“Rigid” and “militaristic” school behaviour systems come in for criticism in report which is feeding into government review into youth under-employment
Like an army camp? A report on young people not in education, employment and training criticises "militaristic" approaches in schools. Image: iStock.
“Isolation” policies in schools also discussed negatively in report on NEETs. Also in this diary: an academy trust much-featured in these pages is to be broken up.
What seems a significant report published this week on the life experiences of young people not in education, employment or training – the so-called NEETS – features damning passages on their school experiences, including what it calls “rigid” behaviour management policies including the use of isolation.
“Inside the mind of a young NEET,” was co-authored by the former headteacher and speech-writer to Tony Blair, Peter Hyman, and commissioned as part of the former health secretary Alan Milburn’s wider investigation for the government into youth under-employment.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 22 May 2026

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