Glasgow’s care kids are outstanding
GLASGOW’S care experienced children are outperforming their peers across Scotland as the city bids to nurture and support disadvantaged pupils.
Latest figures show young people in Glasgow who might live with kinship carers, foster carers, in residential units or have social work support at home are improving in their educational successes.
Over the past five years, outcomes for youngsters in the city have improved – although they are still performing less well then nonlooked after peers.
Councillor Chris Cunningham, City Convener for Education, Skills and Early Years, said: “Our commitment is to improve the educational outcomes of every young person in the city, whatever their circumstances. Our young people can have many challenges in their lives that act as a barrier to learning and we want to do everything in our power to overcome these obstacles so that we can help improve the attainment, attendance and positive destinations of our pupils.
“Glasgow’s young people deserve nothing less.”
A report that will go before councillors tomorrow shows that care experienced people in Glasgow are performing better than others nationally.
In terms of educational outcomes, care experienced children tend not to perform as well as their nonlooked after classmates as they face serious challenges such as poverty and family disruption.
Glasgow has the largest proportion of care experienced children with responsibility for 19 per cent of Scotland’s care experienced children and young people, compared to the city having an estimated 11 per cent of the country’s general population of children and young people.
At National 5 level, there has been a rise in care experienced pupils gaining an award from 45.1 per cent in 2013/14 to 56.8 per cent in 2017/18.
This is still far lower, though, than the general school population at 85.6 per cent.
At Higher level, 20.1 per cent of care experienced leavers gained one or more qualification in 2013/14, by 2017/18 this had risen to 33.8 per cent.
This is still well below the general population of leavers, at 64.4 per cent, but significantly better than care experienced pupils at the national level, at 20.2 per cent.
While the gap between attendance rates is narrowing, there is still a wide difference in exclusions.
The report also shows that, in Glasgow, increasing numbers of looked after pupils are going on to positive leaver destinations such as college, university or work.
Mr Cunningham added: “The improvements we are seeing in the report are very welcome and this is a testament to the nurturing ethos of our staff and schools to make sure that we are targeting the individual needs of our pupils.”