Prevention is better than cure when it comes to reducing NEETs

This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Yorkshire Post on 28 April 2026 in which Matt Bromley argues that prevention is better than cure when it comes to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment, or training…

I chaired a roundtable recently on the subject of NEET – the number of young people not in education, employment or training, which is edging towards a million, which is around 15% of young people aged 16–24. 

Policy attention often focuses on how to re-engage young people once they’ve become NEET – and training schemes, employability programmes, and post-16 pathways do matter. But the evidence suggests that by the time many young people disengage from education, the underlying causes are deeply embedded. Prevention, not simply cure, must therefore become the central organising principle of our response. 

Research from the University of Bath’s Connected Belonging project identifies five interconnected domains that help explain why some young people become persistently disengaged: structural factors, institutional experiences, social relationships, family circumstances, and personal challenges. Taken together, these offer a framework for earlier, more strategic intervention in schools. 

Structural factors are often overlooked because they sit beyond the school gates. Limited transport routes, restricted course availability locally, and the erosion of youth and community services all shape opportunity. In parts of Yorkshire, a young person’s post-16 options can be constrained as much by bus timetables as by attainment. When vocational pathways disappear locally, participation becomes fragile. Schools can mitigate this through stronger partnerships with colleges, employers, and local authorities, ensuring students understand realistic routes forward before they reach key transition points.

Institutional features also play a role. Persistent low-level disruption, exclusionary behaviour systems, and limited access to pastoral or counselling support can gradually weaken a student’s sense of belonging. Disengagement rarely appears suddenly; it develops incrementally through repeated experiences of marginalisation or perceived failure. Early warning indicators often include declining attendance, reduced participation, or increasing behavioural referrals. Schools that invest in relational approaches, adaptive behaviour policies, and accessible mental health support are more likely to interrupt this trajectory. 

Social relationships remain one of the most powerful predictors of sustained engagement. Experiences of bullying, isolation, or limited peer networks correlate strongly with later disengagement. Young people who feel invisible in classrooms frequently become invisible in labour market statistics. Explicit teaching of social skills, structured peer mentoring, and deliberate cultivation of inclusive school cultures can therefore help.

Family circumstances also shape participation in complex ways. Caring responsibilities, high mobility, English as an additional language, or turbulent home environments can disrupt continuity of learning. Children who are looked after, or who experience frequent school moves, often encounter fragmented support systems. Schools can respond by strengthening transition protocols, sharing information more effectively across institutions and adopting key-worker models to ensure continuity of relationships.

Young people with SEND, anxiety, low confidence, or neurodivergence are disproportionately represented in NEET statistics. Disengagement often reflects a mismatch between the structure of schooling and individual need, rather than lack of aspiration. Where curricula remain narrowly academic and assessment-driven, some students simply stop recognising themselves within the system.

Risk factors rarely occur in isolation. Young people living in poverty and identified with SEND are significantly more likely to become NEET, reflecting cumulative disadvantage rather than single causes. Early identification matters. Patterns such as persistent absence in Key Stage 3, repeated fixed-term exclusions, declining homework completion, or withdrawal from enrichment activities frequently precede later disengagement. These signals should trigger targeted, multi-agency responses rather than punitive measures alone.

Read more of Matt’s columns for The Yorkshire Post…