GCSEs remain the biggest protective factor against becoming not in education, employment or training, yet too many young people are persistently absent from school. This blog sets out what the upcoming Schools White Paper must do to help every child thrive in schools - which has a lasting impact on employment, earnings and wellbeing.

Just under one million young people today are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). Young people who face multiple layers of disadvantage experience a compounding effect; they are far more likely to be NEET than their peers. What can be done? We heard from the Head of Youth Strategy and Policy at Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), The Traveller Movement, and the author of our latest Youth Jobs Gap report