Summary
Concerns have been raised over the clarity of services and support available to young people making the transition to higher education and urges for clear Government policy.
In the report, 'Participation by 16-19 Year Olds in Education and Training' (HC 850-I), the Education Committee accepts that changes to student support needed to be made, but emphasises that the delay in implementation of revisions should not have been allowed to happen.
The Committee finds that the Government should have done more to acknowledge the Educational Maintenance Allowance's (EMA) combined impact on participation, attainment and retention, before it decided how to restructure financial support.
The bursary scheme which is to replace the EMA will inevitably lead to inconsistencies which could distort young people’s choices of where to study.
The Committee is not persuaded that bursaries administered by schools and colleges will necessarily be fairer or more discriminating than a slimmed-down, more targeted entitlement such as the EMA.
The report also highlights the difficulty of transferring data between schools and colleges and encourages the Department for Education (DfE) to do more to ensure that information about pupils’ needs can move easily between educational institutions.
The Committee supports the Government’s focus on Apprenticeships but urges it to protect quality at the same time as increasing numbers participating. It also urges the DfE to fund the National Careers Service to provide face-to-face careers advice for young people.
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