Reform education for looked-after children, says Barnardo’s

Barnardo’s has called for major reforms to education services for looked-after children after parallel surveys showed huge problems with their schooling compared with that of other young people.

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 pollsters NOP for Barnardo’s expected their child to get no GSCEs in exam results due to be published tomorrow.

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.

Barnardo’s said a number of reforms were needed, including the introduction in all schools of a designated teacher for children in care.

It also recommended that children’s services departments should be required to keep looked-after children in the same school, even if there was a change in their care placement, unless they would have to travel too far to get to school.