Stability at school: How much more likely are children experiencing the ‘care system’ to change school compared to their peers, how does this vary by age, caring environment, and local area? What impact do school changes have on attainment, attendance, and engagement?
Background
The Independent Care Review made clear that education is central to ensuring care experienced children feel loved, safe and able to reach their potential, highlighting that many barriers to learning stem from wider experiences of trauma, instability and stigma rather than education alone. Education Outcomes for ‘Looked After’ Children reporting[4] highlights persistent gaps in outcomes between pupils experiencing the ‘care system’ and their peers in terms of attainment, attendance, exclusions and destinations upon leaving school. A better understanding is needed on underlying drivers for these persistent gaps.
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Research fields
Related UKRI funded projects
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Understanding Children's Lives and Outcomes
Understanding Children's Lives and Outcomes, led by Morag Treanor and Fiona Mitchell, will provide new insights to help better understand and deliver the best possible outcomes for children, utilising existing datasets n...
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Why might this be relevant?
The project specifically focuses on understanding children's lives and outcomes, including educational exclusions and absences, which directly relates to the question about stability at school for children in the care system.
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The project examines the association between being in care and educational attainment, directly addressing the impact of the care system on children's education as mentioned in the question.
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While the project focuses on school readiness and wellbeing, it does not directly address the specific question about stability at school for children in the care system.