Plenty of options if you didn’t make the grade
WE HAVE seen a slight improvement in GCSE results in Wales this year, and we congratulate students on their achievements. But for all the success stories, there are young people who didn’t get the results they wanted, and may well be feeling anxious about their futures.
Sadly, it’s still the case that social grade can influence educational attainment.
Just 33% of young people eligible for free school meals leave school with five A*-C grade GCSEs, compared with 61% of young people who aren’t eligible.
In a recent report, The Prince’s Trust found that 44% of young people from poorer backgrounds say they didn’t know anyone who could help them find a job, compared to 26% of their more advantaged peers. Recognising a need, The Trust’s new education programme, Achieve, will work with schools to help young people re-engage with education and raise their aspirations, and by working alongside the Welsh Government, we can do even more.
It’s important for those whose grades haven’t gone the way they hoped to know that all is not lost, as there are many other options and alternative routes to future employment.
Too many young people get left behind simply because of where they’ve started in life. We have to do everything we can to bridge the gap.
This year marks our 40th anniversary. Together we’ve changed more than 825,000 young lives. Tell us how you’ve been #partofPT Phil Jones, director, The Prince’s Trust Cymru