§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research his Department has conducted into the educational qualifications obtained by children in residential care compared to those of similar ages in the general population; and if he will make a statement. [80472]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe Department has recently conducted (or been involved in) extensive research into the educational qualifications of looked after children although these research projects have not looked exclusively at children in residential care homes. Available evidence suggests that children in residential care have much poorer outcomes than those in a stable foster care placement.
Figures on the educational achievements of care leavers are collected by the Department of Health. Full data is available on these achievements for 6,555 children who left care in the year ending March 2001. Of these just over a quarter (n=1,715) were in residential placements. Among this group, 22 per cent. achieved one or more GCSEs compared to 41 per cent. of those in other types of placements—Department of Health (2001).
The Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Health and the Local Government Association have commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to undertake research into the educational achievement at Key Stage 4 of children in public care. This research is exploring in greater depth the Key Stage 4 performance of a cohort of pupils who were in public care in summer 2001. This includes children in residential care homes.
The Department has also just commissioned NFER to conduct research to identify best practice among schools and LEAs in helping these children to fulfil their educational potential. The research will include children in residential care homes although they will not be a specific focus of the research. The Department has also been working closely with the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) on its project on raising the educational attainment of children in care. The SEU will report in early 2003.