In an article in the tes, the Chief Executive of the Learning & Work Institute says figures for looked after young people are ‘alarming’ and ‘not acceptable’.

“More than 30,000 young people spend an entire year not in education, employment or training (NEET) three years after finishing secondary school, according to a major study by the Department for Education.”

“Worryingly, 30,700 young people were NEET throughout 2013-14, equating to one in 20 (4.8 per cent) of those who finished key stage 4 in 2010-11. Researchers found that more than one in three (37 per cent) of looked after children fell into this category of long-term NEET. They were twice as likely to end up this way as those who had been identified as “children in need” by the government, of whom less than one in five (18 per cent) went on to become NEET for 12 months.”

To read the full article, click here. (Note. you will need to register with the tes online to access the full article; registration is free).