Education and the care system
Following the recent publication of NIACE’s Voices of Care Leavers , we’re sharing a guest blog from one of the featured young care leavers. Carrie Wilson entered foster care aged 11, due to neglect and the unsafe environment her mother was living in due to drug addiction, where she remained until she turned 18.
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel” – Socrates
Every child in the UK has a right to education through the UN Human Rights Act. This right sadly doesn’t seem to be providing ‘good’ educational outcomes for looked-after children and care leavers. A small minority achieves through the education system, but not nearly enough. Only 15% of looked-after children achieved 5 A* to C grades in 2012 – compared to 58.6% for the whole of England – meaning that 85% (take a moment to re-read that…85%!!!) were left without a basic level of education.
The reasons these young people do not achieve could be argued as many; disruption in family life, change in schools, change of placement, no or low attendance, not intelligent enough or able.
It is this last issue which I personally find a thorn in my side. There is little research into why looked-after children do not achieve as well as the national average educationally, but there’s no evidence to back up not being intelligent or able enough as an explanation. However, just like looked-after children continue to be stereotyped as being in care because of bad behaviour, they are also stereotyped as young people who are not intelligent enough or just not ‘able’ to achieve educationally.
Of the young people who do achieve, their reasons vary, but there is a theme coming through most of their experiences…they did it to prove everyone or someone wrong.
This surely shouldn’t be the main reason looked-after children and care leavers achieve. They should have the same experience as any young person in the education system and should achieve because they are intellectually able to and because they are supported to achieve by the different agencies aimed at helping them.
I’ve noticed that the gap in the support for looked-after children and care leavers, in terms of education, falls between teachers and social services. Issues at school are blamed on either foster parents/social services. On the other side, foster parents may think it’s the responsibility of schools and social services. And in turn social services will place responsibility on schools. All the while the student isn’t being supported because no one believes it is their responsibility.
The answer to this, is that it is EVERYONE who comes into contact with these young people has a responsibility for their achievement, and should act on it, instead of pass the ‘buck’ over to someone else.
Looked-after children and care leavers don’t have the same family or life structure as other children and it is most likely that they have experienced issues that many children and adults never have to go through. My own educational experience has had its ups and downs, and the one thing I know, is that when I was supported I achieved, even though I had a great many reasons why I shouldn’t. From breakdowns, bereavement, becoming a parent to a younger sibling overnight – they were all acceptable reasons that could have made me fail an exam, or drop out of college/university. All reasons that may have hindered me to some degree, but didn’t stop me from achieving. When I did fail to achieve, it was because I lacked support, was stereotyped as a low achiever and not ‘able’, and wasn’t seen as anyone’s responsibility.
There has to be a change in the way looked -after children and care leavers are treated and viewed by the general public. They should not be a cohort that is viewed as a taboo, a failure of parenting and so downgraded in importance or brushed under the carpet. They are a cohort who has been through the worst and so should be treated the best.
It’s not only a question of ‘Would I let my child go through this?’, but also ‘Would I let myself go through this?’ These need to be the first thoughts when dealing with a looked-after child or care leaver. You then need to act on that thought even if it isn’t the easiest route, because, when was life ever easy for this cohort?
