3 Early school leaving
(a)
(32482)
5976/11
COM(11) 18
(b)
(32478)
5242/11
COM(11) 19
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+ ADDs 2-3
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Commission Communication: Tackling early school leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda
Draft Council Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving
Commission staff working paper: Reducing early school leaving
Commission staff working papers: Impact Assessment and Summary of Impact Assessment
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Legal base | (a)
(b) Articles 165 and 166 TFEU; co-decision; QMV
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Document originated | (Both) 31 January 2011
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Deposited in Parliament | (Both) 3 February 2011
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Department | Education
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Basis of consideration | EM of 21 March 2011
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Previous Committee Report | None
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To be discussed in Council | Possible agreement on (b) in May
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Committee's assessment | Politically important
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Committee's decision | (a) Cleared
(b) Not cleared; further information requested
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Background
3.1 In June 2010, the European Council agreed the Europe 2020
Strategy and identified five "headline targets" establishing
EU-wide policy priorities to tackle "bottlenecks to growth"
and to help Member States promote employment and smart, sustainable
and inclusive growth. One of the headline targets concerns education.
It calls on Member States to aim to reduce school drop-out rates
to less than 10% and to increase the share of 30-34 year-olds
having completed tertiary or equivalent education to at least
40% by 2020, but also recognises that the task of defining and
implementing quantitative targets in the field of education remains
a national competence.
3.2 The Europe 2020 Strategy is accompanied by
seven "flagship initiatives", including one entitled
"Youth on the Move", which proposes a range of actions
at EU and national level to strengthen the performance of education
systems across the EU, improve the quality of education and training,
and equip young people with the skills needed to find jobs. It
contemplates the adoption of a Council Recommendation to provide
a framework for measures to reduce school drop-out rates.[4]
3.3 The EU has limited competence in the field
of education and vocational training. Action at EU level is intended
to "support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the
Member States" and the EU has no power to harmonise national
laws.[5] Article 165 of
the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides
for the European Union "to contribute to the development
of quality education by encouraging cooperation between Member
States and, if necessary, by supporting and supplementing their
action, while fully respecting the responsibility of the Member
States for the content of teaching and the organisation of education
systems and their cultural and linguistic diversity." Article
166 TFEU makes similar provision in the field of vocational training.
Both Articles contemplate action at EU level to develop the exchange
of information and experience on issues common to the education
and vocational training systems of the Member States.
Document (a) the Commission Communication
on tackling early school leaving
3.4 The Communication seeks to analyse the impact
of early school leaving on individuals, society at large and the
economy, to outline its causes, and to propose possible measures
at EU level to reduce the rate of early school leaving. The Commission
emphasises that a reduction in school drop-out rates is also likely
to improve the prospects for achieving other Europe 2020 headline
targets, notably raising the employment rate of men and women
aged 20-64 to 75%, promoting social inclusion and lifting at least
20 million people out of the risk of poverty and exclusion.
3.5 The Commission says that, in 2009, more than
six million young people (or 14.4% of all 18 to 24-year olds)
left school without completing their secondary education or any
further education or training. Early school leaving increases
the risk of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion and reduces
the pool of qualified labour available to drive economic growth.
Although the average early school leaving rate across the EU has
declined by 3.2% since 2000, there are significant disparities
between Member States. Some already meet the 10% target set by
the European Council; others still have a long way to go.[6]
According to the Commission, the early school leaving rate in
the UK in 2009 was 15.7%.
3.6 The Commission identifies a range of factors
which contribute to early school leaving, particularly amongst
those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds, and suggests that
Member States should develop comprehensive strategies based on
the principles of prevention, intervention and compensation. The
Commission highlights the need for a sound evidence base to ensure
that strategies are appropriately tailored to meet the needs of
different groups of pupils, schools, localities or regions.
3.7 The Commission says that preventive measures
might include higher rates of participation in good quality early
years education; systematic language support for children from
an ethnic minority background; "active desegregation"
to improve the social, ethnic and cultural mix in schools;[7]
and targeted support for disadvantaged schools. Intervention measures
might include the development of early warning systems; student
mentoring and tutoring; and educational allowances to encourage
pupils to remain in education. Compensation measures might include
specially tailored programmes or incentives to encourage young
people to return to education or training.
3.8 The Communication recognises that Member
States are responsible for setting national targets to reduce
early school leaving as part of the National Reform Programmes
which they develop to implement the Europe 2020 Strategy. It also
identifies a range of measures at EU level to support national
policies and targets, including:
- a Council Recommendation establishing
a common European framework for tackling early school leaving
(document (b));
- a Commission Communication on early childhood
education and care;
- a Commission Communication on a New European
Agenda on Integration to support the educational attainment of
children from a migrant background;
- specific action to reduce the number of young
people dropping out of vocational education and training;
- developing a benchmark to measure the employability
of young people (how well prepared they are to enter the labour
market);
- conferences and high level official or Ministerial
discussions to encourage the exchange of best practice; and
- using EU funds to support innovative approaches
to reducing early school leaving.
Document (b) the Council Recommendation
on policies to reduce early school leaving
3.9 The proposed Recommendation is intended to
establish a framework to help Member States develop comprehensive
strategies to reduce early school leaving and to quicken progress
towards attaining the headline target set by the European Council.
3.10 Recital (1) of the draft Recommendation
states that "Member States have undertaken to establish national
targets, taking account of their relative starting positions and
national circumstances." Recital (2) refers to the Council
Decision, adopted last October, establishing guidelines for the
employment policies of the Member States.[8]
The Decision requires Member States to take the guidelines into
account in developing their employment policies, and to report
on them in their National Reform Programmes. Guideline 9 concerns
education and training. It says:
"With a view to reducing the number of young
people not in employment, education or training, Member States
shall take all necessary steps to prevent early school leaving.
"The EU headline target, on the basis of which
Member States will set their national targets, taking into account
their relative starting positions and national circumstances,
will aim to reduce drop out rates to less than 10%, and increase
the share of 30-34 year-olds having completed tertiary or equivalent
education to at least 40%."
3.11 The main body of the draft Recommendation
is divided into two parts. The first part is addressed to Member
States and invites them to:
- identify the main factors leading
to early school leaving and monitor developments at national,
regional and local level; and
- adopt, by the end of 2012, comprehensive cross-cutting
policies to tackle early school leaving, in line with national
Europe 2020 targets and based on the principles of prevention,
intervention and compensation.
3.12 The second part invites the Commission to:
- monitor developments across
all EU Member States, encourage the exchange of best practice,
and support peer learning;
- support policies to reduce early school leaving
in all EU activity concerning children and young adults;
- conduct comparative studies and research;
- ensure that EU funds may be used to support Member
States' strategies; and
- produce regular reports on progress made towards
achieving the European Council's headline target on reducing school
drop-out rates.
3.13 The Recommendation is accompanied by a detailed
Annex which provides a broad policy framework to help Member States
develop national strategies which reflect their own circumstances.
The Government's view
3.14 The Minister of State for Schools (Mr Nick
Gibb) notes that the draft Recommendation would establish a non-binding
policy framework which seeks principally to support and facilitate
the exchange of information between Member States. Whilst he considers
that the proposal respects the boundaries placed on EU action
by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, notably
as regards Member States' responsibility for the content of teaching
and the organisation of their education systems, he believes that
the Recommendation "should refer more strongly to Member
States' competence in education" and says that the Government
will press this point during negotiations.[9]
3.15 He continues:
"In general, the Government agrees that improving
attainment rates and reducing early drop-out from education and
training are key issues. Some of the Commission's analysis accords
with our own particularly the link between early school
leaving, social disadvantage and poor labour market outcomes,
and the proposition that tailored support at a local level is
required. This fits closely with our priority of increasing the
flexibility and freedom of schools to respond flexibly to students'
needs.
"However, some elements of the proposed policy
framework do not fit with the Government's policies in England,
for example, some of the emphasis on 'modularisation of courses',
'strengthening personalised learning', and 'study allowances'.
We will seek to amend these references in negotiations and ensure
that the final version of the Recommendation to be agreed by Ministers
at the May Council is as closely aligned as possible with our
domestic policies as set out in the recently published Schools
White Paper 2010."[10]
3.16 The Minister broadly endorses the principles
of prevention, intervention and compensation which underpin the
policy framework proposed by the Commission, but suggests that
an alternative term should be found for ''compensation'', as "this
could be taken to imply financial redress, which is not the focus
of these measures. 'Re-engagement measures' could be an alternative."[11]
3.17 The Minister indicates that the UK already
collects and publishes data on the proportion of young people
who are not in education, employment or training, and on qualification
levels. He adds:
"We also have clear policies and approaches
in place to raise participation and attainment, including focusing
on disadvantage, such as through the pupil premium, increasing
the number of apprenticeships, and the Wolf Review of vocational
education in England. We are also already committed to raise the
participation age to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015."[12]
3.18 More generally, the Minister says that the
Government is keen to learn from approaches taken in other Member
States, especially where policy measures have proved to be successful.
He adds that the Government will seek to ensure that the Commission's
proposal to integrate measures to reduce early school leaving
into other EU actions and programmes concerning children and young
people does not cut across activity already being undertaken by
the Government, local authorities or schools in the UK.
3.19 The Minister expects the Education, Youth,
Culture and Sport Council to agree the draft Recommendation at
its meeting on 20 May.
Conclusion
3.20 The draft Recommendation was foreshadowed
in the Commission's Communication on the Youth on the Move flagship
initiative which we considered last October. Our Report stated
then that it was not clear what locus the EU had on such matters
as school drop-out rates and that it was difficult to discern
where the boundary between EU and national action lay.[13]
3.21 We note that the draft Recommendation
proposed by the Commission would establish a non-binding policy
framework which includes a range of policy options many
drawn from initiatives already being implemented by Member States
designed to encourage Member States to develop their own
national strategies to reduce early school leaving rates. The
Commission's role is essentially to monitor and support Member
States in formulating and implementing their strategies. The Minister
considers that the draft Recommendation respects the division
of responsibility between Member States and the EU set out in
Articles 165 and 166 TFEU. It is nevertheless clear that the Government
has some concerns, since the Minister indicates that the Government
would press for a stronger reference to Member States' competence
in the field of education and training within the body of the
Recommendation in order to reinforce the primary role of Member
States. We should, therefore, be grateful if the Minister would
provide a clearer indication of the language that the Government
would wish to see included in the draft Recommendation, as well
as a more detailed analysis of whether Articles 165 and 166 TFEU
provide a sufficient legal base for EU action on school drop-out
rates.
3.22 We would welcome further information
from the Minister on the process of setting national targets to
implement the "headline targets" agreed by the European
Council last June. We note, for example, that the first two recitals
to the draft Recommendation make reference to national targets
to reduce early school leaving. We should be grateful if the Minister
could tell us whether the UK's National Reform Programme will
include a target to reduce school drop-out rates in the UK and,
if so, what target the Government has set. Pending a reply from
the Minister, the draft Recommendation remains under scrutiny.
3.23 The Communication on tackling early school
leaving highlights additional measures which the Commission intends
to propose, for example on early childhood education and on the
integration of migrants. As the Communication reveals very little
as to the likely content of these proposals, and they will in
any event be subject to scrutiny once published by the Commission,
we are content to release the Communication from scrutiny.
3.24 Finally, we ask the Education Committee
for its Opinion on whether it considers that the measures proposed
in the Communication and draft Recommendation respect the division
of competences between the EU and Member States in the field of
education, and whether they make a worthwhile contribution to
support and/or supplement national policies to reduce school drop-out
rates.
4 (31954) 13726/10 (31955) 13729/10: see HC 428-iv
(2010-11), chapter 8 (20 October 2010). Back
5
See Article 2 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
(TFEU). Back
6
Eight EU Member States have a rate lower than 10% - Slovakia,
Slovenia, Poland, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Austria, Lithuania
and Finland. The rate exceeds 30% in three Member States - Spain,
Portugal and Malta. Back
7
The Commission highlights the success of desegregation policies
in Hungary and Bulgaria in improving the educational attainment
of Roma pupils - see p. 6 of the Communication. Back
8
Council Decision 2010/707/EU, OJ L 308, 24.11.2010, p.46-51. Back
9
See p. 4 of the Minister's Explanatory Memorandum. Back
10
Ibid. Back
11
Ibid. Back
12
See pp. 4-5 of the Minister's Explanatory Memorandum. Back
13
See the Conclusion to our Report, HC 428-iv (2010-11), chapter
8 (20 October 2010). Back
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