OnTrack+: supporting educators to address risk of young people becoming NEET
06 Feb 2026
Every quarter, :nearly onemillion youngpeople are now not in education,employmentor training (NEET). Rising absence, disadvantage and disengagement mean that too manylearners experience difficult transitions from secondary education.
Concerns oftenemergelate in Key Stage 4, when disengagement is already entrenched, and remedial support is needed. As a foundation of the Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper commitment to strengthen the role institutions play inidentifyingand supporting young people at risk during the transition to post-16,The 鶹 & Enterprise Company has developed OnTrack+, a new data featurethathelps educators to identify emerging support needs for learners in Years 7-11, strengthening sustained learner engagement and post-16 transition.
Following a successful pilot, initial evidence and feedbackshowhow earlieridentificationis already enabling schools to act before disengagement becomes permanent.
Regional leadership: acting earlier tohelpprevent NEET
Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward said:
“Every young person deserves the chance to succeed, but too many face barriers that leave them at risk of becoming NEET.
OnTrack+ isan important toolfor schools, giving them the insight to spot early signs of disengagement and plantimely, targeted support. What makes this initiative truly effective is the partnership behind it - EMCCA’s careers hub is helping schools in our region access OnTrack+, share best practice, and connect students to the guidance and opportunities they need.
By working together, we’re not just reacting to problems, we’re preventing them, keeping young people on track and strengthening our communities across the East Midlands."
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
“Preventing young people from becoming NEET is one of the most important challenges we face. Yet too often schools are only able to respond after a student has already become disengaged. Tools like OnTrack+ give schools the insight they need to spot young people at risk at a much earlier stage, so they can take the right action at the right time. This earlier intervention is how we can get more young people back on the road to a meaningful career and a brighter, more prosperous future.
By combining earlier identification with strong careers support, we can keep more young people on track andopen upreal pathways to opportunity across the West Midlands.”
Hear from OnTrack+ pilot participants
NEET risk is rising-how schools are intervening earlier to prevent disengagement
AlmaHrncic, Associate Assistant Principal, Derby Moor Spencer Academy
Across the system, schools are facing a growing challenge: more young people are at risk of becoming NEETand face difficult transitions from secondary education, yet identification and intervention often come late, when options have already narrowed.
At Derby Moor Spencer Academy, we recognised that ourpreviousapproach relied heavily on Year 11 teams flagging concerns. Decisions about who might disengage from post-16 pathways werefrequentlybased on late-stage data and professional judgement, rather than a joined-up picture built over time.
As our pastoral team expanded, we set out to strengthen early identification — not to labellearners, but to ensure that those facing multiple disadvantages received coordinated, proactive 鶹 Years 7 to 11.
The 鶹 & Enterprise Company’s new feature OnTrack+allows me to useaggregated indicators such as attendanceand factors ofdisadvantagetomove from intuition toward clearer evidence, making it easier to spot patterns of vulnerability sooner and document the support already in place. It also strengthened accountability around careers provision andinclusion,areas Ofsted is increasingly scrutinising.
Earlier identificationiscritical to reducing the riskof becoming NEET, and OnTrack+enables me to understand thelearnergroup and their needsin order toplan targeted interventions.For example,last year, weheldan intensive one-day careers and college application workshop for 60 at-risklearners. With independent careers advisers and local college representatives on site,learners received one-to-one guidance to explore realistic pathways, chooseappropriate coursesandthencompleteandsubmithigh-quality applications on the day.
The wider lesson is not about data toolsalone;’sabout culture and timing. The real impact comes from intervening earlier, exposinglearners to a wider range of pathways, and embedding long-term careers planning into everyday school practice.
NEET prevention cannot be solved through data alone. But without earlier identification and coordinated careers support, too many young people will continue to fall through the gaps.
Get started with OnTrack+
OnTrack+ provides early insight within Compass+ to help schools and specialist settings recognise learners who may benefit from additional support.
Addressing the NEET Crisis
Explore how careers education is helping address the long-term NEET crisis, written by Laura Hawksworth.
Read the blog