Young carers get two fewer “good” GCSEs on average than their classmates, while those in primary school are more likely to be behind on reading, writing and maths, new research from City St George’s shows.
Published
It suggests the hours they spend on caring duties at home and the time they end up missing from school are having a detrimental effect on their ability to study and keep up with their education.
The research, the first comprehensive study into school attainment by young carers in England, has been released to coincide with Young Carers Action Day on 12th March. It was carried out using historic exam data by City St George’s, University of London, and UCL, with funding from the Nuffield Foundation and support from the charity Carers Trust.
Falling behind fellow pupils
Findings illustrate how young carers start to fall behind their fellow pupils at primary school. An analysis of Key Stage 2 results from 2011 to 2018 showed as many as one in five young carers were already performing below expectations in writing at this crucial early stage, compared to just 12% of non-carers. Young carers were also more likely to underperform in maths and reading.
The study goes on to show how under-performance of young carers at primary school is repeated in secondary education. Researchers studied GCSE results over a four-year period from 2009 to 2013. They showed that young carers achieved just four A*-C grades at GCSE on average, compared to the six achieved by pupils without a caring role.
In total, 51% of young carers had no GCSEs at grades A*-C at all, compared to just 36% of non-carers. Young carers were twice as likely as their peers to have no GCSEs with the top grades of A or A*.
Although the Department for Education now collects information on young carers in schools via the annual School Census, not all young carers are being identified. Today’s research is the first to rely on young people reporting their own care responsibilities, giving a truer picture of the number of young carers and their experiences.
Risk failing a generation
Dr Becca Lacey, lead of the research project at City St George’s, University of London, said:
There are around one million young carers in the UK – children as young as five who care for family or friends with an illness, disability or addiction.
Data shows they face a range of challenges in education. Young carers have more than double the rate of suspensions as their peers - 22.85 per cohort of young carers compared to 9.27 for cohorts of students without a caring role, according to recent Department for Education statistics. Their exclusion rate is also double (0.25 compared to 0.11).
Carers Trust analysis of data from the Department for Education shows that, in 2022-23, young carers missed 23 days of school on average – more than a month of their education. This compares to 14 days for their peers. Almost half (46%) of young carers were persistently absent from secondary school in England that year – missing at least one day of school per fortnight.
Figures demonstrate how being a carer also affects their chances of going to university. UCAS data shows that in 2023, 3.8% of applicants aged 18 to 24 in England said they were carers, despite research suggesting that around 10% to 12% of young adults have caring responsibilities. The 2024 UCAS application data showed an alarming 20% decrease in the proportion of young adult applicants who said they were carers.
Carers Trust is calling for a Young Carer Lead in every school, college or university who can coordinate identification and support for young carers. It is also calling on the Government to set out its plan for improving identification and support for young carers within education
Wreaking havoc on education
Carers Trust’s Policy & Practice Manager, Andy McGowan, said:
Improved identification can make a real difference to young carers’ lives. More than 500 schools have now signed up for the Young Carers in Schools Award programme, led by Carers Trust and The Children’s Society. The programme aims to help schools and colleges improve their ability to identify and support their pupils who are young carers.
Those who have taken part identified four times as many young carers as other schools. That identification allows young carers to be properly supported through their education and enables them to reach their full potential.
The Award also enables schools to gain national recognition for their ability to meet the needs of young carers. To achieve the Award, schools must evidence the work they’re doing to identify and support this vulnerable pupil group.