Keeping young people in learning until the age of 18 – does it work?
Think tank: Institute for Policy Research
Author(s): Various authors
July 23, 2025
This report from UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research presents evidence from the raising of the participation age (RPA) in England.
Implemented ten years ago in England, the Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) placed a duty on young people to remain in learning (although not confined to staying on at school) until their 18th birthday.
This report presents the findings from a research project examining the design, implementation and impact of the RPA on participation, retention and achievements in post-16 learning and subsequent labour market outcomes. Going beyond pure impact evaluation, the researchers explore the design of the policy from conception through to implementation and assess the extent to which it has achieved its objectives.
