Every year, around 200,000 children don’t reach the expected standard in GCSE English and maths. The impact of this can last a lifetime. As young people, they are less likely to go on to study higher-level qualifications. Last year, a study found that just missing a grade C in English by one mark – one mark – increases a young person’s chances of dropping out of education altogether by 18 by a third.
As adults, they are less likely to access better-paid jobs, struggling without the gateway qualifications that many employers set as a bar and the emphasis they put on these skills. The latest CBI report found that 70% of employers rate literacy and numeracy skills as one of their three most important considerations when recruiting school and college leavers.
Consequently, at 16, thousands of our young people – disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds – find themselves confined to a life of low pay. Often, their confidence is drastically low. When they have their own families, they can feel unsure or unable to support their children to develop these key skills. Time and time again, research links parental level of education and support at home to the attainment gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.
Politicians and educators often talk about a vision of better social mobility. But without a meaningful chance to improve these skills and gain these qualifications after the age of 16, this is hollow. Sadly, as a country, we have neglected our post-16 education sectors. Adult education numbers are dwindling, and further education is grappling with a shortage of specialist English and maths teachers, even more severe than the schools sector.
This is nothing short of a scandal. There is no evidence that at 16 it becomes too late for young people to improve their skills. One teenager I met recently had fallen seriously unwell the year before his GCSEs. Another had taken longer than her peers to grow up, but now desperately wanted to learn. The adults I meet are all anxious to overcome this barrier and finally realise the aspirations they have for their career. They deserve that chance.
Students who miss out need more – not less – tailored support to improve their English and maths skills than they received in school. To deliver this effectively, further and adult education desperately needs adequate funding and resource. This starts with ensuring that this part of the education system, forgotten in the recent pay rise for teachers, can recruit the specialist staff to teach these subjects.
Moreover, a dedicated funding stream, for example a ‘catch-up premium’ for post-16 students, would help colleges to target evidence-based interventions that build literacy and numeracy. For example, we know that tutoring can be extremely effective, with the focused and personalised attention it offers. But the cost of a private tutor is sky-high, and the vast majority of students retaking GCSEs are simply unable to afford this. At Get Further, a new not-for-profit, we match students in further education to an excellent tutor – at no cost to them or their families. Tutors are first-rate volunteers with a background in teaching or subject specialism, who give an hour a week to turn the tide for their students. Many say it is the best part of their week.
The literacy and numeracy crisis is the biggest challenge for social mobility this country faces. Rather than wrongly assume it is too late for these students, we need to turn our attention to this neglected part of our education system, and harness its potential to open doors to a wider range of opportunities for their future.
