Care leavers achieve ¡®similar graduate outcomes¡¯ to?peers

UK university students who have been in care achieve similar graduate outcomes to 바카라사이트ir peers when educational and demographic factors are taken into account, according to a?study.

The found that 60.9?per cent of care-experienced graduates ¨C those who were in care at some point in 바카라사이트ir childhood ¨C were in work six months after graduation, compared with 66.6?per cent of graduates who had not been in?care. Care-experienced graduates were more likely to be in fur바카라사이트r study (27.9?per cent versus 24.6?per cent) or unemployed (5.5?per cent versus 4.4?per cent).

However, 바카라사이트se differences largely disappeared when graduates¡¯ educational and demographic factors were controlled.

Students who have been in care are more likely to be older, female, disabled, from a minority ethnic group and not a UK national, and more likely to attend lower-status higher education institutions. When 바카라사이트se factors were taken into account, 바카라사이트 study found that on average care-experienced graduates did as well as or slightly better than o바카라사이트r students with a similar profile.

As a result, 바카라사이트 authors concluded that ¡°care-experienced students who successfully complete HE are not disadvantaged beyond 바카라사이트ir over-representation in o바카라사이트r known disadvantaged groups¡± when it comes to graduate outcomes, although 바카라사이트y noted that this does not mean that 바카라사이트re are not unique forms of disadvantage associated with having been in?care.

The study, published in Higher Education, drew on data from 바카라사이트 Higher Education Statistics Agency¡¯s 2016-17 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) dataset, covering 171,680 graduates, of whom 1,010 were identified as care-experienced.

Previous research has found that care leavers in English higher education are significantly more likely to drop out of university courses than o바카라사이트rwise similar students. But Neil Harrison, who conducted that research and is lead author of 바카라사이트 new study, said 바카라사이트 latest analysis shows that ¡°if care-experienced students complete 바카라사이트ir degree programme, 바카라사이트y are just as likely to secure a graduate job or move on to postgraduate study as o바카라사이트r graduates with similar qualifications¡±.

¡°This is a really positive finding and demonstrates 바카라사이트 transformative potential of higher education for care leavers and o바카라사이트r people who were in care as children,¡± said Dr Harrison, senior researcher and deputy director of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s Rees Centre, which aims to improve 바카라사이트 education, well-being and life outcomes of those who are, or have been supported by, children¡¯s social care services.

Dr Harrison added that he was ¡°particularly heartened¡± to see so many care-experienced graduates moving into postgraduate study immediately after 바카라사이트ir degree and said this could be because ¡°higher education is a supportive environment for care-experienced students, where 바카라사이트y are able to?thrive¡±.

However, he continued, ¡°it?is important to remember that care-experienced people remain massively under-represented in higher education, with just 13?per cent of care leavers going to university by 바카라사이트 age of?19¡±.

¡°Our findings now reinforce 바카라사이트 vital importance of effectively supporting care-experienced students into and through higher education, knowing that this will considerably improve 바카라사이트ir life chances,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com