Live: Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee

11:32

Pausing our live coverage

We are going to have to pause our live coverage of today's Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Committee here, as our small two-person newsroom moves on to other stories.

Still to come at today's meeting are councillors' questions on the NEET review, the Healthy Child Services consultation, the committee's information bulletin and its forward work programme.

The meeting is being webcast live, and the full agenda papers are available on the Suffolk County Council website.

Thank you for following along.

11:17

'You don't say that to a student': Zak tells councillors about being NEET

Zak became NEET at 17. In the recording played to the committee, a worker who has supported him since February to get back into education, employment or training interviewed him and said he had achieved "a really successful outcome".

Speaking about secondary school, Zak said he felt he had not been given enough help. "They kind of left me to do my own thing, which wasn't very good," he said.

He said one teacher had supported him more than anyone else: "He's been the one that helped me the most."

He described being told by a teaching assistant that he would be "nowhere in life" and would end up a "junkie". He said the comment had always stayed with him.

"I did kind of say to her, you don't say that to a student, do you? You're just gonna put them down," he said.

Asked whether he received careers advice as he approached post-16 education, Zak said he did "a bit", but that his parents mostly sorted things out for him. "I didn't really have no help," he said.

He went on to study agriculture – "that's what I wanted to do at that time" – but stopped attending for around six months. When he tried to go back, he said: "I didn't enjoy it as much as I did, and people weren't being as nice as they were, like, before everything happened, so I just kind of gave up."

He was withdrawn from the course in October 2025 and spent a long period at home without education, employment or training.

Zak said he could have had more help with his GCSEs, adding: "A lot of questions I couldn't understand."

He said he believed his qualifications would have made a big difference: "I think, like, [if] I had my GCSEs, [it] would have been a lot better for me, like, getting a job."

11:08

In his own words: Zak on life as a young person not in education, employment or training

After an hour of figures, slides and strategy, the committee is now hearing directly from someone with lived experience of being NEET.

Zak's audio recording is being played to councillors in the chamber. Stay with us for what he had to say.

10:55

Council admits NEET position is 'not yet good enough'

Mr Symonds concluded his presentation with the key takeaways for the committee, acknowledging that, "like other authorities, the overall position is not yet good enough".

He said Suffolk's March 2026 NEET rate of 4.88% was above England, the East of England and statistical neighbours. "Although there was a small annual reduction, Suffolk has not achieved a significant sustained reduction," it added. The rate was 4.97% in March 2025.

The other key messages were:

• Insight driving action – tracking is an established strength and Suffolk's "unknown" rate remains low, giving "greater confidence in the NEET and participation data"
• An inequality issue – NEET is "an inequality issue, not simply a post-16 destination issue", with risk concentrated among young people with poor attendance, SEND, mental health needs, care experience, youth justice involvement and other overlapping barriers
• Earlier prevention – many risk indicators are apparent in primary and secondary school, and support must help young people "enter, engage with and sustain" a destination, not just secure one
• A whole-system response – progress depends on routes into education, training and employment backed by employers, education providers, health, social care, the voluntary sector and wider partners

The council's four ambitions are to turn early insight into action, secure successful and sustained transitions, broaden pathways and remove barriers, and mobilise the whole system.

10:53

Refreshed strategy to tackle NEET in Suffolk

Mr Symonds set out how a refreshed education, employment and training (EET) strategy will provide "the framework for coordinated system change".

The strategy will be built around three themes:

• Prevent earlier – using participation and risk data to spot emerging concerns, strengthening attendance, inclusion and mental health support, and prioritising groups disproportionately at risk of becoming NEET
• Remove barriers – addressing financial hardship, transport barriers, housing instability and digital exclusion, improving access to mental health and wellbeing support, and building support around young people's aspirations, circumstances and readiness to engage
• Broaden pathways – expanding apprenticeships, supported internships, traineeships and work experience, developing flexible provision for young people unable to sustain traditional routes, and aligning pathways with labour market demand, skills shortages and growth sectors

The Post-16 EET Board will lead development of the strategy and "coordinate shared delivery across the whole system".

10:48

NEET rate falls among children in care and care leavers

The proportion of children in care and care leavers in Years 12 and 13 who were NEET fell from 22.0% to 14.8% between September 2024 and September 2025, the committee heard.

That is a drop of 7.2 percentage points, which the council's slide said was down to "enhanced oversight, targeted support and partnership working".

The slide listed the council's strengths as:

• Strong visibility of the cohort through its Core+ tracking database
• Established partnership working with schools, colleges and providers
• Dedicated participation, youth and specialist services
• Re-engagement support tailored to individual circumstances

But it also highlighted where pressure is growing:

• Increasing demand and financial pressure across further education
• Less flexible, mid-year and re-engagement provision
• Apprenticeships and employment routes remaining a smaller share of participation
• Rurality and transport limiting access to opportunities

"Tracking identifies the cohort; sufficient pathways determine whether progress is sustained."

10:45

School suspensions double the odds of becoming NEET

Pupils who have been suspended from school have around double the odds of ending up NEET, the committee has been told.

Suspension "approximately doubles the odds of becoming NEET". The figure comes from council analysis of 7,787 young people who finished statutory education in 2022/23.

10:44

More young people with EHCPs in sustained destinations, but NEET rate still above England

The committee has been shown how NEET affects young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

According to the slide, 90.7% of young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who left Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) were in a sustained destination. That is above the England average of 87.0% and up from 82.1%.

However, 11.4% of 16 and 17-year-olds with an EHCP were NEET or their activity was not known, above the England figure of 10.1%.

The slide cautioned that the 5.6% "not in a sustained destination" figure "is not a NEET rate", as it "includes participation that did not meet the six-month threshold".

It said risk is "visible before Year 11 through absence, exclusion, low attainment and unmet need".

The council's response focuses on four areas:

• Attendance – this "will be a key line of enquiry for the SEND Improvement Board"
• Earlier identification – using risk information from Year 5 "to trigger support before disengagement becomes established"
• Preparation for adulthood – embedding "purposeful planning from Year 9" in EHCP and SEN Support plans
• Post-16 transition – a new pod-based model to build post-16 transition expertise, with a co-designed annual review schedule prioritising phase transfers this term

Accountability will be shared through the Post-16 Education, Employment and Training (EET) Board, Preparing for Adulthood governance and the SEND Improvement Board.

10:40

Warning signs of becoming NEET visible in primary school

Council analysis presented to the committee found signs that a child may later become NEET as early as primary school.

The council studied 7,787 young people who finished statutory education in 2022/23 to find which factors in their primary years were linked to a greater chance of becoming NEET.

According to the council's evidence, it found:

• Children with social care involvement were 89% more likely to become NEET
• Persistent absence increased the likelihood by 81%
• Low attainment at Key Stage 1, the first stage of primary school, increased the risk by 80%
• Pupils with suspensions had around double the odds of becoming NEET

Special educational needs and disabilities, low attainment and attendance issues were also "substantially more prevalent" among young people who became NEET.

"The findings support earlier identification and intervention around attendance, attainment, behaviour and vulnerability."

10:39

One in five Year 12s with poor school attendance are NEET

The NEET rate among Year 12s who attended less than half of Year 11 is more than five times the overall rate, according to figures presented to the committee.

Mr Symonds' next slide showed that in December 2025, 3.69% of Year 12 learners were NEET – 311 young people. But the rate was much higher among those facing what the slide called "overlapping barriers":

• Attendance below 50% in Year 11: 20.1% (99 young people)
• Known to Youth Justice Services: 18.2% (four young people)
• Recorded mental health need: 17.8% (83 young people)
• Children in care: 14.3% (13 young people)
• Electively home educated in Year 11: 12.9% (49 young people)
• Education, Health and Care Plan: 10.7% (87 young people)
• SEN Support: 5.8% (56 young people)

He concluded: "The strongest risks are visible early enough to support targeted prevention."

10:37

NEET rate for young people in youth justice nearly doubles in four years

Mr Symonds' next slide showed that vulnerable groups experience higher NEET rates, with the biggest rise among young people known to Youth Justice Services.

The proportion of that group who were NEET rose from 23.40% in March 2022 (11 of 47 young people) to 44.74% in March 2026 (17 of 38).

Over the same period, according to the council's figures:

• Children in care fell from 24.56% (70 of 285) to 20.95% (53 of 253)
• Young people with an EHCP rose slightly, from 11.17% (87 of 779) to 11.31% (171 of 1,512)
• Young people receiving SEN Support rose from 5.31% (86 of 1,620) to 7.17% (159 of 2,217)
• The overall rate rose from 3.74% to 4.88%

"Rates should be read alongside underlying counts, particularly for the smaller Youth Justice cohort," he said.

10:35

Council sets out 'the case for action' on NEET in Suffolk

Garath Symonds opened his presentation with a slide titled "NEET in Suffolk: The case for action", setting out why the issue matters.

The slide said prolonged disengagement "affects wellbeing, confidence, future earnings and safeguarding", and that Suffolk must identify, track and support young people aged 16 to 18, or up to 25 for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The figures presented to the committee showed that in March 2026:

• 4.88% of young people were NEET – 828 out of a cohort of 16,951 – compared with 3.58% nationally
• 11.3% of young people with an EHCP were NEET – 171 out of 1,512 – compared with 4.9% overall
• 21.0% of children in care were NEET – 53 out of 253
• 44.7% of young people known to Youth Justice Services were NEET – 17 out of 38

The council's emerging strategic response has four parts:

• Prevent disengagement earlier
• Prioritise disproportionately affected groups
• Expand flexible education and employment pathways
• Strengthen shared accountability

The slide concluded: "Suffolk tracks young people well, but stronger prevention and system-wide action are needed to reduce NEET."

10:31

'No young person's future should be determined by their current circumstances'

Sarah-Jane Smedmor, the council's executive director of children and young people's services, told the committee: "No young person's future should be determined by their current circumstances."

She then handed over to Garath Symonds, assistant director for youth and communities, to run through a presentation summarising the council's evidence to the committee.

10:26

Cllr Aalders says young people not in education or work is 'close to his heart'

Cllr Simon Aalders opened the discussion, describing it as an "important discussion" and one "close to his heart".

He said being NEET negatively affected every element of a young person's life. While not everybody followed a negative route, he said it could lead to criminality and addiction.

Cllr Aalders said the role boredom played in young people becoming NEET could not be underestimated, and that one of the most important tasks was giving young people the support and opportunity to get into work or education.

He acknowledged that not everything was rosy, but said the council was fully committed to working with partners.

As well as its statutory duties, Cllr Aalders said the council had a moral duty to allow young people to thrive, adding that "everyone is wholly focused" on doing that.

He also said:

• The complexities of being NEET must be understood
• Young people must be supported through key transitions, such as changing schools or moving from school into further education
• Partnership working was crucial, as tackling the issue was not something the council could do alone
• Continuous improvement was at the heart of the council's approach

10:17

Committee turns to young people not in education, employment or training

Councillors have moved on to the main item of the day, a review of young people in Suffolk who are not in education, employment or training, known as NEET.

The committee will look at how Suffolk County Council is meeting its legal duties to promote participation in post-16 education and training, and to identify, track and support young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.

Under the Education and Skills Act 2008, 16 and 17-year-olds in England who have not achieved a Level 3 qualification must stay in full-time education or training until their 18th birthday.

According to the council's evidence, in March 2026:

• 4.88% of Suffolk's 16 and 17-year-olds were NEET – 828 young people – up from 3.74% (589) in March 2022
• This compares with 3.58% across England, 4.00% in the East of England and 3.80% among Suffolk's statistical neighbours
• 11.3% of young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) were NEET, compared with 4.9% of the overall cohort

The report says Suffolk's NEET figures are "disproportionately made up of young people in key vulnerable groups".

It also notes that cohort sizes have risen steadily over the past five years, "putting a strain on capacity in the post 16 sector, particularly Further Education (FE) Colleges", while the number of young people with an EHCP has almost doubled.

Department for Education research published in May 2026 found the three factors most strongly linked to young people becoming NEET were persistent absence in Years 10 and 11, having an EHCP, and not achieving five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English and maths.

The committee may make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Education and SEND and the Executive Director of Children and Young People's Services, request further information or recommend further scrutiny.

10:03

Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee under way at Endeavour House

Committee chairman Cllr Luke O’Brien (Reform UK) has opened today’s meeting of Suffolk County Council’s Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee in the King Edmund Chamber at Endeavour House, Russell Road.

The committee acts as the county council’s scrutiny body for education, focusing on how the council and its partners secure the best possible achievement and attainment for every child. The meeting is being webcast live.

First up, councillors will elect a vice chairman for the 2026-2027 municipal year, before public questions, apologies, declarations of interest and approval of the minutes from the meeting on 5 March 2026.

The main items on today’s agenda are:

• A review of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Suffolk, looking at how the council is meeting its statutory duties to promote participation in post-16 education and training, and to identify, track and support young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET
• The Healthy Child Services consultation, with the committee invited to comment on the consultation process while it is still live
• An information bulletin
• The committee’s forward work programme

The committee is made up of Reform UK councillors Luke O’Brien, Chris Cox, Asa Downing, Trevor Lailey and Chris Smith, Green Party councillor Ash Lever, Conservative councillor Elaine Bryce and Labour councillor Colin Kreidewolf, along with statutory co-opted members Kate Pereira and Drew Quayle.