Attendance, Engagement and NEET: The Case For Leading With The Gatsby Benchmarks 

NEET figures remain stubbornly high, with the UK continuing to underperform relative to its peers in the proportion of young people who are economically inactive, unemployed and not training or studying. Behind every percentage point are thousands of young people who have lost confidence, direction or connection to education at a critical point in their journey. 

When we speak to college principals, their biggest priorities right now are addressing some of the key indicators that a young person might become NEET – poor attendance, challenging behaviour and low academic attainment. 

These are highly complex and high-stakes issues with profound implications for young people’s life chances and for how colleges are judged to be supporting learners to succeed. No college leader wants to see young people falling through the cracks. But there is, of course, no single or quick fix – a multi-faceted, national and local approach is needed to sustainably reduce NEET numbers across the board.  

High-quality Careers Guidance and Gatsby Benchmarks

But, we are increasingly seeing that high-quality careers guidance, delivered through the Gatsby Benchmarks and – importantly – strategically prioritised by senior FE leaders, can be a valuable part of the solution.  

The evidence is clear: students in colleges and schools meeting more of the benchmarks are less likely to be NEET when they take their next steps at 16 and 18.

When careers guidance is utilised as a lever for leadership, rather than being seen as a peripheral activity, it can be pivotal in reducing the likelihood of young people falling out of education, employment or training. The evidence is clear: students in colleges and schools meeting more of the benchmarks are less likely to be NEET when they take their next steps at 16 and 18. In institutions that serve the most disadvantaged, this NEET reduction rises to up to 20%. 

At the same time, this helps leaders address those related, pressing priorities that increase students’ NEET risk – falling attendance, behaviour issues, disengagement. When young people can see an end goal – or even just a meaningful next step – and have something to aim for, they attend more, their behaviour improves and engagement rises so attainment is strengthened. Careers guidance does not solve every challenge by itself, but it gives learning purpose and connects it to the future, which boosts motivation.  

From framework to lived experience 

Over the past year, the Gatsby Benchmarks team has been speaking to college leaders who, in line with new, specific roles for senior leaders that are set out in the government’s latest guidance on careers, view the benchmarks framework as a central plank of their NEET prevention strategy. What unites these leaders is not their institution size, location or demographics, it’s a shared ethos and approach. 

In our new short film, these leaders – along with young people whose trajectories have been transformed – share what happens when careers guidance is not confined to one staff member or one timetable slot, but embedded throughout a college’s culture, led from the very top.  

These are not isolated success stories. They reflect a broader pattern: when leaders take ownership of careers guidance, outcomes improve, for students and for their colleges.   

And these turnarounds did not happen by chance. They happen when the Gatsby Benchmarks are integrated into strategic planning, curriculum design and institutional priorities. They’re the result of careers guidance being built into every encounter a student has with their college, beginning at open events and continuing right through every students’ learning experience.   

Anna Dawe OBE, Principal and CEO of Wigan and Leigh College, one the leaders in our film, explained to us why and how the benchmarks are embedded within the college’s strategic plan. 

“We’re incredibly proud that our NEET rates are below the national and regional average,” she said. “Quality careers guidance is absolutely central to that. It’s a key part of our toolkit.”

Serving around 4,500 students aged 16 to 18, as well as thousands more adult learners, the college offers technical, academic, apprenticeship and higher education routes. For Anna and her team, the Gatsby Benchmarks are not a compliance framework; they underpin a culture. 

“The impact of the Gatsby Benchmarks on the young people in this film demonstrates that this isn’t just rhetoric – when leaders at all levels take good career guidance seriously, it transforms lives and it transforms opportunity,” she said. “It has huge impact on individuals, but also wider society, the workplace and the economy.” 

“We have low NEET figures because our young people understand every pathway and we support them into those pathways, into provision that they’re going to succeed in, to thrive in, and they’re going to be retained in,” Anna explained. “Good careers guidance removes barriers and opens up options.”

New and explicit responsibilities for leaders 

In late 2024, the Gatsby Benchmarks were updated to reflect the evolving education and labour market landscapes, and the latest evidence on what works. Central to the updates is an emphasis on strong leadership, with specific responsibilities set out for those running colleges.  

The updated framework was quickly adopted by the government and is now at the core of new, revised Department for Education guidance which colleges are expected to implement during this academic year. The guidance calls for principals and governing boards to embed the Gatsby Benchmarks at the heart of their institution’s vision and strategic plans, back and support their careers leader, and champion careers guidance across the organisation.  

This is echoed in the new Ofsted inspection frameworks, which place increased emphasis on ‘coherent careers education and tailored guidance’ and ‘a work-related learning programme matched to [learners’] needs, aspirations and intended destinations’ as part of the new ‘expected’ standard for further education settings.  

Leading the conditions for young people to own their future 

Next week, colleges will join together to mark National Careers Week, this year themed: ‘Own Your Future’.  

While the focus for learners is on empowering them to take control of their career journeys, it also prompts an important and timely question for college senior leaders: how is the way we lead and the culture we create enabling that ownership?  

Whether your college is reviewing strategic plans, preparing for inspection or working to improve attendance, behaviour and attainment, now is an opportune moment to consider how firmly careers guidance is embedded at the heart of your strategy and how your institution and learners could benefit from vision, planning and practice that prioritises the Gatsby Benchmarks.  

Support, practical tools and leadership resources are available at www.gatsbybenchmarks.org.uk/leaders to help turn commitment into action. 

Rob Cremona, Gatsby Benchmarks Lead, Gatsby Charitable Foundation