Education chasms prompt reform call

Barnardo’s has called for major reforms to education services for looked-after children after parallel surveys showed huge problems.

More than three-quarters of 66 young people attending Barnardo’s leaving care projects had no qualifications when they left school.

But only 6 per cent of 500 parents surveyed by pollster NOP for Barnardo’s expected their child to get no GCSEs in exam results due out today (Thursday).

A third of the care leavers had been excluded from school for more than 60 days, but 93 per cent of parents said their children had never been excluded from school.

With a green paper on looked-after children expected in the autumn, Barnardo’s has proposed reforms including a designated teacher for children in care in all schools. It also recommended that if the care placement for a child was changed they should be kept in the same school.

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