This report by the Scottish Government shows that the attainment of looked-after children has been slowly rising. However, experts say the figures are almost certain to get worse as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
Of the looked-after children who left school in 2018-19, 65 per cent failed to achieve a qualification equivalent to National 5 or better, as compared with 15 per cent of all school leavers, and 17 per cent left with no qualifications, as compared with just 2 per cent of all leavers.
Looked-after children were also almost seven times more likely to be excluded. Attendance was significantly lower (87 per cent, as compared with 93 per cent), and 42 per cent of care-experienced pupils who left school in 2018-19 did so in S4 or earlier, against 12 per cent of school leavers more generally.
Now a charity that works with care-experienced young people is calling for the government to provide tutoring for looked-after pupils, mirroring a scheme being introduced in England.
Main Findings:
- Education outcomes for looked after children have improved over the last 6 years. However, there are still large gaps compared with all pupils.
- Looked after leavers who were in foster care or with friends or relatives had higher attainment than other placement types.
- The attendance rate has fallen for looked after pupils over the last six years. School attendance was 87% for pupils looked after within the last year - down from 89% in 2012/13, compared with 93% of all pupils in 2018/19.
- The attendance rate for pupils looked after in a foster care placement is higher than the attendance rate for all pupils.
- Leaver attainment was 35% for looked after school leavers with 1 or more qualification at SCQF level 5 - up from 23% in 2012/13, compared with 85% all pupils in 2018/19.
- Looked after school leavers are less likely to go to positive destinations than school leavers in general, especially higher education. The percentage of looked after leavers in positive initial and follow-up destinations has increased over the last six years. 71% of looked after school leavers were in positive follow up destinations, up from 63% in 2012/13, compared with 93% of all pupils in 2018/19.
- Exclusion rates for pupils looked after within the year have fallen over the last six years. School exclusions were 152 per 1,000 looked after pupils, down from 280 in 2012/13 compared with 22 of all pupils in 2018/19.
- The exclusion rate for looked after pupils was around seven times as high as for all pupils in 2018/19.
- A lower proportion of looked after children achieve the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) level relevant to their stage compared with all children across all organisers.
- Achievement of CfE levels is lowest for those looked after at home and those looked after in residential accommodation.