Can you spot risks of future unemployment in primary-school aged children? The amount of young people leaving school to become “NEET” – meaning not in education, employment or training – has reached crisis point and the government is looking toward early intervention as part of the solution.
A review into Britain’s crisis in youth worklessness has found that the warning signs are there from a very early age, “frankly from preschool” says Alan Milburn who is leading the review. Over a million young people between 16-24 are categorised as NEET, around 1 in 8. It has become a key focus for Andy Burnham’s who plans to improve access to technical education in schools and open up more pathways to employment – a key priority on his agenda.
This all sounds positive in theory, but has left many teachers on the ground questioning the practicalities of spotting an 8-year-old who risks unemployment in 10 years time.
Early identification of needs in children
Early identification of unmet needs in children is crucial for their future life chances. It might feel unrealistic to spot specific warning signs for future NEET young people, but what you’re probably already doing is recognising the signals of a child becoming disengaged from their learning, or school life in general.
Signs of a pupil disengaging from school will vary by developmental age, but in primary school it might look like:
- Inability to pay sustained attention to the teacher
- Reluctance to contribute in lessons
- Difficulty in peer relationships
- A drop in attendance
- Difficulty coping with transition points
- Trouble regulating emotions
- Frequent emotional outbursts
In real life terms, this might look like spotting the disengaged or anxious pupil before they start becoming a school refuser.
The government’s proposal identifies certain risk factors to look out for including poverty, mental health issues, and being in care. This list is not exhaustive, of course. An SEMH assessment tool, like the Boxall Profile®, is appropriate here to identify all pupils in need of support, not just the most visible.
How to address unmet needs early
Early identification must lead to appropriate interventions, without judgement of the child. There is a risk with this new emphasis on identifying pupils susceptible to becoming NEET that we might jump to conclusions and escalate concerns without putting in the right scaffolding to help.
Barriers to learning are often linked to areas of social and emotional development in need of support. In order to break down these barriers to learning so pupils can re-engage with education, these social and emotional needs must be met. These interventions will range in scope from:
- Whole school or whole class strategies. If you’re spotting patterns across cohorts of pupils, you might reflect on your universal provision. For example, do we need to review our behaviour and relationships policy? Do we need to put more scaffolding in place for transitional points?
- Small-group interventions. Nurture groups (or inclusion bases) provide a more dedicated support for a group of pupils identified with high levels of need. This focused time to build up relationships and trust can transform a pupil’s relationship with school so that they are ready to return to their mainstream class full time and engage with their learning.
- One-to-one support. For the most vulnerable children, you may need to seek external support to provide the level of support they need.
Next steps
At nurtureuk, we help schools identify, understand and support children who may otherwise become disengaged from education.
Boxall Profile® Online | E-learning | Nurture Group training