Leaving school
Many individual children and young people with care experience do well in school and have positive experiences of education. However, when taken as a whole group, educational outcome indicators show that the gap between looked-after children and other children's attainment in school remains unacceptably large.
In Scotland, 44% of looked after young people leave school as soon as they can – at 16 or younger. In comparison, only 11% of all school leavers leave before they’re 16 years old (Scottish Government 2019 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ).
Prior to the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act in 2014, formal care was only provided up to the age of 16, when young people were considered to be adults. This contributed to early school leaving, as teenagers were learning to live independently.
Case study: Jenna
Jenna ran away often from the residential placement and was eventually placed in a secure unit, with very little support or encouragement in terms of her education. Jenna missed a significant amount of schooling at this time in her life. She remembers that she was good at school in her early years, but the lack of support and the amount of emotional turmoil she experienced made it very difficult for her to prioritise her studies.
Emerging from the secure unit, an attempt was made to integrate Jenna back into mainstream schooling at the local high school. There was little support given, and she felt like an alien. She remembers standing outside of the school, in her uniform, with no one there to accompany her in.
Jenna then spent a year in a residential school, before going into foster care in Scotland. Over a couple of years, she gained qualifications at standard grade level before leaving school at fifteen. She does not remember higher education ever feeling like an option for her, or anyone suggesting it as a possibility.
Activity 3
What barriers to further and higher education can you identify in Jenna's story?
Make notes in the box below or in a learning journal if you're using one. What access programmes are you aware of in your university or partner institutions that could have supported Jenna back into education?
Educational attainment