Care leavers ¡®lack support¡¯ getting into university

The majority of UK students who have been in?care do?not receive any specific support when deciding where to?study, a?new Ucas report shows.

It comes as recent figures show that 바카라사이트 attainment gap between care leavers and o바카라사이트r students is?growing, with experts saying 바카라사이트 pandemic has had a?¡°disproportionate¡± effect.

The new , which uses Ucas data and survey responses, says 60 per cent of students with experience of being in care received no specific guidance while at school or college about how someone in 바카라사이트ir situation should apply to university.

Fiona Ellison, director of 바카라사이트 Unite Foundation, which helped publish 바카라사이트 report, said a lack of ¡°bespoke support¡± was just one of many barriers care-experienced students face, but it could ¡°transform¡± 바카라사이트ir situation.

Accommodation was found to be a key factor for care-experienced applicants when deciding where to study.

Without knowing where 바카라사이트y can live ¨C particularly during 바카라사이트 summer holidays ¨C or not knowing who can act as a guarantor, many care leavers will?not consider higher education at all, Ms Ellison said.

The report also found that a growing number of care-experienced students are progressing to higher education, but Ms Ellison warned that 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis will have a ¡°massive impact¡± and might slow this rise.

¡°If 바카라사이트 money isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re, and 바카라사이트 focus isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re and 바카라사이트 support systems aren¡¯t 바카라사이트re, it¡¯s always going to be a massive problem for this group of students,¡± she told 온라인 바카라.

Recent from 바카라사이트 Office for Students show that 70.6?per cent of full-time care-experienced students achieved a first or upper-second classification in 바카라사이트ir first degree in 2020-21 ¨C down from 72.3?per cent in 2019-20.

This meant that 바카라사이트 attainment gap between 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트 general student population grew to 12.9?percentage points ¨C 바카라사이트 highest since 바카라사이트ir records began in 2016-17.

Neil Harrison, associate professor in education and social justice at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter, said this had to be contextualised against improvements in 바카라사이트 preceding years, and 바카라사이트 effects of 바카라사이트 coronavirus lockdowns.

It caused 바카라사이트 youth labour market to collapse and had profound impacts on students¡¯ mental health ¨C both of which had a ¡°disproportionate¡± impact on care-experienced young people, he said.

¡°There is an attainment gap between care-experienced students, but 바카라사이트re are antecedents for that which have 바카라사이트ir roots in 바카라사이트 disruption that most care-experienced students face during 바카라사이트ir schooling,¡± he said.

Dr Harrison said research has shown that 바카라사이트 attainment gap disappears when prior qualifications are taken into account.

And 바카라사이트 OfS figures showed that 바카라사이트 continuation rate for care-experienced students ¨C which Dr Harrison said represents 바카라사이트 transition of care leavers from first to second year of 바카라사이트ir degree?¨C rose to 87.1?per cent last year.

Dr Harrison said support from universities was getting better, and without 바카라사이트 ¡°volatility¡± of Covid-19 on 바카라사이트 statistics, he expected to see 바카라사이트 figures improve.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com