REPORT: Young carers are missing 23 days of school every year
More than half of all teachers say young carers are not getting the support they need at school.
We are releasing a major new study with detailed findings on the severe impact that caring can have on the education of many young carers.
The report, Caring and classes: the education gap for young carers, sets out the concerning state of young carers’ educational attainment and opportunities in England in 2024.
The findings are based on a combination of surveys, focus groups and individual interviews with young carers, parents and school/college staff. In addition, a series of polls has captured the views of approximately 25,000 pupils and over 8,000 teachers across England.
The findings are stark. They reveal how caring role pressures mean many young carers are having to miss far too many days at school. The survey also reveals a concerning lack of support at school for young carers to help them balance the pressures of their caring role with their schoolwork. The survey found:
- Young carers are missing on average 23 days of school every year – that’s more than a month in total.
- Almost half of young carers at secondary school are ‘persistently absent’.
- Only 46% of teachers think their school provides the support young carers need, while 23% of young carers say they get no support at all.
Our report also sets out policy and practice solutions, as well as recommendations for better identification of, and support for, young carers throughout their education.
One of our calls is for the UK Government to improve support by introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium.
Caring and classes: the education gap for young carers
Read full reportGet social! Help us protect young carers’ futures by sharing the report and its findings
We’d love you to help us share our findings and recommendations on your own social media. This will create more noise and make more people aware how much more needs to be done to support young carers in education.
Here are two social media posts with graphics you can post. Please also check in to our social media channels from Thursday 26th onwards and share our posts.
Image files for the graphics are available here
Social media post #1 (please use the attached young carers in education quote graphic to go with this post)
"An extensive survey by @CarersTrust of young carers, teachers and parents reveals the alarming impact of caring on young people’s education and opportunities. It also provides policy solutions and recommendations. Read the report: www.carers.org/yceducation"
Social media post #2 (please use the young carers in Education stat graphic to go with this post)
"Young carers on average missed 23 days of school in 2022-23, compared to 14 days missed by young people who are not young carers. A new report by @CarersTrust shows the alarming impact of caring on young carers’ education and opportunities. Read the report: www.carers.org/yceducation"
