Raising expectations

The government has set in motion plans to overhaul the education system and London boroughs are preparing to take the lead in improving outcomes for all of London's young people. Laura Compton reports

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In a fast-changing globalised economy, raising the aspirations and skill levels of the UK's young people to engage with opportunities within the national and international workforce is a top priority for those involved in education and training.

Currently, the UK, and London in particular, has a high number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and too many leave school with few or no qualifications.

Part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF's) response to such unwelcome statistics has been to propose radical reforms for 14-19 year old education.

Last year, the government published its white paper, 'Raising expectations: Enabling the system to deliver', and is now working with education providers on the next steps to delivery.

The changes focus on four key learning routes, tailored to the individual needs of the learner. These will include: traditional qualifications, such as GCSEs and A-levels; diplomas; apprenticeships; and foundation learning tiers, with an entitlement to study one of the progression pathways.

The timetable for each route varies but, coinciding with the proposed raising of education participatory age to 18, 2015 has been set by the government as the deadline to fully provide all young people with the widest possible learning choices.

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