courses may depend on students being enabled to take ownership of these literacy practices in the same way as they engage with the literacy practices in the contexts of the rest of their lives.' In this article, we reflect that this socially situated view of literacy is particularly important for those students ascribed to the NEET category.
What is NEET? In 1999, the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) produced a report, Bridging the Gap, which introduced the label “NEET” as part of a policy discourse around education, training and employment. Fiona Hyslop, former Cabinet Secretary for Education, is quoted as identifying “so-called” NEETs as: 'young people in need of more choices, more chances' (Finlay et al., 2010: 854).
The Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training (Pring et al., 2009:3) reviewed education and training provision in England and Wales. It focused on the 'need in policy, and in the provision and practice of education, for a clear vision of what all these interventions and investments of money and effort are for'. It referred to NEETs as the most needy learners' (Ibid:7), and commented that 'the voluntary and community sector that helps them (e.g. “detached youth workers”) receive least money, typically in the form of short- term initiative-led funding.'
The NEET Quarterly Brief January to March 2014 records 'the overall 16-24 rate at 13.1%' (DfE: 1). McCrone et al (2013: 7) reported that provision for NEETs was 'typically… a range of training including employability skills, basic or foundation skills, life skills and vocational courses offering technical skills training in different sectors' The same report (ibid:7) suggested 'FE colleges were more likely to use the funding to enhance existing provision and to extend its availability by offering more places to young adults.'
Simmons and Thompson (2011:158) refer to a 'discourse which constructed learners as unable to cope with written work and, by implication, unable to learn successfully in formal settings.' In the report by the Institute of Education, Tackling the NEETs problem (LSN, 2009: 1), the NEETs category is described as very heterogeneous. Most participants did not conform to the media stereotype of the work shy and feckless young person. They were likely to suffer from economic and social disadvantage, to have low levels of attainment, and to have been turned off by the education system, and consequently to see themselves as failures.
Three categories of “so-called” NEET young people are expounded in a NEFR report (see Spielhofer et al., 2009:2): an “open to learning” group, an “undecided” group and a “sustained” group. The last two sub- groups are described as having “negative” previous experiences of education or of being 'dissatisfied with the available opportunities.'
The Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training (Pring et al., 2009: 8), indicated that 'the system…encourages teaching to the test, thereby impoverishing the quality of learning.' Lumby's (2012: 272) research into disengaged young people in the 11-19 age range, identifies some students' perceptions of a “gulf in communication” between themselves and their teachers. The students' use of informal language is corrected and therefore, a 'need (for) an alternative vocabulary to that used at home in order to communicate,'is recommended.
Our study: gathering the data We collected data between January and June 2012, while some further interviews were carried out in early January, 2013. Our research sample was of thirteen participants who delivered literacy education for eleven providers. The first group comprised eight participants who were PGCE student-teachers. The second group comprised five participants who were teachers; one was recently qualified and two were also managers.
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