A Different Class? Educational Attainment: the views and experiences of looked after young people
Conclusion
The sum of it all…
This consultation exercise sought to record the experiences of a large number of looked after young people from across Scotland. Through this record, our aim was to provide baseline data on their self reported achievement, as well as qualitative information on their educational aspirations and motivations. To explore why these young people become disengaged from the education system, and whether they noticed any improvement from the 10 million investment in this area. Finally we sought the advice of the young people on how their educational attainment might be improved.
The views and experiences reported here do not paint a greatly changed picture from that which we have seen before. However we can be optimistic, the commitment to closing the opportunity gap between looked after young people and those living at home has rarely been so strong. But this commitment must be matched by a commitment to take forward the views of these young people.
The young people have told us they are not achieving as well as they could, they have told us what they want from education, they have told us why they feel "disengaged" from school, they have told us what can be done to help them and they have told us that, as yet, they feel little benefit from recent investments. So now we must move forward and action what we have been told.
It is not good enough that 37% of those asked are not receiving full time education.
It is not good enough that the majority of young people, who are out of school, have been so between 6 months and a year.
It is not good enough that a 7 year old child is without education.
It is not good enough that young people do not feel involved in decisions regarding key areas of their lives.
It is not good enough that only a few young people aspire to university.
Looked after young people sit in classrooms around the country, in schools the length and breadth of Scotland, yet for all intents and purposes they are in a different class. They are asking for help, for a say, for a chance to succeed and they must be answered. Our schools must become a classless society where there is equal opportunity for all young people. Or we will continue to fail them.