Education and Training

1997-2001

1997
Training: 

National Traineeships introduced, available at Foundation, Intermediate and (possibly) Advanced levels. These provide progression to Modern Apprenticeships and the work-based route, and offer a broad and flexible learning programme for young people delivered in partnership with FE colleges. 

Secondary Education: 

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) established to bring together the work of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA), with additional powers and duties. DfEE guidance Protecting Young People provides advice on drug education for schools and the youth service. 

Education Act. Binding home-school agreements (not implemented). 

White Paper Excellence in Schools published. 

Post-16 Education: 

Learning Card introduced. Issued by the Careers Service to young people in their final compulsory year of schooling, with the aim of raising awareness of their entitlement to further learning, including details of post-16 options. (DfEE currently investigating feasibility of extending this to the post-16 learning sector). 

Dearing Report published. Recommended that students pay for tuition fees and grants maintained. 

DfEE guidance to FEFCs. Priorities are to widen participation among those aged 19 or over, to expand provision for 16-18 year-olds (including making a start on Investors in Young People) and to achieve a fairer balance between state and employer contributions to employer-led provision.

‘Investing in Young People’ announced by DfEE. Aims to increase participation from age 16 onwards and to reduce drop-out by tackling the variable quality and relevance of some post-16 training and education (long term aim is to get as many young people as possible to NVQ Level 2 standard). New Start (part of Investors in Young People) aims to bring back into learning all those young people aged 14-17 who have dropped out, or are at risk of doing so, by encouraging local multi-agency partnerships to develop co-ordinated approaches to tackling youth disaffection in their areas. Recognises the need for more consistency in efforts to tackle disaffection among young people, and that those efforts should begin at 14 years, or earlier (Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland are developing their own approaches). Partnerships in England all had to include the Careers Service, schools, FE colleges, TECs, local authorities, the Youth Service and voluntary organisations (17 bids were successful). 

Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations (SI 1997/431) set out the conditions/provisions in respect of mandatory awards made by LEAs under 1962 Act.

Younger Children: 
Guidance on Early Years development plans and partnerships published.

Other:
 Agenda for a Generation published by UK Youth Work Alliance. The report called for Youth Work to address 3 major social imperatives for all young people: building the capacity of young people, through promoting their skills, self-worth, creativity and enterprise; promoting social inclusion through supporting more disadvantaged young people, re-engaging them in learning and thereby enhancing their employability; and encouraging active citizenship and developing in young people an awareness of their rights and responsibilities to the wider community. 

Millennium Volunteers programme announced by DfEE, for organisations to bid for funding to expand volunteering by young people. 

1998
Tackling Social Exclusion/Disaffection/Disengagement: 

18 Policy Action Teams (PATs) were set up within the Cabinet Office to fast track policy development on problems in deprived neighbourhoods. This was a new approach to policy-making involving partnerships between civil servants, professionals, academics, and local people. Each PAT had the task of developing policy strategies. PAT 12 was on policies for young people. 

SEU PAT 12 Report Truancy and Social Exclusion published (Cm 3957). 

Select Committee on Education and Employment: Fifth report: Disaffected Children published (focus on 14-19 age group). 

Education (National Curriculum) (Exceptions at Key Stage 4) Regulations SI 1998 No. 2021. Introduced regulations to permit schools, under certain circumstances, to set aside aspects of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 to provide opportunities for the wider use of work-related learning programmes for 14-16 year-olds. 

Post-16 Education: 
Teaching and Higher Education Act. Introduced new system of HE student loans and fees, largely abolishing student grants. Also, the Right to Time off Work for Study under which all employers (from September 1999) are required to provide 16/17 year-olds who are below NVQ Level 2 standard and not in FE with time off to train or study. HE Institutions able to waive the fees of unemployed part-time students, and rights to Access Funds extended to some part-time students. Removes power for LEAs to make discretionary awards to FE and HE students under the 1962 Education Act: LEAs only able to make such awards to students who began their studies before September 1999. During the passage of the legislation, Ministers proposed more support for vulnerable groups to head off a revolt on tuition fees. Peers' opposition to different fees in Scotland led to an independent review group being created. 

School Standards and Framework Act. Amends Education Act 1996, so that LEAs can continue to have a power to make payments to new FE and HE students from September 1999 if they wish to use it. This revised power will also allow LEAs to continue to make maintenance payments to 16-19s in schools. If the LEA does decide to take up this power (and it must make this determination annually) then any student will be entitled to apply for support and the LEA will need to show that it has clear criteria for making payments and for considering exceptional circumstances. 

Further Education into the New Millennium published by DfEE, endorsing previous calls for widening participation in FE. 

Secretary of State, David Blunkett, announces in the House of Commons that people under 55 years of age will be entitled to support and help in the same way as younger students and that non-repayable grants would remain for single parents and dependants of mature students. 

Secondary Education: 
From September 1998 there is a statutory duty on schools to provide a programme of careers education for pupils aged 16-18. Everyone under the age of 19 has a statutory right to free careers guidance. Government requires schools to run careers education programmes for year 9-11. Children in year 7 will be introduced to careers education in the hope of raising awareness, enthusiasm and expectations. Careers guidance is available to anyone in full-time education (includes FE, but not HE), anyone in part-time education of a vocational nature, people under 21 who left education or full-time training up to 3 years earlier. 

1999
Training: 

Modern Apprenticeships expanded in January by 10,000, bringing the total to 82,000. Allowances for work-based training to be increased by one third (up to 250,000 will benefit) in September 1999. Also a £50 bonus will be available to those trainees who satisfactorily complete pre-vocational training. 

New 16-17 ‘Learning Gateway’ leading to National Traineeships and Modern Apprenticeships (both give employer-led quality training leading to recognised qualifications); individual action plan in 16-17 Gateway with learning at own pace. 

Secondary Education: 
National Literacy Strategy and National Learning Targets introduced following the Moser Report (Improving Literacy and Numeracy: A Fresh Start, The Report of the Working Group, February 1999). 

Plans announced for a Bill to improve SEN services.

Tackling Social exclusion/disaffection/disengagement: 

SEU PAT 12 Report Bridging the Gap: New Opportunities for 16-18 year-olds not in education, employment or training’ published (Cm 4405), setting out government’s action plan. Amongst other things, suggested extending pilot EMAs to homeless and disabled young people. 

Government is consulting on preventing schools using exclusion from school to improve league table rankings.

 Draft guidance on Social Inclusion: Pupil Support Grant issued for consultation. New grant will provide funding to LEAs and school to deal with ‘disruptive and disaffected’ pupils (from April 1999). One way they will do this is to ensure that excluded pupils receive a full timetable - links in to New Start. 

Plans announced for a Youth Card that would validate EMAs, monitor attendance and attract discount. 

Draft regulations would enable 14-16 year-olds at risk of disaffection to spend part of the week in further education or work experience. 

Government published a strategy for social inclusion in Scotland and set up a 'social inclusion' fund in Wales.

A second round of projects for disaffected 14-17 year-olds announced. 

New Futures Fund. Unique to Scotland, providing intensive support and help to young people suffering from serious disadvantage in looking for work. Aimed at 16-34 year-olds. 

Care Standards Bill. Combines regulation and inspection for Early Years childcare and education in England. 

Post-16 Education:
 DfEE White Paper, Learning to succeed: A New framework for post-16 learning (Cm 4392), published (June). Government plans to create a single new advice and support service in charge of trying to steer young people aged 13-19 through the system. In April 2001, TECs to be superseded by Local Learning and Skills Councils. Investors in Young People developed further and renamed ConneXions - New Start to be extended, Careers Service refocused on those in greatest need, measures introduced to tackle truancy and exclusion from school, right to time off, Learning Gateway, Youth Service to be audited. 

According to DfEE, disabled students will continue to get grants irrespective of income or age (press release 30.4.99). 

A 'general' degree for less academic students will be introduced (except in Scotland) (Daily Telegraph 19.10.99). 

Piloting new Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in order to test its ability to increase participation, retention and achievement among 16-19 year-olds participating in post-16 education. Payment of EMA will be contingent on satisfactory attendance and adherence to a learning agreement between pupil and school/college. From September 2000, variants on EMA will be tested out for young people who are homeless and/or disabled. Government is also exploring how EMA pilot schemes can take account of the particular needs of teenage parents. 

The Lane Group on Further Education student support recommends minimum national entitlements, largely means-tested. 

Cubie Committee Report (Scotland). Recommended abolition of student tuition fees.

2000
Cross-Cutting: 

Prime Minister Blair asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Gordon Brown) to chair a new high-level Cabinet Committee on Children and Young People's Services and created the post of Minister for Young People. The task of the Committee is to co-ordinate policies to prevent poverty and underachievement among children and young people up to the age of 19 years. It will be supported by a Children and Young People's Unit (CYPU). The Unit's role is to support cross-government work on child poverty and youth disadvantage. Its brief is to work with the Young Peoples’ Advisory Forum to design policies around the needs and priorities of young people; to shift the balance of effort and resources to preventative work helping young people before problems become crisis; developing better co-ordination and leadership and joined-up working and striving to continuously improve services. The CYPU is also responsible for implementing and managing the Children's Fund. This supports preventive work for children aged 5-13 years, and a local network of children’s funds.

Younger children: 
Sure Start set up as a cross-departmental strategy to improve services for younger children and families, based on the government’s belief that investment in early childhood can help later performance at school, prevent truancy and reduce the risk of unemployment, drug abuse and crime. Its goal will be to ensure that all children are ready to learn when they arrive at school. It is targeted at children under four and their families in areas of need and considered key to the Government’s drive to prevent social exclusion, raise educational standards, reduce health inequalities and promote opportunity. Government departments, national agencies and local partners will work together. The Government has set aside £540 million (£452 million in England) over the next three years to deliver Sure Start. Anticipated that 250 local Sure Start programmes will be up and running by end of 2002. Twenty pilot areas initially announced for Sure Start Plus (additional Early Years intervention). A further 15 Sure Start pilots in England will help teenage parents return to education/employment.

Tackling Social Exclusion/Disaffection/disengagement: 

Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. Following the 1999 SEU PAT 12 report Teenage Pregnancy (Cm 4342), the strategy aims to halve the rate of conceptions among under-18s in England by 2010, to drive down the trend in conception rates for under-16s and to help more teenage parents to return to education and employment.

 Learning support units ('sin bins') will be established in schools to tackle disruption. 

Poverty and Social Exclusion (National Strategy) Bill published. Aims to produce and implement a comprehensive, participatory strategy for coordinated government action to reduce and eliminate poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom. 

Report of SEU PAT 12 (SEU) on Young People: National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal launched. Report urges action to create more coherent policies that will yield better services for significant numbers of young people at risk from a complex range of social problems. It calls for a change in emphasis of Government spending and action from crisis intervention to prevention; improvements in specific services for young people such as housing, health and administration of benefits; and more involvement of young people in the design and delivery of services. 

Neighbourhood Renewal Unit formed, based in DETR. 

Secondary Education: 
QCA proposed a National Diploma for 18 year-olds on the same lines as high school graduation in the US.

DfEE consulted on Bill to improve services for parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) or disabilities. 

Excellence in Cities programme aims to improve standards in inner-city areas through measures including Learning Mentors, Learning Support Units, extended opportunities for gifted and talented pupils, a network of City Learning Centres, more Beacon and Specialist schools, and small Education Action Zones. 

Plans announced for new vocational GCSEs to replace some GNVQs for 14-16 year-olds in 2002. DfEE launched campaign telling 16 year-olds "Don't quit [school] now!" 

Post-16 Education: 
Learning and Skills Act. Amongst other things, sets out main duties of Learning and Skills Council for England in respect of education and training for 16-19s, and for over-19s. 

Quigley Report recommended Scotland meet the cost of exempting students from elsewhere in the UK studying in Scotland in their fourth year. 

From September in England and Wales, low income part-time students can get £500 loans and part-time students with disabilities can get allowances. 

Government consulting on two-year vocational foundation degrees. 

Training: 
Learning and Skills Act. Unifies and simplifies funding structures but as a result counts training or education, for funding purposes, in units of not less than 30 hours, which renders the 16 hour time frame (see JSA) an irrelevance for funding purposes. 

Government consulted on the framework for personal advisers in Connexions. 

2001
Secondary Education: 

Queen’s Speech (at the Opening of Parliament) sets out Government aim to extend the focus on literacy and numeracy in schools to 11-14 year-olds, expand the Excellence in Cities programme, particularly the use of Learning Mentors to work with children who have been bullied or have truanted. 

Schools* Building on Success Green Paper. This sets out Government's plans to: enhance the diversity of secondary education, with every school having a distinct mission and ethos to contribute to the community and the wider education system; improve performance in the early secondary years, including demanding targets for achievement in national tests at age 14; focus more on the individual talents and aspirations of pupils, with greater choice of vocational and work-based routes; increase the support available to schools; narrow the achievement gaps that exist by ethnic group, geographical area and gender; promote opportunities for pupils to become active citizens of their school and community, building on the introduction of citizenship education into the secondary curriculum from Sept 2002. 

Schools: Achieving Success White Paper published. 

Enhanced practical guidelines on safety during school trips announced, to be incorporated in DfES guidance on the Heath and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits. 

Tackling social exclusion/disaffection/disengagement:

A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal: National Strategy Action Plan, was launched by the PM, representing a culmination of the work of the 18 Policy Action Teams in the SEU. 

Summer Activities for 16 Year-olds Programme. Intends using £50m from The National Lottery New Opportunities Fund for outdoor adventure and team-building for disengaged young people who are on the brink of leaving school with few qualifications or have little sense of direction. 

Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Bill. Two pronged piece of legislation aiming to ensure the education of SEN children in mainstream skills and giving them anti-discrimination rights. Piloting new Pupil Learning Credits to target young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and offering up to £75,000 to the most challenged schools to improve in-school support and out-of-school activities. 

Beattie Committee Report, Implementing Inclusiveness, Realising Potential, sets out recommendations for Scottish Executive to meet the needs of vulnerable young people and those at risk of social exclusion, focusing on young people who require additional support to make the transition to post-school education and training or employment. 

First wave of ConneXions partnerships begin, The service is based on 8 key principles - raising aspirations, meeting individual need, taking account of the views of young people, inclusion, partnership, community involvement and neighbourhood renewal, extending opportunity and equality of opportunity, evidence based practice. By 2004 every young person aged 13-19 will have access to the ConneXions Service, either through a Personal Adviser, a drop-in centre, telephone, or internet-enabled support. 

Youth Service Standards Fund. Funding for 2002-2004 to boost the capacity of the Youth Service to provide young people with a wide range of personal development opportunities. DfES will consult on the best use of the money as part of the 'Transforming Youth Work' consultation and will issue guidance after this.

The Local Network element of the Children's Fund is making £70m available over 3 years to fund the work of local community and voluntary groups helping vulnerable children aged 0-19. The Children's Fund will also fund a programme of preventive work with children primarily in the 5-13 age group to bridge the gap between Sure Start and ConneXions, helping children before they hit a crisis. 

Mentoring Fund. £5.3m over next 3 years to support new and existing mentoring projects. 

Teenage Pregnancy:

Following the 1999 SEU report on Teenage Pregnancy (Cm 4342), the newly-named Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and DoH will be preparing guidance on how to support school age parents in education. Report also recommended that 16/17-year-old mothers not living with parent(s) or partner should be given supervised housing with support, rather than their own tenancy. DfES issued draft guidance on Sex and Relationship Education in schools. The Teenage Pregnancy Unit, a cross-government agency located in the DoH was set up to implement the strategy set out in the SEU report. 

Participation of young people in decision-making:

 A debate on youth policy took place at Westminster (January) covering a wide range of issues, including school exclusions, teenage pregnancy, youth poverty and the reduction of the voting age. New Minister for Youth co-ordinating youth issues across government and with responsibility for the Children and Young People's Unit and the Children's Fund is John Denham, Minister of State in the Home Office. In November launches national consultation to find out what young people think about voting. 'Core principles of participation' identified to support government departments in enabling children and young people to help shape government policy. 

Tomorrow's Future: Building a Strategy for Children and Young People (CYPU) details the new measures that will ensure young people have a voice in government and improved services to meet their need. Plans announced for a new Young People's Advisory Forum made up of young people aged 10-17 to advise the Minister for Young people direct. Also makes a core requirement for funding under the £450 Children's Fund the need for young people to be involved in the planning, development and evaluation of services. 

Listen-Up. The first Government report in which young people have spelt out the issues which matter to them. As a result new Work Experience opportunities have been announced and over £500,000 of funding for organisations working with young men and fathers announced. 

Post-16 Education and Training: 

Education Secretary reveals plans to introduce graduate tax ('graduate repayment') and to re-introduce student maintenance grants, from autumn 2003. Future graduates will be required to pay extra income tax for 20-25 years after leaving university once they begin to pay income tax at 22p. Two models are being considered. One is to make a maintenance grant available to all students and charge the graduate tax at a higher rate. The other is a hybrid system to means-test the grant, allow more loans and have a lower graduate tax. As a result of having a graduate tax, the government may abolish student tuition fees. Changes take place against a background where the Labour government is concerned that it may not reach their target of 50% of under-30s experiencing higher education by 2010. 

Training: Responsibility for adult work-based learning passed from TECs to the Employment Service and The Learning and Skills Council assumed its responsibilities.