This report draws on three years of surveys of over 2,000 young people experiencing disadvantage who were in Year 10 in 2020 and in-depth interviews, to identify how more young people can be supported to complete Year 12 and have positive post-school pathways.

Students who are disengaged from learning are at high risk of leaving school early. The Navigator program is designed to support Victoria’s most disengaged students aged 12–17 years. This audit report examines whether the Navigator program is effectively re-engaging students in education.

School non-completion and non-completers’ subsequent pathways into employment or back into education is an enduring issue for policy-makers in Australia. This report highlights the importance of providing career information, not only to young people, but also their parents/carers, before and after leaving school.

This paper considers what is required to improve education outcomes for children and young people who are disengaged from school. These children and young people may face a number of challenges that cause them to disengage from school and may require additional support to reengage with education, training or employment.

This study analyses the wider consequences to society of increasing the minimum school leaving age (MSLA) using high quality nationally representative survey data – the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey.