Dropout rates for teenagers at schools and colleges will be used to score local councils each year, on how well they deal with dropout rates.
Information on the number of 16 to 19 years olds who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), will be used to score councils on easy-to-read scorecards, in attempts to further reduce the number of people dropping out of school or college.
The scorecards will be published each summer, and have been tested out over the last six months. They will contain additional information to the NEET rates, and allow people to view how well councils are performing with regards to school and college attendance. If a council has a poor score, and people can see this, the council should therefore be more inclined to work hard and improve their score.
At the moment, the NEET rate for those aged 16 to 24 years is the lowest it has been in the last decade, according to the Department for Education. The law now requires all youngsters to remain in either education, employment or training up until the age of 18 years.
“With recent figures showing record lows in the number of young people not in education, employment or training, it is clear that our economic plan is working,” said Nick Boles, the Skills Minister. “But we know there is more to do, and the annual NEET scorecards will prove a highly effective tool in delivering our commitment to helping young people reach their potential.”