Tuesday 30 Mar 2010 @ 14:55
Department for Education
Department for Education
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Every region in England to receive funding increases for education for 16- to 18-year-olds
Ed Balls today announced all nine regions in England will receive increased allocations to fund 55,000 more 16 to 18 year olds in school sixth forms and colleges in the 2010/11 academic year than this.
The regions have been allocated a share of the total £6.48 billion investment for 2010/11, representing a 4.2 per cent year-on-year increase to fund 1.35 million students aged 16 to 18. This investment was included in the £8.2 billion for all forms of 16-18 learning announced in the Learning and Skills Council’s Annual Statement of Priorities in January.
The investment in education for 16- to 18-year-olds means the Government will spend £1.59bn more next year than it did in 2005/06, funding almost 188,000 more students than five years ago.
And it will result in a record number of students being able to take up a place in education and training as offered under the September Guarantee, which offers every 16- and 17-year-old who a suitable place in post-16 education or training by the end of September.
In November we announced the January Guarantee to provide every 16- and 17-year-old not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January 2010 with the offer of an Entry to Employment place, and where otherwise eligible, Education Maintenance Allowance to go with this.
In November we announced the January Guarantee to provide every 16- and 17-year-old not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January 2010 with the offer of an Entry to Employment place, and where otherwise eligible, Education Maintenance Allowance to go with this.
Interim figures released today show that 21,508 16 and 17-year-olds who were NEET in January and had not already found a job or place in education or training had received, under the January Guarantee, a firm offer of education and training by the end of February – more then double the 10,000 additional places announced in November to support delivery. The final figures will relate to the end of March.
The £6.48 billion investment includes:
The £6.48 billion investment includes:
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£4.03 billion for Further Education providers, including Foundation Learning - a 3.9 per cent rise overall from 2009/10. There will be 913,000 Further Education students aged 16 to 18 in 2010/11, up 3.3 per cent from last year
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£2.2 billion for school sixth forms, including Academy sixth forms – a 5.4 per cent rise overall from 2009/10. There will be 440,000 students in these sixth forms in 2010/11, up 6.3 per cent from last year. The final £37 million for academies is still to be allocated.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls said:
Today’s announcement demonstrates our continued investment in and commitment to the education of young people aged 16 to 18.The extra funding for schools’ sixth forms, Academies and Further Education, for every region in England, is vital because of the increase in student numbers and means we are continuing to support them.With the number of young people choosing to stay in learning increasing, and as we move towards the education and training age rising to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015, investing in this area is the right thing to do.At the same time as making this record investment, I am expecting sixth forms, Academies and Further Education colleges to take tough decisions to make sure they get the best value for every pound they spend.The success of and continued investment in our September Guarantee for school leavers is enabling young people in this country, in what are tough global economic conditions, to gain the qualifications they need to be ready for work.
And the January Guarantee figures today show that this is also making a real difference to offering young people the chance to build skills.
The overall investment in 16-19 learning for the 2010/11 financial year is £8.2 billion, funding 1.6 million learners.
As well as record levels for school and college education, Ed Balls’ Department for Children, Schools and Families is investing:
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£780 million for apprenticeships
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£267 million for specialist provision for 16- to 25-year-olds with learning difficulties or disabilities
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£677 million for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and discretionary learner support.
On top of the 1.35 million young people aged 16 to 18 in school sixth forms, Academies and colleges, there are:
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223,000 apprenticeship places for 16 to 18 year olds where allocations are still ongoing
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25,000 places in alternative and specialist provision, including that for young offenders and those aged 16 to 25 with acute learning difficulties and disabilities.
This brings the total number of learners to 1.6 million. A regional breakdown of these learners is not available at this time.
The removal of the EMA bonus system – which will save £49million next financial year and which will save £96million in 2011-12 – will mean an extra 80,000 16 to 19 year olds will be able to claim weekly payments from September 2010. The overall EMA budget will be increased to a record £574 million in 2010-11, supporting those aged 16 to 19 from lower income households to be in education and training
By the week starting 15 March, 620,774 16 to 19 year olds had received an EMA payment for 2009-10 academic year.
By the week starting 15 March, 620,774 16 to 19 year olds had received an EMA payment for 2009-10 academic year.
In addition to the regular support of weekly EMA, Ed Balls also announced in December an extra £1.5 million of discretionary learner support to help young people facing exceptional hardship.
Latest figures, from last month, show the proportion of 16 to 18 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) falling, with the proportion of young people in that age group in education and training at 82.6 per cent (1.581 million) compared to 79.2 per cent (1.562 million) at the same point a year ago – up 3.4 percentage points.
For the fourth quarter of 2009-10, the proportions of young people in learning have risen at age 16 (up three per cent), age 17 (up three per cent) and age 18 (up 3.6 per cent) to their highest levels respectively since 2000, when the series began.
For the fourth quarter of 2009-10, the proportions of young people in learning have risen at age 16 (up three per cent), age 17 (up three per cent) and age 18 (up 3.6 per cent) to their highest levels respectively since 2000, when the series began.
The Government has also helped the 16-18 age group by introducing the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, consisting of 5000 grants of £2,500 to encourage employers to take on unemployed 16 and 17 year olds as apprentices.
More than 4,000 have already been taken up since its introduction in January and the initiative has been very popular with employers keen to employ a young person. It will be extended into April to meet demand.
More than 4,000 have already been taken up since its introduction in January and the initiative has been very popular with employers keen to employ a young person. It will be extended into April to meet demand.
Ed Balls added:
The figures show that the decisive steps we have taken to support young people, such as the September Guarantee, the Future Jobs Fund and investment in Apprenticeships, are having a real impact. We know there is more to do – that is why we have put in place additional support through our January Guarantee and the Young Person’s Guarantee.These young people are all participating in high-quality courses, led by training providers who are subject to minimum levels of performance. We are building a young, skilful and dynamic workforce through the economic recovery, and record numbers are taking the opportunity to benefit.
Three tables showing funding levels, learner numbers and Local Authority breakdowns comparisons are available for download from this page.
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Table 1 shows the funding and learner numbers for Further Education, including Entry To Employment, and school sixth forms, including Academies, for 2009/10 and 2010/11.
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Table 2 compares learners and funding (both by academic year) for 16 to 18 year olds participating in school sixth forms and Further Education in 2005/06 and 2010/11.
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Table 3 shows the number of 16 and 17 year olds NEET in January 2010 to have received an offer under the January Guarantee, by the end of February 2010.
Further information
2009/10 figures are based on allocations at the end of December, excluding additional learners funded in relation to the January Guarantee. 2010/11 figures are based on March 8 allocations and are calculated on basis of definitions used in the Statement of Priorities.
Some schools will become academies in 2010/11 and so are in the figure for maintained schools in 2009/10 and for academies in 2010/11. There are still some numbers provisionally allocated for academies which are yet to be confirmed.
Allocation of provision to regions is based on 2010/11 allocations, and so may differ from previously published figures for 2009/10, because of, for example, mergers, transfers of provision and changes to contracting arrangements with national providers. Also included in the allocations announced today is the Teachers Pay Grant of £74.49 million and spending on special education needs of £188.29 million.
Foundation Learning is the national learning route for 14-19 year olds (and young people up to age 25 with assessed learning difficulties) who are mainly studying at Entry level or Level 1. It offers learners personalised programmes, tailored to their individual needs and aspirations, of engaging and rewarding learning focused on progression.
Achievements are captured in flexible qualifications drawn mainly from the Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF). Foundation Learning is largely supported from mainstream funding: through the Dedicated Schools Grant for schools at Key Stage 4 (though with some seed money for all Local Authorities in 2010-11 to help embed this), and demand-led Learner Responsive funding for 16+ providers.
Achievements are captured in flexible qualifications drawn mainly from the Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF). Foundation Learning is largely supported from mainstream funding: through the Dedicated Schools Grant for schools at Key Stage 4 (though with some seed money for all Local Authorities in 2010-11 to help embed this), and demand-led Learner Responsive funding for 16+ providers.
The Government has continued to increase support for 16 to 18 year olds in other areas of education, training and employment. Around 130,000 employers in 80 employment sectors now offer 180 different types of Apprenticeships such as hospitality, media, retail, accounting, childcare and local government; as well as subjects like construction, engineering and business administration.
Major UK employers are expecting to hire thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the Government is encouraging all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.
The DCSF has made it easier for employers to improve the range of apprenticeships through offering own accredited qualifications; and by introducing a pilot wage subsidy programme for small businesses, to make it more attractive for them to offer high quality apprenticeship places. In the light of the economic downturn, the DCSF is providing an additional 35,000 apprenticeship places in 2009 to 2010.
This will be achieved by increasing numbers across the public sector. The public sector currently employs 20 per cent of the workforce but provides less than 10 per cent of apprenticeship places.
The DCSF has also introduced an obligation for contractors to provide apprenticeships places as part of their bids for public funding in construction, IT and related projects.
Major UK employers are expecting to hire thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the Government is encouraging all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.
The DCSF has made it easier for employers to improve the range of apprenticeships through offering own accredited qualifications; and by introducing a pilot wage subsidy programme for small businesses, to make it more attractive for them to offer high quality apprenticeship places. In the light of the economic downturn, the DCSF is providing an additional 35,000 apprenticeship places in 2009 to 2010.
This will be achieved by increasing numbers across the public sector. The public sector currently employs 20 per cent of the workforce but provides less than 10 per cent of apprenticeship places.
The DCSF has also introduced an obligation for contractors to provide apprenticeships places as part of their bids for public funding in construction, IT and related projects.
The September Guarantee is an offer, by the end of September, of a place in post-16 education or training. The September Guarantee was implemented for all those completing compulsory education in 2007, and extended to 17 year olds in 2008 to give those who had left learning a further opportunity to participate.
In 2009, almost 96 per cent of 16 year olds (up from 94 per cent in 2008) and almost 90 per cent of 17 year olds, said that they wanted to continue in learning and received an offer under the Guarantee.
In response to the economic downturn the Government built on the September Guarantee by offering every 16 and 17 year old who is not in education, employment or training in January 2010 an Entry to Employment place.
In 2009, almost 96 per cent of 16 year olds (up from 94 per cent in 2008) and almost 90 per cent of 17 year olds, said that they wanted to continue in learning and received an offer under the Guarantee.
In response to the economic downturn the Government built on the September Guarantee by offering every 16 and 17 year old who is not in education, employment or training in January 2010 an Entry to Employment place.
The January Guarantee provides every 16 and 17 year old who was not in education, employment or training in January 2010 with an offer of an Entry to Employment place, and where otherwise eligible Education Maintenance Allowance to go with this.
We knew it would take time for these young people to be contacted and supported, so the Guarantee will continue to be implemented until March 31 2010. Today’s figures are interim data relating to delivery at the end of February – final delivery data will be available at the end of March.
The Guarantee will allow young people who are NEET to re-engage quickly in positive and productive learning, remaining motivated and engaged and reducing the risk of long term disengagement. Altogether, the January Guarantee is backed by £40m of additional investment from the Department.
We knew it would take time for these young people to be contacted and supported, so the Guarantee will continue to be implemented until March 31 2010. Today’s figures are interim data relating to delivery at the end of February – final delivery data will be available at the end of March.
The Guarantee will allow young people who are NEET to re-engage quickly in positive and productive learning, remaining motivated and engaged and reducing the risk of long term disengagement. Altogether, the January Guarantee is backed by £40m of additional investment from the Department.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) was introduced for 16 - 19 year olds, to provide financial incentives to participate in education or training. It is an income-assessed weekly allowance of £10, £20 or £30 paid direct to young people aged 16-19 who are participating in learning.
It is designed to encourage more young people from lower income households to remain in post compulsory learning to enable them to progress and achieve. Learners have to meet the conditions of their learning agreement, in order to receive each EMA payment. When we raise the participation age it will still be essential to ensure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to participation.
The New Opportunities White Paper (published 13 January 2009) commits us to reviewing the structure of financial support. We have said that the EMA and Care to Learn childcare support will continue when we raise the participation age. We will make sure that it continues to be as effective as possible.
EMA has had the biggest impact on participation of any policy initiative in over a decade. Between 2003/04 and 2004/05 the participation rate for 16 year olds in full-time education rose by 1.9 percentage points, the biggest increase seen in years. EMA was one of the major policies aimed at increasing participation and has been a major contributor to this increase.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme is 'something for something'. To receive EMA the learner must sign an EMA Learning Agreement with a school, college or learning provider. Payments depend on the learner keeping to that Agreement. Payments and bonuses are linked to attendance, effort, behaviour and progression.
It is designed to encourage more young people from lower income households to remain in post compulsory learning to enable them to progress and achieve. Learners have to meet the conditions of their learning agreement, in order to receive each EMA payment. When we raise the participation age it will still be essential to ensure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to participation.
The New Opportunities White Paper (published 13 January 2009) commits us to reviewing the structure of financial support. We have said that the EMA and Care to Learn childcare support will continue when we raise the participation age. We will make sure that it continues to be as effective as possible.
EMA has had the biggest impact on participation of any policy initiative in over a decade. Between 2003/04 and 2004/05 the participation rate for 16 year olds in full-time education rose by 1.9 percentage points, the biggest increase seen in years. EMA was one of the major policies aimed at increasing participation and has been a major contributor to this increase.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme is 'something for something'. To receive EMA the learner must sign an EMA Learning Agreement with a school, college or learning provider. Payments depend on the learner keeping to that Agreement. Payments and bonuses are linked to attendance, effort, behaviour and progression.
