Teach democracy classes in all schools and give votes at 16 to boost young people’s faith in politics, report urges

• Only 42 per cent of teachers say their schools provide civic education, despite two-thirds of public wanting to see more
• Reducing voting age crucial to give young people a bigger stake in society 
• Shift should be part of a wider drive to ensure schools prepare young people for life, not just exams, IPPR urgesReport also calls for changes to exams, primary school pupil assessment and outcomes of Ofsted inspection reports

Young people’s sense of disengagement and disempowerment in society should be reversed by stepping up civic education in schools and reducing the voting age to 16 for all elections in England, according to a new report by IPPR which calls for four big ‘learning gaps’ in English schools to be addressed.

While young people are deeply concerned about social challenges such as climate change, their faith in democratic politics is lower than any other age group and they are also more likely than others to be sympathetic towards authoritarian rule.

This is part of a vicious circle in which young people aged 18-24 are less likely to vote than their older peers, resulting in politicians skewing policies towards the interest of older voters. This in turn leaves young people feeling further disenfranchised, the report says.

The report also calls for wider changes to the school system – which it argues is currently “out of kilter”, with too much focus on academic attainment – to ensure all young people can unlock their potential, get on in work and participate fully in society. These include reforms to examinations, teacher training, Ofsted and support for young people struggling with mental ill-health. 

New polling commissioned by IPPR offers an insight into the lack of civic education – teaching about politics and citizenship – in England’s schools, and the significant appetite to end this:

• Far fewer than half of all teachers in England (42 per cent) say their school provides regular citizenship lessons, and even fewer report visits from politicians (16 per cent) or say their schools offer trips to political institutions including parliament (23 per cent)
• Almost two-thirds of the public in England (63 per cent) support increasing citizenship education in schools, compared with just 13 per cent who don’t
• Across the UK, private schools are twice as likely to prepare older students for voting in elections than local authority maintained schools

The report points out that after the voting age in Scotland was lowered for the referendum in 2014, and later for all local and Scottish government elections, there was a sustained higher turnout among young people who first voted aged under 18, according to a recent study.

Under IPPR’s proposal, the minimum voting age for the UK parliament would simultaneously be lowered to 16 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Offering younger people the vote and stepping up civic education must go hand in hand with further reforms to ensure schools better equip young people for life, not just for exams, IPPR says. Today’s report also identifies gaps in foundational literacy, numeracy and oracy skills; in developing skills such as team working and problem solving, and character traits such as creativity and people skills; and in tackling growing mental ill-health. 

To help address these, IPPR is calling on the government to introduce a national entitlement to an on-site school counsellor and nurse as well as providing pre- and post-school clubs, such as sports, arts and debating. This follows new polling which found that in England:

• Just one third of teachers (33 per cent) say their school has a nurse or another form of physical health support
• Only half of teachers (51 per cent) say their school provides on-site mental health support, such as access to a school counsellor or psychotherapist

• A fifth of teachers (20 per cent) say their school doesn’t provide any after-school club, and almost half (45 per cent) say they don’t have a before-school club
• The third biggest educational priority for the public is to improve access to counselling, with only raising the quality of teaching and reducing bullying judged higher priorities.

On other key areas the report also calls on government to:

• Create core opportunities for examined course work, such as the Extended Project Qualification, to allow young people to practise and demonstrate their ability to study independently
• Scrap individual pupil-level grading in key stage two Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) to reduce exam pressure at a young age

• Abolish over-arching judgements in inspection reports from Ofsted and develop a new, narrative-driven report for parents and guardians
• Introduce a more generous minimum entitlement for qualified teachers to receive continued training, starting by ensuring all teachers get access to 105 hours of quality training every three years

The entire package of reforms proposed by IPPR would cost an estimated £5 billion a year.

Harry Quilter-Pinner, director of research and engagement at IPPR and lead author of the report, said:

“Schools take a too narrow focus on what success looks like for young people. Schools should absolutely focus on ensuring all young people can do maths and English – and too many young people leave school without these skills. But they should also care about the wider elements becoming a healthy happy adult invested in society. 

“Good physical and mental health as well as a true stake in your community is just as important. This is why we are calling for younger people to be given a say in our democracy as well as investing in school nurses and counsellors.”

Efua Poku-Amanfo, IPPR research fellow and a co-author of the report, said: 

“Many young people are shut out of engaging with our political system and society, often due to not being exposed to civic education to recognise their voice is valued in democracy. Stepping up civic education in schools and combining this with giving young people the right to vote at 16 is a way to tackle both problems together.

“Empowering young people to become more engaged is good for their own development, their wellbeing and their own lives as they prepare to enter the wider world – it’s also good for their communities, for society more broadly, and for the very foundations of our democracy.”

Jonathan Slater, former permanent secretary of the department for education, said:

“The gap in exam results between the children of wealthier and poorer parents and carers has always been far too wide, and is starting to get worse again. Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are very often not able to get the support they need from over-stretched professionals. The mental health crisis faced by so many young people is deeply worrying. And our teachers are quitting at record rates.

“So this is a vital time to be considering what is needed to help schools, and the public services they work in partnership with, to tackle these huge challenges. This report is an important contribution to the schools’ debate and politicians of all colours would do well to listen to and consider its recommendations.”

Becky Bainbridge, CEO of youth-informed charity RECLAIM, said:

“Working-class young people are not content with having decisions made about them, without them. At RECLAIM we know from experience that when we provide young people with the space, tools and confidence to engage in decisions about their education, their community and their wellbeing, they possess solutions for the challenges we are collectively facing.

“We have seen a 73 per cent cut in youth services since 2010. Working-class young people aren’t disengaged from civic activity, they have been locked out of it. With fewer and fewer spaces to engage in participatory democracy, we must ensure those skills become embedded in the school system – not just for prestigious schools, but for every state school in the country.”