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September Guarantee: offers of education and training for young people age 16 and 17
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Introduction
This release presents data for England showing the offers made through the September Guarantee. The September Guarantee is a guarantee of an offer, made by the end of September, of an appropriate place in post-16 education or training for every young person completing compulsory education. This is particularly important as it helps young people make a seamless transition into post-16 learning or employment with training. Local authorities are responsible for leading the 'September Guarantee' process, working with schools and colleges across their area.
Data is collected using the National Client Caseload Information System (NCCIS), which draws together local databases used to support young people to engage in education and training and plan services that meet young people’s needs.
NCCIS figures showing the proportion participating in education and training and an estimate of those not in education, employment or training (NEET) are published annually in the release Participation in education, training and NEET age 16 to 17 by local authority.
Headline facts and figures - 2023/24
September Guarantee
The percentage of offers made in September 2023 ranged from 33.0% in Stoke-on-Trent to 100% in Barnsley, Isles of Scilly and Thurrock. However, Stoke-on-Trent's figures may not reflect the actual proportion of young people receiving a suitable offer due to significant procedural and processing issues.
In the latest year,
- 67 local authorities had relatively stable offers made rates when compared to the same period of the previous year (+/- 0.5 percentage points)
- 31 improved (>0.5 percentage points)
- 53 had lower proportions of offers made than in the previous year (> -0.5 percentage points)
National statistics are published annually in the release 'Participation in Education, Training and Employment age 16 to 18' and should be used for the most robust estimates of Participation and NEET in England at national level.
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Data Source
Local authorities in England must report information to the Department for Education through the National Client Caseload Information System (NCCIS). The number of 16 and 17-year-olds known to the local authority and information about the young person's activity are recorded on the local authority client databases, extracts from which are used for this underlying data.
Local authorities are required to provide:
- basic information about young people in their area (such as name and address)
- their needs and characteristics (gender, ethnic group, disability, care leaver)
- their post-16 transition plans (intended destination, September Guarantee offers)
- their current activity and when this was last confirmed.
The age of the learner is measured at the beginning of the academic year, 31 August.
Further information can be found in the accompanying methodology and full details of the NCCIS collection in the management information requirement.
Legislation
Raising the participation age policy
Raising the participation age (RPA) legislation was introduced in 2013/14, requiring 16-17 year olds in England to remain in education or training.
The government provides the framework and funding to increase participation and reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), however, responsibility and accountability for delivery lies with local authorities. Under Section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 (ESA 2008) local authorities have a duty to encourage, enable or assist young people’s participation in education or training.
The government publishes local authority participation data so that members of the public can make informed decisions about the performance of their own local authority.
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Methodology
Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.
Management information
Management information describes aggregate information collated and used in the normal course of business to inform operational delivery, policy development or the management of organisational performance. It is usually based on administrative data but can also be a product of survey data. The terms administrative data and management information are sometimes used interchangeably.
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about September Guarantee: offers of education and training for young people age 16 and 17 statistics and data:
Post-16 statistics team
Email: post16.statistics@education.gov.ukContact name: Anneka Albon
Press office
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
Public enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Telephone: 037 0000 2288
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Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)