National Attendance PortalAttendance is about belonging.
Identify risk early. Understand the barriers. Build the right support before a young person becomes disconnected from education, employment or training.
Designed for schools, colleges, local authorities, careers teams and wider professionals working with young people across the UK.
NEET prevention works best when risk is spotted early and one person coordinates a small number of meaningful actions.
Use attendance, engagement, attainment, behaviour, destination planning and known vulnerability to identify young people who may need extra transition support.
Talk with the young person. Find the real barrier: confidence, health, SEND/ASN/ALN, caring responsibilities, transport, finance, housing, relationships or uncertainty about next steps.
Agree a named lead, practical support, a realistic destination and an early review date. Avoid plans with too many actions or no clear owner.
No single indicator predicts a young person's future. Use professional judgement and the young person's voice rather than a crude score alone.
Important: These indicators are prompts for support, not labels. A young person should never be described as “a NEET”. Focus on circumstances, strengths and what will help them progress.
Complete the key information below, generate the plan, then use Print / Save as PDF.
National Attendance Portal
The terminology and arrangements differ across the four nations, so use the relevant national framework.
Local authorities track 16- and 17-year-old participation and support young people who are not participating or whose activity is not known.
Participation guidanceSkills Development Scotland and partners use the 16+ Participation Portal and Annual Participation Measure to support participation and transitions.
16+ Participation PortalThe Youth Engagement and Progression Framework supports early identification and coordinated support for young people at risk of becoming NEET or homeless.
YEPF overviewCareers Service NI provides careers information, advice and guidance, while NISRA publishes official NEET statistics for ages 16–24.
Careers Service NIThis tool supports professional planning. It does not replace safeguarding procedures, statutory duties, careers guidance, SEND/ASN/ALN planning or local transition arrangements.