1.

The European Pillar of Social Rights (1) emphasises in its first and eleventh principles the importance of guaranteeing a quality and inclusive education for all, from a young age. The effective implementation of those principles depends on the resolve and action of Member States. EU-level actions can complement national actions and the Commission presented its contribution in the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan (2).

2.

On 30 September 2020, the European Commission published a communication on achieving the European Education Area by 2025, with inclusiveness as one of its six dimensions (3). On 18 February 2021, the Council approved the Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (4), with the aim of improving quality, equity, inclusion and success for all in education and training as its first strategic priority.

3.

The European Year of Youth 2022 (5) aims to engage and empower young people to shape their future and the future of Europe, offering them increased opportunities to be involved in decisions that affect their lives.

4.

In the report on the final outcome of the Conference on the Future of Europe, citizens call on the European Union and its Member States to establish by 2025 an inclusive European Education Area within which all citizens have equal access to quality education and lifelong learning, including those in rural and remote areas (6). The 2020 Commission communication identifies inclusion and gender equality as a key dimension of the European Education Area to be achieved by 2025, and calls for education outcomes to be decoupled from socio-economic status. The Council has agreed that, by 2030, the share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science should be less than 15 % and has committed to reducing the share of early leavers from education and training to less than 9 %.

5.

Even though the rate of early leavers has significantly improved at EU level, decreasing by 3.9 percentage points in the period 2010-2021, many learners continue to leave education prematurely. The share of early leavers from education and training was 9,7 % in 2021 across the EU on average, just below the EU-level ET 2020 target of 10 % set for 2020. Still, more than 3,2 million young people in the EU (18-24 years old) are early leavers from education and training. Considerable differences still exist across and within countries, with persisting inequalities among specific groups (e.g. migrants, young men, ethnic minorities such as Roma, and young people in rural and remote areas perform less well).

6.

The results of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 reveal a deteriorating trend in the number of low achievers in basic skills over the period 2009-2018 in many countries. Today, one in five 15-year-old Europeans still lack adequate reading, maths or science competences. Moreover, the results of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2018 show that a fifth of young people in the EU do not possess basic digital skills, and also reveal severe performance discrepancies in terms of socio-economic status which threaten to deepen the digital divide (7).

7.

Data confirm that socio-economic background is the strongest predictor of educational outcomes. In most EU countries, learners from disadvantaged backgrounds are overrepresented among those who leave education and training without an upper secondary qualification. PISA 2018 revealed that in most EU countries the proportion of underachievers in reading is much larger in the bottom quarter of the economic, social and cultural status index (ESCS) than it is in the top quarter; up to more than 40 percentage points in some EU countries. Academic literature confirms that pupils from a socio-economically disadvantaged background tend to experience more difficulties in developing academic and linguistic skills. They display learning-related behavioural problems more often, show lower motivation towards learning, leave education and training earlier, and leave with lower qualifications and insufficient competences for full participation in society.

8.

Over the last years, Member States have integrated high numbers of third-country migrants (including refugees (8)) of school age into their education and training systems, including some arriving with a very low level of basic skills. Further challenges arise in the context of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, a large proportion of whom are children of school age requiring targeted learning support (including acquisition of the language of schooling) and psycho-social support.

9.

PISA 2015 and 2018 also shed light on pupils’ declining sense of belonging at school and widespread and increasing bullying/cyberbullying. Research highlights the importance of emotional, social and physical well-being in schools to enhance children and young people’s chances of succeeding in education and in life. It confirms that mental health issues, as well as violence and bullying, racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance and discrimination, have devastating effects on children’s and young people’s emotional well-being and educational outcomes. Research also shows that disadvantaged groups are more at risk of being bullied, and learners from schools located in socio-economically disadvantaged environments feel a weaker sense of belonging than their more affluent peers.

10.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more important to address these challenges. Several studies suggest that the crisis may have increased the likelihood that learners at risk of disconnecting from school will actually drop out and has had detrimental effects on learners’ mental health and well-being in general (9).

11.

In 2011, the Council adopted a Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving (10). Extensive work has been carried out at European and national level to implement the Recommendation, in particular through peer learning and exchanges of good practices between Member States within the ET 2020 framework for European policy cooperation. A wide range of resources, examples of successful measures and resource material are available online through the European Toolkit for Schools and Cedefop’s vocational education and training (VET) toolkit for tackling early leaving. An independent assessment of the implementation of the Recommendation, published in 2019 (11), gives a strong indication that the Recommendation and the accompanying set of EU policy tools have encouraged transformations within education and training institutions and policies and supported the reduction of early leaving from education and training. It also highlights areas in which further work is needed.

12.

The Erasmus+ programme has supported several transnational projects on inclusion in various educational sectors, addressing underachievement and early leaving from education and training. Inclusion is one of the overarching priorities of Erasmus+ for the 2021-2027 period. The programme also includes the specific policy priority of tackling learning disadvantage, early school leaving and low proficiency in basic skills, allowing stakeholders to Erasmus+ funding to implement policy recommendations.

13.

he European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) 2014-2020 have mobilised significant investments to tackle early leaving from education and training, supporting numerous large-scale projects in alignment with the 2011 Council Recommendation. The European Social Fund Plus supports individuals, regions and Member States facing distinct challenges, from recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic to meeting the EU’s targets for climate, employment, social inclusion and education. The use of ESIF and the 2021-2027 cohesion policy funds is informed by, among other things, the country-specific recommendations issued in the framework of the European Semester.

14.

The Technical Support Instrument offers Member States the possibility to receive, upon request, support for tailor-made reforms in a variety of areas, such as improving educational outcomes for children, improving early childhood education and care (ECEC), setting national strategies and action plans to address and prevent early leaving from education and training, developing tools to support teacher recruitment and professional development, or preparing and rolling out curriculum reform. The Technical Support Instrument and its predecessor, the Structural Reform Support Programme, have been used by several Member States to support reforms in relation to preventing early leaving from education and training, especially as regards children from vulnerable backgrounds.

15.

Children and adolescents need a balanced set of cognitive, social and emotional competences to achieve positive outcomes in school and in life. The Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning (12) defines ‘personal, social and learning to learn competence’. It includes the ability to cope with uncertainty and complexity, support one’s physical and emotional well-being, maintain physical and mental health, develop collaborative and positive relationships, lead a health-conscious, future-oriented life, and manage conflict in an inclusive and supportive context.

16.

The Council conclusions on equity and inclusion in education and training in order to promote educational success for all (13) invite Member States to implement educational policy measures and pursue, as appropriate, reforms in education and training systems, looking at the whole spectrum of education and training and in a whole-institution approach, to enhance equal opportunities and inclusion and promote educational success at all levels and types of education and training.

17.

The Council conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future (14) recognise that teachers, trainers and school leaders are an indispensable driving force of education and training and emphasise the need to further develop and update their competences. The European Education Area communication and Council Resolution acknowledged the critical role of teachers and trainers.

18.

The Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems (15) underlines that access to quality early childhood education and care services for all children contributes to their healthy development and educational success, helps reducing social inequalities and narrows the competence gap between children with different socio-economic backgrounds.

19.

The Council Recommendation of 29 November 2021 on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education (16) promotes blended learning approaches that combine school-site and distance-learning environments, as well as digital and non-digital learning tools, with a view to building more resilient and inclusive education and training systems. Such practices allow for diversified and differentiated approaches and tools, to better support all pupils – and especially pupils with specific needs or from disadvantaged groups – and enhance their learning motivation.

20.

The European Skills Agenda (17) defines actions to strengthen sustainable competitiveness, build resilience to react to crises and help individuals and businesses develop a relevant set of skills, based on the lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council Recommendation of 24 November 2020 on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (18) proposes a renewed EU policy vision for VET, which has a key role in preventing and counteracting early leaving from education and training and promoting equality of opportunities.

21.

The Digital Education Action Plan (19) sets out actions to enhance digital skills and competences for the digital transformation, to ensure that no learners are left behind and that graduates have the competences needed on the labour market. It foresees the development of common guidelines for teachers and educational staff to foster digital literacy and tackle disinformation, an update of the European Digital Competence Framework and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training. The action plan also encourages efforts to close the gender gap in STEM.

22.

The Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021 establishing a European Child Guarantee (20) invites the Member States to guarantee effective and free access to education and school-based activities for children in need (i.e. at risk of poverty or social exclusion, particularly Roma). The EU strategy on the rights of the child (21) calls for the building of inclusive and quality education. The new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) (22) calls for the building of a digital environment where children are protected, empowered and respected and highlights that children in vulnerable situations should have equal chances to harness the opportunities of the digital decade.

23.

The new generation of EU equality strategies and inclusion policy frameworks adopted in 2020 and 2021 (23) put a strong focus on promoting equity and inclusion and fighting discrimination in education, with targeted support for the most disadvantaged and those most at risk of discrimination.

24.

The Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (24) recommends helping young people back into education and training by diversifying the continued education offer, ensuring, where appropriate, the validation of non-formal and informal learning. In addition, the ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) initiative helps disadvantaged young people aged 18-30 who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) find their way to the job market in their home country by combining support for education, vocational training or employment with a work placement in another EU Member State, in order to improve their skills, knowledge and experience.

25.

Lessons learnt from the implementation of the 2011 Council Recommendation, new insights from research, and stakeholder consultations call for a broader, more inclusive and systemic approach to school success, addressing simultaneously the EU-level target for basic skills and the one for early leaving from education and training, and fully embedding the well-being dimension. Such an approach should ensure the development of the competences necessary to thrive in education and life, and lead to a meaningful learning experience, engagement, wider participation in the community and a transition to a stable adulthood and active citizenship.

26.

The objective of reducing underachievement and early leaving from education and training and promoting school success needs to be systematically addressed by Member States across the EU. At system level, consistency of policy measures, coordination with other relevant policy areas (such as youth, health, culture, social services, employment, housing, justice, migration and integration), and effecti"ve cooperation between different actors at all levels (national, regional, local, school) are needed in order to provide coordinated support to children, young people and their families. In parallel, at school level, whole-school approaches should be promoted, in accordance with national circumstances, incorporating all areas of activity (teaching and learning, planning and governance, etc.) and engaging all key actors (learners, school leaders, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and families, and local and wider communities) (25).

27.

This Council Recommendation fully respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

1.

By 2025, develop or, where appropriate, further strengthen an integrated and comprehensive strategy (26) towards school success, at the appropriate level, in accordance with the structure of their education and training system, with a view to minimising the effects of socio-economic status on education and training outcomes, promoting inclusion in education and training and further reducing early leaving from education and training and underachievement in basic skills, taking into consideration the various measures outlined in the policy framework in the Annex. Special attention should be paid to well-being at school as a key component of school success. Such a strategy should include prevention, intervention and compensation measures (including measures offered as part of the reinforced Youth Guarantee (27)), be evidence-based and combine universal measures with targeted and/or individualised provisions for learners requiring additional attention and support in inclusive settings (such as learners from a socio-economically disadvantaged, migrant, refugee or Roma background, those with visible and non-visible disabilities, those with special educational needs or mental health issues, and those living in isolated, insular or remote areas, such as the EU outermost regions, according to national circumstances). Such a strategy should also be based on structured cooperation between actors representing different policy areas, levels of governance and education and training levels, benefit from adequate funding and be accompanied by a clear implementation and evaluation plan.

2.

Develop or, where appropriate, further strengthen data collection and monitoring systems at national, regional and local level which allow for the systematic collection of quantitative and qualitative information on learners, as well as on factors that affect learning outcomes, especially socio-economic background. These systems must be in compliance with protection of personal data and national legislation. They should, to the extent possible, ensure that disaggregated data and information on a wide range of aspects (including views of the learners themselves) are available at different policy levels and used (in anonymised form as appropriate) for analysis, prevention and early intervention, policy design, and for steering, monitoring and evaluating the above strategies.

3.

In the context of an integrated and comprehensive strategy and in accordance with national circumstances, combine prevention, intervention and compensation measures, such as those proposed in the policy framework in the annex, to support:

4.

Optimise, according to national, regional and local needs, the use of national and EU resources for investment in infrastructure, training, tools and resources to increase inclusion, equality and well-being in education, including EU funds and expertise for reforms and investment in infrastructure, tools, pedagogy and the creation of healthy learning environments, in particular Erasmus+, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the European Social Fund Plus, the European Regional Development Fund, the Digital Europe programme, Horizon Europe, the Technical Support Instrument, the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, etc., and make sure that the use of the funds is aligned with the overall strategy.

5.

Report on their strategy, the measures taken, relevant monitoring and evaluation arrangements and the budget allocated within the existing reporting arrangements of the European Education Area (including within the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (2021-2030)) and of the European Semester.

6.

Actively involve young people in the implementation of the Council Recommendation, inter alia through the EU Youth Dialogue, to ensure that the opinions, views and needs of young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are heard and taken into account.

1.

Support the implementation of the Council Recommendation, as well as related initiatives such as the European Child Guarantee and the reinforced Youth Guarantee, by facilitating mutual learning and exchanges among Member States and all relevant stakeholders on educational success for all by:

2.

Support the development and dissemination of guidance material and resources on educational success for all learners (including on integration of migrants and language learning), in cooperation with Member States and for their voluntary use, including by further developing and promoting the European Toolkit for Schools on promoting inclusive education and tackling early school leaving, the compendium of inspiring practices on inclusive and citizenship education, and Cedefop’s VET toolkit for tackling early leaving.

3.

Support professional development opportunities for educational staff and other stakeholders by:

4.

Monitor and report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation within the existing arrangements of the European Education Area (including within the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training) and of the European Semester (including the revised Social Scoreboard).

5.

Monitor and report periodically on progress towards the EU-level targets within the framework of reports on the European Education Area; in close cooperation with the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks, consider how monitoring at EU level can be enhanced, in particular by assessing existing EU-level indicators and, if appropriate and necessary, proposing new ones, in particular on inclusion and equity.