And we’re off – Lucy Powell has followed up on Andy Burnham’s speech about providing high-quality technical education routes that are valued and respected by students, parents and employers.
The new Education Secretary is eye-poppingly adrift in her analysis and assertions. It is true to say, as she does, that we have far too many young people not in education or working (NEETs). But it is ridiculous to blame this on the Michael Gove-era school curriculum.
Until four years ago the number of NEETs was at its lowest for decades. The causes of the rise look to be the big increase in the costs and risks of employing the young (mostly under Labour), other labour market realignments affecting entry-level jobs (most obviously AI-driven automation) and the explosion in the number of young people reporting mental health concerns. As Daisy Christodoulou points out, Wales has an almost antithetical curriculum but higher NEETs, with numbers growing faster.
Powell disparages the current national curriculum. Yet since it has been in place, England has risen significantly to a very strong position in international comparisons. And the improvements have been across the board, for lower attainers as well as more academic children, for disadvantaged students as well as more advantaged.
