When students in England finish their GCSEs, support suddenly vanishes. A coalition of 14 social mobility organisations is fighting to change that injustice by pushing the government to create a "student premium" for disadvantaged young people aged 16-19, closing what campaigners call a dangerous funding "cliff edge" that leaves vulnerable students at risk of sliding into unemployment.
The problem is stark: while state-funded schools receive additional pupil premium funding to support children from low-income backgrounds, that safety net disappears at age 16, precisely when young people are navigating the final, critical years before the world of work or further study. According to the Office for National Statistics, 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training in the final three months of last year—12.8% of the entire age group. Those without GCSE English and maths at 16 are among the highest risk of becoming what the sector calls "Neet," an acronym for those not in education, employment or training.
"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 Association of School and College Leaders. "A 16-19 student premium would help schools, colleges and sixth forms keep young people engaged, support achievement in English and maths, and reduce the risk of students becoming Neet."
The coalition—which includes the Sixth Form Colleges Association, the Association of Colleges, the Fair Education Alliance, Impetus, the Sutton Trust, the Brilliant Club, the Tutor Trust and Villiers Park—has put a price tag on the solution: approximately £430m per year from 2027-28, matching the level of pupil premium funding at secondary school. That investment would enable colleges and sixth forms to provide targeted interventions including tutoring, mentoring and tailored academic support.
The research backing the call is compelling. Students facing disadvantage remain significantly behind their peers by the end of post-16 education, a gap that widens when financial support evaporates. Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said the 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."
Support for the campaign spans from practitioners to policy experts. Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, called the lack of a student premium "one of the great injustices of our education system" and "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." Rachel de Souza, England's children's commissioner, emphasised that if the country is serious about closing the disadvantage gap, "colleges must have the resources they need to support" young people in their transition to adulthood and employment.
Sarah Waite, CEO and founder of Get Further, a charity that helps disadvantaged students secure English and maths qualifications, said simply: "A student premium is long overdue and would play a crucial role in reducing Neet rates and helping more young people achieve lifelong success." The government has indicated it is considering reforms to deprivation funding later this year, signalling an opening for this conversation to shift from urgent plea to concrete policy.