Spotlight
Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: November 2024
What's in the bulletin?
- There was an increase in the number of young people aged 16 to 24 years not in education, employment or training (NEET) in July to September 2024, with the total currently estimated to be 946,000, up from July to September 2023.
- Increased volatility of Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates, resulting from smaller achieved sample sizes, means that estimates of change should be treated with caution; we recommend using them alongside our labour market indicators Workforce Jobs (WFJ), Claimant Count data, and Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) estimates.
- The longer-term broad coherence between WFJ and RTI, when looking at annual change, suggests that these sources are likely to provide a more reliable estimate of employment, particularly for employees; these sources continue to indicate that we have seen a sustained moderation of growth in employment over the last year.
Student voices: experiences of the rising cost of living
The rising cost of living has brought new challenges to higher education, with student budgets being squeezed. Interviews with students in England during the 2022 to 2023 academic year have helped shed light on the difficulties they are facing.
The links between young people being imprisoned, pupil background and school quality
We find that going to a lower-quality school, as rated by Ofsted, is one of the many factors linked with a higher likelihood of someone being imprisoned. The impact of school quality is comparably low. We also look at the issues of poverty and growing up in care and include the thoughts of people working with at-risk students.
Datasets related to Education and childcare
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2011 Census: Local characteristics on qualifications for Output Areas in England and Wales
Local characteristics tables focusing on qualifications - these cross tabulations of two or more topics from the 2011 Census provide the greatest level of detail possible for local areas.
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2011 Census: Teaching file
This census product provides a small sample of non-disclosive microdata as an educational tool to assist with the teaching of statistics and social sciences.
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2011 Census: Detailed characteristics on qualifications for 2011 Census merged wards and Middle Layer Super Output Areas in England and Wales
Detailed characteristics tables focusing on qualifications - these cross tabulations of two or more topics from the 2011 Census provide the greatest level of detail possible for wards.
Publications related to Education and childcare
Statistical bulletins
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Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: May 2025
Estimates of young people (aged 16 to 24 years) who are not in education, employment or training, by age and sex. These are official statistics in development.
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Education, England and Wales: Census 2021
Usual residents aged 16 years and over who have academic, vocational, or professional qualifications, as well as the number of schoolchildren and full-time students, Census 2021 data.
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Gross domestic expenditure on research and development, UK: 2022
Estimates of research and development performed and funded by businesses, higher education, government, UK Research and Innovation, and non-profit organisations.
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Educational experiences of young people with special educational needs and disabilities in England: February to May 2022
Young people aged 11 to 16 years with special educational needs and disabilities, parents, carers, and school staff share their experiences with education and educational systems across England, including what they feel is going well and suggestions for improvements.
Articles
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The education background of looked-after children who interact with the criminal justice system
Educational attainment and provision, social care background and demographics of looked-after children educated in England who subsequently received a custodial sentence.
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Educational experiences of young people with special educational needs and disabilities in England, young person friendly report
Young person friendly report about what education is like for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in a range of secondary settings across England, including what is going well and suggestions for improvements.
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Why free school meal recipients earn less than their peers
Students from poorer backgrounds typically go on to earn less than others as adults and the differences are stark. What factors are behind the earnings gap?
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Remote schooling through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, England
An analysis of remote learning over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic period.
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Education, social mobility and outcomes for students receiving free school meals in England
Examining earnings outcomes relative to the Living Wage for those aged 25 years who received free school meals. This article explores demographic and geographic factors, the next release will explore educational factors.
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The education and social care background of young people who interact with the criminal justice system
Examining educational attainment and provision, social care provision and demographics of young people educated in England who subsequently received a custodial sentence, and comparing with their peers who did not.