Students who have been in care are ‘let down’

Students from a care background are not being supported on their options for higher education, a new report has found.

Some 60% of “careexperienced” students receive no specific support relevant to their circumstances, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) said.

The organisation’s chief executive Clare Marchant said its research found many students from this background lack crucial guidance to support their decision-making.

She said: “Our report highlights that while care-experienced students have high expectations and motivations for higher education, a large proportion have little awareness of the support mechanisms in place that can help their progression, lacking crucial information, advice and guidance to support their decision-making.

She said it is “evident there is more we can do to raise awareness of available support, enhance verified data, and make pathways more visible to ensure these students’ needs are met”.

Fiona Ellison, director of the Unite Foundation, which has been working with care-experienced students for over 10 years, said her organisation is well aware of the “many barriers” students face “both getting to and completing university”.

She said: “With three in five care-experienced students receiving no information about higher education options, we echo Ucas’s call to make support more visible to these young people.

“We also welcome the call to gather and share data in this area, as this will help us to further understand and ultimately improve the university experience for those leaving care.”