The Urgency of Preventing NEETs
The prevention of NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) is a critical national priority and highlighted as a key feature of the recently published Post-16 Skills White Paper (Department for Education, 2025). We are proud to be inclusive colleges and we have a shared responsibility to support our most disadvantaged learners. This has always been central to our mission.
However, the scale of the challenge is significant. Nationally, nearly one million 16–24-year olds are NEET. In Surrey, the local data is equally powerful, however it illustrates some improvement in October 25:
- Combined NEET and Not Known (12.5%) is significantly better than South East (15.7%) and England (13.0%), confirming Surreys’ better position compared to other Local Authorities. This is a result of the significant improvement and timeliness of destination tracking.
- RONI (Risk of NEET Indicators) scoring applied to all Year 11 settings and the Electively Home Educated, so that we have a clear oversight of emerging risk. This will ensure the best possible chance of a successful post 16 transition.
In Surrey, the Post 16 Phase Council brings together senior leaders from Surrey County Council and FE providers for proactive intervention, and there are distinct areas to our collaborative work:
1. Understanding the root cause, with work taking place in the primary and secondary schools to identify risk early and so that intervention strategies can be deployed. This includes mentoring support and using the RONI score. As a result, we have a clear oversight of emerging risk. Surrey County Council defines ‘high risk cohorts’ (2025) as those presenting with severe absence (<70%) in schools, indicating that attendance issues are a major risk factor. Socioeconomic vulnerability is also evident, with nearly 60% on FSM (Free School Meals) together with Safeguarding concerns, with over 40% with CiN (Child in Need) or CP (Child Protection) plan, and 28% have parental mental health concerns.
2. The Here and Now in Further Education; for those already in the Post-16 phase, our focus is on maximising learner engagement through comprehensive support:
- Understanding individual circumstances.
- Collaborating with partners and support services to provide wrap-around support.
- Offering creative and flexible approaches to learning, such as bespoke timetables, mentoring and coaching, thus creating a sense of belonging for every learner. Ultimately, this will maximise learner engagement.
Evidently, these distinct areas must intersect to be wholly effective. At the Post 16 Phase Council, we are collectively committing to the early exchange of data. Further Education Colleges need early, actionable data from schools to analyse pupils emerging at risk of NEETs, ensuring a seamless transition and immediate support.
What makes the SurreyFE approach to NEETs different is our strong partnerships with key stakeholders such as Surrey County Council (SCC), the High Sheriff of Surrey, sixth form colleges, charities and others, in the prevention of NEETs. This is gaining further momentum.
SurreyFE is in the early stages of launching a Careers and NEETs Engagement Programme initially focussing on the occupational pathways of construction and health & social care. The programme will target pupils in Year 10 – 12 and young adults at risk of disengagement, with:
- School academies and taster events (scaling the 2025 Wates Summer Academy with NESCOT College)
- Employer-led career days
- Mentoring and progression pathways.
We have high aspirations for our learners and by enhancing our engagement tools and focusing on clear progression routes, we are confident that our SurreyFE collaboration will have a big part to play in NEETs prevention in Surrey.
The collective ambition of SurreyFE remains resolute: to ensure no young person is left behind. The Careers and NEETs Engagement Programme, initially targeting high-demand occupational pathways like construction and health, is a decisive step in strengthening clear progression routes and enhancing engagement for those at-risk. However, the NEETs challenge is complex and requires system-wide innovation.
We are committed to achieving a step-change in prevention across the region. We now issue a clear call to action to our partners across the sector: please share your most impactful and innovative approaches, strategies, or interventions that have demonstrably reduced NEET. By pooling our collective expertise and proven practices, we can significantly accelerate our impact and realise our high aspirations for every learner.
