More children growing up in care are to benefit from places
at the top private schools, as well as mentoring and access
to sports and music facilities, in an aim to improve
outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children.
Ten teams will work across the country to identify
opportunities in independent schools for young people in
care, where it is suitable to meet their needs, Children
and Families Minister is expected to announce
in a speech today (4 July) at the Association of Directors
of Children’s Services conference.
The new programme, backed by £500,000, aims to improve
access to the top independent schools and builds on
Minister Zahawi’s commitment to see as many as 1,000
independent schools involved in schemes that offer
opportunities to children in care.
Minister will also lay down a
marker to Directors of Children’s Services to drive forward
the programme and engage with the new teams, to make sure
councils can identify children who could benefit quickly
when private schools set out offers of support.
Children and Families Minister said:
Every child, whatever their background, should have
access to an education that helps them to fulfil their
potential. We know that all too often children who have
experienced trauma in their life can fall behind in
education, through no fault of their own.
While standards in state schools continue to rise, I want
independent schools and Directors of Children’s Services
to play a greater role in helping raise outcomes for
these vulnerable children. A number around the country
are already making fantastic offers to children in care,
but I want more to come forward and councils to take up
the opportunities. I am clear that this cannot be put off
any longer, and I will accept no less.
This is now about providing resources to councils to
identify and place children where it is right for them.
Together, we can and must increase access, improve
opportunities and foster aspirations and belief in what
looked after children can achieve.
Independent schools will also provide sporting and music
facilities for looked after children, to help harness
specific aspirations or talents, such as swimming or music,
to help boost opportunities, outcomes and aspirations for
these young people.
The service will bring together 10 teams across the country
into hubs of bringing in schools, local authorities,
virtual school heads and social workers to help find
suitable places for children in care.
Chairman of the Independent Schools Council, Barnaby Lenon,
said:
The all-round education and pastoral care offered by
independent schools can be transformational for a young
person and many schools are already supporting vulnerable
children.
The independent education sector is committed to playing
its part in our diverse national education system to help
give more children the best start, regardless of
background. We are working with the Government and,
although there is a limit to what we can do, independent
schools are providing life-changing bursaries and working
ever-closer with our state school partners to unlock new
educational opportunities.
The announcement builds on a 10-year project run by the
Boarding Schools Partnerships and Norfolk County Council,
where young people who were either in care or at risk of
going into care were taken off the council’s risk register
after at least three years in a boarding school. A higher
proportion of looked-after children who were at boarding
schools achieved A* to C grades in GCSE maths and English,
compared to all looked-after children in 2016.
