Get Further

We’re now exploring working with other organisations to reduce NEET rates and unlock opportunities for young people. If you’d like to learn more or discuss a collaboration, we’d love to connect.

📧 Email our Head of Functional Skills, Annabel Richardson:
annabel.richardson@getfurther.org.uk

This month, we launched a new programme with Essex County Council (ECC), supporting young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET to build confidence and skills in accessible, community-based settings as part of ECC’s Year of Opportunity.

English and maths are critical gateways to further study, training, and work. 🗝️ That’s why we’ve expanded our programmes to support young people not in full-time education or training to build English & maths skills and achieve Functional Skills Level 2.

We know one of the biggest barriers to sustained employment is missing English & maths qualifications:
📊 Young people without GCSE English & maths are 9x more likely to be NEET in the year they leave school.
📊 Those with low qualifications are 75% more likely to be NEET than the average.

New data from the Office for National Statistics this week shows that 1 in 5 young people (19.3%) not in full-time education are economically inactive.
This is a challenge we’re tackling through our Functional Skills Tuition Programme. 🧵

Our Deputy CEO, Alice Eardley, also highlighted the importance of English and maths qualifications and the need for more targeted funding to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the visit possible 👏

We were delighted to have @katedeardenmp.bsky.social visit our tuition programme at @calderdalecollege.bsky.social last week! Kate saw our tutoring in action and spoke to students about their experiences of the programme, as well as their ambitions for the future.

After hearing the Prime Minister commit to making further education a defining cause for the government in his conference speech, I made sure that one of my first actions on returning from maternity leave was to ask advisors how @getfurther.bsky.social can help.

Young People Gain Support to ‘Get Further’ thanks to Essex Year of Opportunity - Get Further Get Further announce partnership with Essex County Council to support residents of all ages return to learning and explore new career paths.

Find out more: getfurther.org.uk/young-people...

Our new Functional Skills programme for NEET young people launches today! Working in partnership with @essex_cc as part of Essex Year of Opportunity, this programme will support young people to gain confidence. qualifications and skills in an accessible, community-based environment.

Upcoming Webinar!

🗓️Thu 4 Dec | 🕓 4–5PM GMT
Observations Reimagined: Rethinking Feedback in Colleges and Beyond

Join IRIS Connect and @getfurther.bsky.social for a free online session exploring how to make feedback more empowering, collaborative, and truly developmental.

🔗 eu1.hubs.ly/H0pdQg20

6/ We look forward to working with Government and our college partners to help develop and deliver high-quality, equitable post-16 English and maths education in line with these reforms.

5/ We hope these positive steps are taken further in the near future by the introduction of a 16-19 Student Premium – an extension of the existing Pupil Premium, which supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds up to age 16, but ends two years before the end of their compulsory education.

4/ We also welcome the Government’s commitments to:
📚 Enhanced CPD opportunities for FE teachers.
📊 Continuing to build the evidence about what works for this education phase.
📈 Increased funding rates for English and maths.
📝 Sensible updates to resit guidance and accountability measures.

3/ This change marks an important shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach to GCSE resits, towards a more equitable, evidence-based model that meets learners where they are and supports them to move forward with confidence.

2/ Through our work with the CAR panel, we proposed a GCSE stepping stone as a vital mechanism to ensure every learner who leaves school without a standard pass in English and maths has a fair chance to make meaningful progress as part of their 16-19 education - no matter their starting point.

Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper - Our Response - Get Further We are delighted that today’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper includes the introduction of new level 1 stepping stone qualifications in GCSE English and maths. These will support young people...

We are delighted that yesterday’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper included the introduction of new level 1 stepping stone qualifications in GCSE English and maths.

Read our full statement on our blog: getfurther.org.uk/post-16-educ...

And highlights in the thread below 👇

🙌 It’s exciting to hear the Prime Minister commit to ending further education’s ‘Cinderella’ status, with higher standards in colleges – and to set the ambition that two-thirds of young people will go on to university or a gold-standard apprenticeship.

Starting our final day of events at #Lab25 with @actiontutoring.org.uk, @getfurther.bsky.social and the Tutor Trust.

We’re discussing a new tutoring model to break down barriers to opportunity and support economic growth, with @richardquigley.bsky.social

3/ Come and join the conversation:
📅 Tuesday 30th September 2025
🕙 10:00am
📍 Meeting Room 13

2/ Alice will spotlight the transformative role of tutoring in helping students who leave school without English and maths GCSE to catch up, and the urgent need for better funding to support evidence-based interventions in post-16 education.

Heading to the Labour Party Conference next week? Don’t miss this @edupolicyinst.bsky.social panel, where our Interim CEO, @aliceeardley.bsky.social, will join a discussion on the potential of tutoring to close the attainment gap, unlock opportunities for young people & support economic growth.

4/ Instead, coupled with sufficient funding, we need targeted reforms that help students with low prior attainment make real progress toward GCSE success. Details of our GCSE reform proposal can be found linked in the blog above 👆

3/ However, we are concerned by the proposed three-route study model for students who leave school without English and maths. Evidence from international counterparts shows most young people can achieve a grade 4 if given the right support, and we shouldn't give up on this ambition.

2/ We welcome the recommended introduction of a 16–19 Student Premium. Half of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds leave school without GCSE English & maths, yet funding to support them drops sharply at age 16. We’re pleased the committee backs efforts to close this gap.

Our response to today's FE & Skills report from the Education Select Committee is now live. Check out our key takeaways on our blog, and in the thread below 👇 getfurther.org.uk/fe-skills-re...

5/ This programme's success is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we invest in giving students extra support. You can catch our segment on Midlands Today on BBC iPlayer (7:24 mins in): www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

4/ It was fantastic to celebrate this with a BBC visit. We were so proud of students Bethany and James for sharing their experiences. It was also great to hear SCCB Principal Mike Hopkins and Rigby Foundation Executive Director Sonia Chhatwal talk about how important the programme is for the region.

3/ Thanks to funding from The Rigby Foundation, our programme gave students free access to personalised, small-group tuition support, and the impact was clear:

Pass rates for students on the programme were:
🌟 25% higher than the regional average in English.
🌟 An incredible 59% higher in maths.

2/ The West Midlands has some of the highest numbers of young people leaving school without GCSE English / maths. This means colleges in the region play a vital role in helping students gain the skills, knowledge, and qualifications they need to progress into further study, training, and employment.