Education statistics published
New figures published by Scottish Government today show that while outcomes for looked after children have improved, there are still some huge gaps compared to all pupils.
Looked after children with the best outcomes tend to be those children in foster care, or with few placements, while those children and young people looked after at home has the worse outcomes.
The main findings include:
- 35% of looked after children attained one or more qualifications at SCQF level 5 (equivalent to a National 5 award), compared with 85% of all pupils
- 69% are in positive leaver destinations compared to 92% of all pupils
- Attendance of looked after children now stands at 92%, compared to 94% of all pupils
- Looked after pupils are more than eight times more likely to be suspended compared to all pupils
Speaking about the statistics, Linda O'Neill, Education Programme Lead at CELCIS said:
'It’s always good news that educational outcomes for looked after children are improving, but we need to examine today’s figures more closely. Outcomes in education for some of our most vulnerable pupils are still not good enough, far too large a gap exists between all learners in Scotland and those who are looked after.
'Again this year we see that children looked after at home, and those with the most placement moves in a year, do worst of all in education. If you’re a looked after child in our schools, then you are eight times more likely to be excluded than your classmates.
'It’s also concerning that the number of looked after young people staying on in education, employment or training nine months after leaving school has actually fallen. The numbers of all children sustaining a positive destination rise, so this gap is widening.
'While improvements for all children are always welcome, our focus needs to be on closing the gap that exists for our looked after children, to ensure they have the same life chances as everyone else.'
Visit the Scottish Government website to see the full reports