Abstract
The educational experiences and attainment of looked‐after children and young people (LACYP) remains an issue of widespread international concern. Within the UK, children and young people in care achieve poorer educational outcomes compared to individuals not in care. Despite proliferation of research documenting the reasons for educational disadvantage amongst this population, there remains limited empirical consideration of the lived experiences of the educational system, as perceived by LACYP themselves. This paper draws upon qualitative research with 67 care‐experienced children and young people in Wales. The sample was aged 6–27 years, and comprised 27 females and 40 males. Participants had experienced a range of care placements. Findings focus on how educational policies and practices alienate LACYP from dominant discourses of educational achievement through assignment of the ‘supported’ subject position, where children and young people are permitted and even encouraged not to succeed academically due to their complex and disrupted home circumstances. However, such diminished expectations are rejected by LACYP, who want to be pushed and challenged in the realisation of their potential. The paper argues that more differentiated understandings of LACYP's aspirations and capabilities need to be embedded into everyday practices, to ensure that effective educational support systems are developed.
Highlights
The number of looked-after children and young people (LACYP) in Wales stands at 5,415, with this figure having increased by 20% in the past ten years (Welsh Government, 2015a)
The second part continues by considering the policies and practices enacted by schools in order to create alternative subject positions for LACYP that are divorced from academic attainment and progression
The educational disadvantage of LACYP remains a pressing concern, and the present paper has sought to give a voice to the lived experiences of LACYP in order to understand the complexity of their educational journeys and seek potential remedies
Summary
The number of looked-after children and young people (LACYP) in Wales stands at 5,415, with this figure having increased by 20% in the past ten years (Welsh Government, 2015a). National data for Wales reports that in 2015, 18% of LACYP achieve the Key Stage 4 threshold (five GCSEs Grade A*-C including English or Welsh first language and mathematics), compared to 58% of the total student population (Welsh Government, 2016a). This attainment gap widens as LACYP progress through key educational stages and transition into higher education (Stein, 2012). Such disadvantage has serious consequences for future life chances (Jackson, 1994), and educational attainment is not the only predictor of success (Berridge, 2012), the increasingly competitive employment economy emphasises the importance of qualifications and skills (Brown et al, 2013)
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