Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of support provided to care leavers to access higher education.

This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to pursue higher education (HE), regardless of their background.

HE has an important role in giving care leavers the skills they need to succeed in life. To ensure that care experienced students are supported to gain the qualifications needed to access HE, the department has rolled out post-16 funding to all local authorities which can be used for attainment raising interventions such as additional tutoring. The department is also making the virtual school head role for children with a social worker statutory, enabling earlier intervention to address the educational barriers care experienced children face. Care leavers attending HE are entitled to statutory support from the government, including a bursary of £2000 and accommodation support up to the age of 25, if they require it. In addition, all HE providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) that intend to charge higher level tuition fees are required to have an Access and Participation Plan approved by the OfS. These plans articulate how providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. In creating their plans, providers should consider the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register which details 12 key sector risks across the student lifecycle and the student groups most likely to experience these, including care leavers. Many HE providers have demonstrated positive examples of supporting care leavers, including targeted bursaries, pastoral support and mentoring.

In November the government set out five priorities for an ambitious programme of reform of the HE system, working in partnership with providers and the regulator, the OfS. The department will expect HE providers to play an even stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes, tackling gaps between disadvantaged students and others and making the most of the opportunities presented by the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

The department also published its policy paper ‘Keeping children safe, helping families thrive’. The department is absolutely committed to ensuring that children leaving care have safe and stable accommodation, access to health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships and are engaged in education, employment and training.