A coalition of 14 social mobility organisations is pressing the government to introduce a dedicated “student premium” for disadvantaged 16- to 19-year-olds, warning that the current system leaves vulnerable young people to “fall through the cracks” and into joblessness at a critical stage of their education.
The group, which includes the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the Sixth Form Colleges Association, the Sutton Trust, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, and the social mobility expert Professor Lee Elliot Major, is calling on the Treasury to commit roughly £430 million a year from 2027-28. Under the proposal, the new premium would match the per-pupil rate currently paid to secondary schools through the existing pupil premium, which supports children from low-income families who are eligible for free school meals.
The funding cliff edge
Campaigners argue that the abrupt cessation of the pupil premium after GCSEs creates a “cliff edge” that penalises the very students who need the most help in the final years of compulsory education. “Disadvantaged students don’t stop needing support the moment they finish their GCSEs, yet that’s exactly when funding falls away,” said Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL. The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has also warned of this cliff edge, noting that economically disadvantaged students entering 16-19 education are funded “at least one-third higher” while still in school.
The proposed student premium would enable sixth forms and colleges to deliver targeted interventions such as tutoring, mentoring and tailored academic support, particularly to help students secure essential English and maths qualifications. “This targeted, additional investment would make a real difference and help to reduce the number of disadvantaged young people that disengage from education after the age of 16,” said Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association. Sarah Waite, chief executive of the charity Get Further, which works with disadvantaged further education students, added: “A student premium is long overdue and would play a crucial role in reducing Neet rates and helping more young people achieve lifelong success.”
Why post-16 support is crucial
The coalition points to stark evidence that the attainment gap between disadvantaged students and their peers widens during 16-19 education. Those who leave school without GCSE English and maths at grade 4 or above are among those at highest risk of dropping out of education, employment or training entirely. The disadvantage gap, Professor Lee Elliot Major of the University of Exeter said, “is one of the great injustices of our education system. It is a national scandal that support for young people from under-resourced backgrounds falls away during the very years that so profoundly shape their life chances.” He has previously stated that progress in narrowing achievement gaps has regressed by a decade. Currently, only 44% of poorer children achieve a grade 4 or above in GCSE maths and English, compared with more than 70% of those not eligible for free school meals — a gap as wide today as it was in 2014, according to the coalition.
The broader crisis among 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neet) is escalating. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of Neet young people rose to 957,000 in the final three months of last year, equivalent to 12.8% of the age group — close to the highest level since 2014. The rate has been rising since 2021. Of those counted as Neet, 57% are economically inactive, meaning they are not working and not looking for work. Young men are more likely to be Neet than young women, and young people in the North East and East of England are more likely to be Neet than in other UK regions. A quarter of Neet young people cited long-term sickness or disability as a barrier, while 80% of those applying for Universal Credit cited mental health conditions or neurodevelopmental conditions. More than half of all Neets in England have a health condition, and 18% have a mental health condition.
The children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, said: “If we are serious about closing the disadvantage gap and making sure every child succeeds in their learning and in the transition to adulthood and employment, we must work harder to make sure colleges have the resources they need to support them.”
Government response
The Department for Education (DfE) is already considering reforms to deprivation funding, concerned that the current model — which allocates money based on how many pupils receive free school meals, available to families with an annual income below £7,400 — is not well-targeted at those facing the most significant disadvantage. A consultation on reforms is expected later this year. The Schools White Paper, “Every Child Achieving and Thriving”, proposes moving to a system based on household income rather than free school meal status alone, potentially using a “stepped model” that takes account of income level, duration of low income and location. The government has set a target to halve the disadvantage gap by the time children born under this administration finish secondary school.
In the meantime, a DfE spokesperson said: “We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity and reach the prime minister’s target for two-thirds of young people to take a gold-standard apprenticeship, higher training or head to university by age 25. This year we are providing £776m to support the most disadvantaged 16-to-19-year-olds to achieve and thrive as part of our £8.6bn investment in further education. We are also tackling the issues before young people reach college by rolling out free breakfast clubs, expanding free school meals and lifting the two-child benefit cap.” The two-child benefit cap, which restricted Universal Credit and child tax credit to the first two children in most households since 2017, was scrapped effective from April 6, 2026 — a change the government estimates will lift 450,000 children out of poverty.
Other organisations backing the campaign for a student premium include the Association of Colleges, the Fair Education Alliance, Impetus, the Brilliant Club, the Tutor Trust and Villiers Park social mobility charity.
