Why Year 10 might be the most important year in careers education
There’s a growing conversation happening across local authorities, charities and youth organisations about a group of young people who often go unnoticed until it’s too late. These are the hidden NEETs, students who appear engaged in school but are at high risk of becoming not in education, employment or training after Year 11.
They’re not always on behaviour watchlists. They might not trigger safeguarding concerns. But when they leave school, they quietly disappear from the system.
Who are the hidden NEETs?
These students may:
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Attend lessons but show little engagement with careers activities
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Have low aspirations or unclear post-16 plans
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Experience mental health struggles that are not formally diagnosed
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Come from home environments that don’t prioritise further education or training
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Avoid asking for help, and therefore go unnoticed by support teams
They don’t fit the profile of someone who’s visibly “at risk,” but they are more subtly vulnerable. And the current focus on Year 11 support may come too late to make a lasting difference.
Why Year 10 matters
There’s a growing call for careers programmes to begin meaningful, targeted work earlier, particularly in Year 9 and Year 10, when attitudes toward learning and work start to crystallise.
At this stage, students:
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Are making GCSE option choices that influence their future
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Are still forming beliefs about what is possible for them
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Often benefit more from preventative guidance than last-minute interventions
By identifying those at quiet risk earlier, schools and support services can change the trajectory before disengagement becomes permanent.
A shift in mindset
The hidden NEET crisis is not about blame. It is about recognition. Not all risk is loud. Not all disengagement looks the same.
It is time to ask:
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Are we waiting too long to offer tailored support?
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Are we too focused on visible risk and missing the silent ones?
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Is Year 10 the moment we should be paying closest attention?
These questions are increasingly being raised by those working closest to the issue, and they deserve more attention across education settings.
Looking ahead
As schools continue to face pressure to improve post-16 outcomes and reduce NEET figures, the need for early identification and inclusive engagement strategies will only grow.
The earlier we reach students with purpose, guidance and encouragement, the more likely they are to carry it with them beyond the classroom.
Sometimes, the students who need the most support are the ones who never ask for it. Year 10 may be the best opportunity we have to reach them.
