to support pupils’ learning, safety, wellbeing and social development as they make the transition from primary to secondary school.

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The policy reflects a growing national debate about children’s smartphone use and the impact of mobile phones on school life. The government has already strengthened its position on phone-free schools, with ministers encouraging schools in England to keep pupils off mobile phones throughout the school day. Reports in April 2026 also said the government planned to introduce a legal ban on mobile phones in schools in England.

Supporters of smartphone-free schools argue that removing phones can help pupils concentrate more fully in lessons, reduce online distractions and encourage better face-to-face interaction during breaks and lunchtimes. Concerns around online safety, social media pressure, cyberbullying and inappropriate content have also been central to the discussion.

For Year 7 pupils, the issue is particularly important. The move from primary to secondary school is a major step, and many schools are increasingly looking for ways to help pupils build friendships, develop confidence and feel part of their new school community without the constant pull of a smartphone.

The Brighton and Hove schools have said that each school will apply the approach through its own mobile phone policy. Reviews will take place during the academic year, with the possibility that the smartphone-free model could later be extended to older year groups.

The move comes as campaigns such as Smartphone Free Childhood continue to call for children to have later access to smartphones and social media. A national petition linked to the campaign has attracted significant public support, reflecting the strength of feeling among many parents, teachers and school leaders.

For schools, parents and pupils, the debate is unlikely to disappear soon. The key challenge will be finding the right balance: helping young people develop healthy digital habits while also protecting learning time, wellbeing and real-world social interaction.