Care leavers ‘need more support’ to reach university

By Jack Grove. Young people in care are not getting enough support or advice to help them reach higher education, a new study says. There are currently more than 89,000 children in care in Britain, but only 6 per cent of care leavers in England and 2 per cent in Scotland were in higher education by the age of 19 in 2011, according to the report commissioned by Buttle UK, one of the country’s largest children’s charities. That compares with overall participation rates of 33 per cent and 42 per cent in the two countries respectively, it adds. Published on 4 June, the report titled Assessing the Impact of the Buttle UK Quality Mark in Higher Education, says poor educational levels of care leavers are the primary cause of their failure to reach higher education. Read more...