The Sutton Trust’s Life Lessons 2024 report – How are young people developing the skills for success

While academic and subject-specific skills and knowledge are vital for young people, it is increasingly clear that broader ‘life skills’ – things like communication, resilience, motivation and confidence – are also needed for success, both in education and in the workplace.

The Government are currently conducting a review which aims to build a curriculum ‘that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work’, but what are schools doing at the moment to improve young people’s life skills, and how much does this differ from school to school?

Our new report, Life Lessons 2024, looks at the existing provision for pupils to develop key life skills, how this can differ from school to school, and the views of teachers delivering these activities. We also looked specifically at the development of communication skills, particularly speaking or ‘oracy’, a topic that has becoming increasingly popular in recent years.

The perception of life skills in schools

It is clear that teachers value the importance of developing life skills alongside academic qualifications to set young people up for the future. Our new report found nearly all (96%) of the teachers surveyed feel that life skills are as or more important than formal academic qualifications in determining how well young people do in adulthood. Additionally, just over half (51%) think that life skills were more important, with 46% saying they are both as important as each other.

However, as schools continue to face increasing funding pressures, alongside issues with teacher recruitment and retention, half of state school teachers say they do not have the time or sufficient training to focus on this.

Life skills and social mobility

These findings are particularly concerning when you look at the impact the development of these key skills can have on future prospects. Analysis by Skills Builder has linked self-assessment of life skills to a wage premium, and found that this relationship is stronger for those whose parents did not attend university. This clearly shows the potential that supporting life skills development has for improving social mobility, but both access to and opportunities to develop life skills can be limited, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In our latest polling, when asked their views on the statement “my school provides good opportunities for pupils to develop non-academic life skills”, 61% of teachers agreed (with 15% strongly agreeing). Just under 1 in 5 (17%) of teachers disagreed with the statement, with 3% strongly disagreeing.

However, this differed by school type and the socio-economic background of the school’s intake. 1 in 5 teachers in schools with the most deprived intakes (based on proportions of free school meal eligible students) disagreed (20%), compared to 13% of those with the most affluent intakes. State school teachers were also nearly twice as likely to disagree compared to private school teachers, at 18% and 10% respectively.

The growing prominence of oracy

When looking at oracy and speaking skills specifically, there are also some interesting differences between the state and private sectors. Private schools are often seen as the best performers when it comes to oracy, with a recent Times article on Labour’s plans for oracy stating “children are routinely taught a range of oracy skills in private schools, but Starmer is concerned that those in state schools are being left behind and face increased barriers in life.” However, it is not clear to what extent these skills are taught by the schools themselves, compared to private school students being more likely to have opportunities to build confidence and speaking skills outside of school. Our polling found that debating clubs were more common in private schools (18% vs 53%) but private schools were less likely to report several oracy approaches, for example having an Oracy Lead or a whole school oracy strategy.

These differences may come from different understandings of the term oracy, and differing levels of skill when pupils enter the school. As part of the report, we spoke to senior leaders from a range of schools. Jonathan Noakes, Director of Teaching and Learning at Eton College said that the majority of pupils come to Eton already very confident about speaking up in front of peers and adults. While the school does not have an explicit oracy programme, they say they are encouraging the use of oracy all the time, with teachers being explicitly trained to run lessons as discussions. He also raised the importance of work experience in making sure students are used to utilising these skills and speaking as adults in a workplace environment. Unfortunately, these opportunities are also something that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds struggle to access in comparison to their more privileged peers.

Looking ahead

It is crucial that the new government’s ongoing curriculum review includes a specific focus on improving life skills, such as communication, resilience, motivation and confidence, particularly for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. This group of students often have least access to the extra-curricular activities likely to help them develop these essential skills, so it is vital they are provided with these opportunities within the school curriculum.

As part of this, the new curriculum should ensure state school students at all ability levels can develop their oracy skills, consulting widely with schools on existing approaches, and take learnings from a wide range of schools, across both the state and private sector. Improving oracy education in schools, alongside provision for wider life skills, has the potential to make a big difference for students and their future career prospects, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds.

A response from Speakers for Schools

We welcome the new ‘Life Lessons 24’ report from The Sutton Trust and passionately agree that more emphasis must be placed on giving young people the right ‘life skills’ to succeed in both education and the workplace.

The stats are crystal clear in this area with 96% of teachers in consensus that life skills are as or more important than formal qualifications – it’s time we listened to them and adjusted accordingly.

We similarly recognise that oracy is a critical skill for young people to develop – but appreciate that pressures on teachers’ time in class can create a challenge to delivering this. Our research shows that opportunities for interacting with employers on a work experience placement is an intrinsic element of a high-quality offer. Work experience can be an excellent chance for young people to develop their communication skills outside of the classroom, as well as broad range of other essential life skills needed to thrive in the future.

That’s why we’re determined to ensure all young people are given access to two weeks’ worth of quality work experience whilst in secondary education. Head to our Work Experience for All page for more information