Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young carers are identified and adequately supported through their schooling.

The government is committed to supporting children and young people to improve their health and wellbeing, and to protect them from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities that can impact on their education.

The cross-government ‘Carers Action Plan’ (published June 2018), a 2 year programme of tailored work to support unpaid carers of all ages, aims to improve the identification of young carers; improving their educational opportunities and outcomes; providing support to young carers, particularly to vulnerable children; and improving access to services. The Children in Need review is also identifying how to spread best practice on raising educational outcomes.

The Department for Education provides schools with £2.4 billion each year in additional funding through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils. Each eligible pupil attracts £1,320 to primary schools and £935 to secondary schools. Eligibility for the pupil premium is based largely on current or past claims for free school meals. Some research with young carers aged 14-16 suggested that around 60% already attract the pupil premium through their eligibility for free school meals.

We expect schools to make effective use of their pupil premium and do not tell them how to use it. Schools know their pupils best and will spend the grant to meet pupil needs, which may include needs arising from a caring role. Schools are held to account for their pupil premium use through school inspection and information in performance tables, and most schools are required to publish details about their pupil premium strategy and its impact.