Evaluating effective strategies for young people at risk of becoming disengaged from education, employment and training: terms of reference
Published 24 August 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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Introduction
Reducing the number of young people who are not currently participating in education, training or employment is a priority for the government. Evidence shows that young people often become disengaged before they are formally recorded as not in education, employment or training, particularly at the point when they transition from school to post‑16 education or training.
The Department for Education’s post-16 education and skills white paper and Alan Milburn’s review of young people’s participation in education and work both recognise the role of schools and post-16 education and training providers in supporting effective transitions, attendance and sustained participation.
Purpose
Ofsted and the DfE have jointly funded a research study to identify and describe practice that has been effective in supporting 16- to 18-year-olds to remain in education, training and employment, preventing them from becoming disengaged, and supporting re-engagement.
Ofsted is uniquely positioned to carry out this research due to our access to rich, national-level inspection evidence from schools and further education and skills and training providers. This evidence gives us an insight into areas closely related to disengagement, such as inclusion, attendance, personal development and careers education. It enables us to identify patterns of effective practice across diverse contexts.
Ofsted’s role in this project is not to set new statutory expectations, which remain the responsibility of the DfE and Department for Work and Pensions, but to identify effective practice and emerging evidence that can inform inspection practice, provider guidance and policy development.
Approach
Our research will examine:
- how stakeholders identify barriers that increase the likelihood of young people becoming disengaged
- institutional and local factors (such as partnership working between key organisations and the number and range of opportunities) that can prevent young people from becoming disengaged, support them during transitions and help them to re-engage
- effective practice in schools and post-16 education and training providers that supports transition and helps young people remain in their post-16 destinations, and works with relevant services to support re-engagement where possible
- how inspection evidence currently reflects work with young people at risk of disengagement
In winter 2025 and spring 2026, we carried out a literature review to understand the gaps in the existing evidence on effective strategies to support young people at risk of non-participation. We analysed DfE and publicly available datasets to identify case study areas. We then used this information to select and design case studies that examined the different ways that local education and skills systems support young people who are at risk of disengagement.
Case studies are drawn from 8 local authority areas, and focus on the relationships between schools, post-16 education and training providers, local authority services and other relevant partners involved in prevention, transition and re-engagement. Each case study draws on multiple sources of evidence. This includes secondary data analysis of inspection evidence and relevant national datasets to inform sampling and our understanding of context, and qualitative fieldwork in each area.
We will carry out semi-structured interviews with staff from schools, post-16 education and training providers, and local authority services. There will also be a series of interviews with young people in the summer, autumn and winter terms to track their experiences through their post 16 pathways.
Fieldwork is expected to take place between spring/summer 2026 and autumn/winter 2026–27. Emerging findings will be shared with the DfE throughout the course of the research project. Subject to governance and quality assurance processes, the final report is intended for publication in early/mid 2027.
The primary audience for this research includes policymakers, education and training providers, local authorities, inspectors and practitioners. The findings will also be of interest to researchers and third-sector organisations working with young people who are at risk of dropping out of education, training and employment.