Lucy Powell to ease English and maths rules for NEET teenagers

Education Secretary Lucy Powell plans to let 16 to 18-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training study English and maths for fewer hours when they return to college. She says easing the requirements could remove a barrier to re-engagement, while still giving young people a route to basic qualifications.

Previously, pupils who had not achieved GCSE grade 4 in either subject had to keep retaking the exams until age 18. Labour has announced alternative basic-skills qualifications, with 100 teaching hours per subject planned, but eligible NEET teenagers could receive fewer hours, with remaining support provided individually or in small groups. The government has not yet explained how the arrangement will work; around 150,000 16 to 18-year-olds are NEET, while figures published in May put the number of 16 to 24-year-olds above one million.