This report provides a summary of research conducted as part of a Nuffield Foundation funded study that uses linked National Pupil Database (NPD) and Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) administrative data, to carry out three quantitative investigations.

These analyse the experiences of different groups of learners between 2011 and 2019, to shed new light on the educational experiences of lower attaining young people, with a particular focus on their post-16 pathways.

We draw together findings from these studies to consider the labour market outcomes secured by lower attainers; identifying a pressing need to improve outcomes for these learners, who are predominantly from disadvantaged backgrounds and often have some form of Special Educational Need (SEN) identified early in their school career.

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