Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve the educational outcomes of vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds.

On 16 March 2018, the government announced a programme of work to better understand how to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people with additional needs and challenges, so they are able to overcome barriers and realise their potential. This includes those who are 16 and 17 years old.

These children and young people perform less well at school on average, are at greater risk of being excluded and are overrepresented in alternative provision. This is an overlapping cohort whose needs are often complex – many have special educational needs and disabilities (where support extends beyond 18, up to age 25), or are children in need of help and protection and so are supported through the social care system.

The programme consists of:

• Launching a review into the educational outcomes of and support for Children In Need;
• Carrying out an externally led review of school exclusions;
• Publishing our vision for reforming alternative provision, including the launch of a £4 million Innovation Fund.

As part of the review for children in need of help and protection, we have published new data and analysis, which offers initial insights into support provided in school for children in need who also claim free school meals, receive the pupil premium, and to meet special educational needs. This constituted new analysis, however, and the data did not include a breakdown by age.

To enable us to understand what support works in practice, we have announced a call for evidence of effective practice to improve educational outcomes for children in need. This will start to bring together and build the evidence of what support is currently being delivered both in and out of school, how its effectiveness is being measured and evaluated, and its influence on educational outcomes.