The latest Carers Trust Report, Caring and Classes: the education gap for young carers, provides detailed findings on the severe impact that caring can have on the education of many young carers, and sets out the concerning state of young carers’ educational attainment and opportunities in England in 2024.
The findings are based on a combination of surveys, focus groups and individual interviews with young carers, parents and school/college staff. In addition, a series of polls captured the views of approximately 25,000 pupils and over 8,000 teachers across England.
The findings are stark and reveal how the pressures of a caring role mean many young carers are having missing school, and that there is a concerning lack of support at some schools for young carers to help them balance their caring role with their schoolwork.
The key findings from the report are
- In 2022/23, young carers missed on average 23 days of school (more than a month of their education) compared to 14 days for other pupils.
- 46% of young carers at secondary school in England were persistently absent in 2022/23, meaning they missed at least one day in every 10
- 44% of young carers frequently struggle to study for tests or exams because of the demands of their caring situation.
- 30% of young carers are regularly late for school because of the demands of their caring situation.
- 48% of young carers reported being bullied in the past year.
- 23% of young carers say there is ‘no support at all’ for young carers and young adult carers in their school, college or university.
- Only 46% of teachers agreed that their school provides the support that young carers need
Although Suffolk Family Carers believe the situation in Suffolk is not as bad as that painted nationally, there is still work to do. Our Young Carers/Young Adult Carers team already work closely with Schools, Colleges and the younger carers themselves to minimise the impact of these findings, but in general we support the recommendations made by the report which include the following;
- The UK Government committing to introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium to bolster school support at a cost of £17 million in 2024/25.
- The UK Government should provide additional funding to local authorities to improve identification of, and support for, young carers and young adult carers in education and that these local authorities should work with schools and their local young carers service to improve identification and local data-sharing
- The UK Government should extend eligibility for Carer’s Allowance to unpaid carers in post-16 education studying for more than 21 hours a week.
- The Department for Education undertaking a campaign to make teachers more aware of young carers and the challenges they face.
- The Department for Education should include the needs of young carers within the initial teacher training curriculum for all teachers
- All education providers should be required to appoint a young carer or student carer Lead.
- All education providers should be required to implement a young carers’ policy which clearly sets out the support available to young carers
The full recommendations can be found on page 9 of the report.
Our website contains more information about how Suffolk Family Carers Young Carers/Young Adult Carers Team can help a young carer you may be aware of, or how we work with education establishments and professionals.
If you are an education professional our termly newsletter will keep you up to date with changes to our services and the world of young carers. You may also be our upcoming Young Carer Lead Network meetings taking place in Woodbridge and Bury St Edumunds
Alternatively you can always contact us
