Cuts to council budgets could mean young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to benefit from Whitehall's decision to raise the school-leaving age to 18, academics have warned.

A report issued today by Lancaster University’s Work Foundation into the policy of  raising the participation age (RPA) finds the system has become largely voluntary and is bedevilled by failure to untangle crucial long-term problems, such as a lack of careers advice, post-16 options and financial incentives.

Entitled ‘Staying Power: making the raising of the participation age a policy success’ the paper argued the first change to the school leaving age since 1972 -  which took effect this academic year with an upwards shift to 17 and which will move to 18 next year  – is at risk of failing without significant improvements.