·       Young carers are missing 23 days of school every year on average – that’s more than a month in total

·       Almost half of young carers at secondary school are ‘persistently absent’, a crackdown on which has been announced by the new Government

·       Yet just 46% of teachers think their school provides the support young carers need, while 23% of young carers say they get no support at all

·       Carers Trust calls on the UK Government to improve support by introducing a Young Carers Pupil Premium

Young carers are absent from school for 23 days of the school year, missing more than a month of their education on average, a new report shows. 

The figures have been published in a report on young carer education today (26th September) by UK charity Carers Trust. The report includes polling of teachers, a survey of pupils who are providing care for others, plus analysis of school attendance data. It comes at a time when the new Government has ordered an England-wide crackdown on the number of pupils who are persistently absent. 

Data from the Department for Education shows that, in 2022-23, young carers missed 23 days of school on average – more than a month of their education. This compared to just 14 days for their peers. Analysis by Carers Trust shows almost half (46%) of young carers were persistently absent from secondary school in England that year – missing at least one day of school per fortnight.

Carers Trust research shows a lack of support could be a major factor behind this absence. In a poll of 8,231 teachers in England carried out by Teacher Tapp for Carers Trust, just under half (46%) thought their schools provided the support that young carers need. Nearly a quarter of young carers (23%) told a separate Carers Trust survey they received no support from their school or college at all.

One young carer said: “There is not even time to breathe. All the stress at home is affecting my performance at school and I don't always have people at home to ask for help.”

Another said: “My attendance is a big issue if my mum is unwell and needs my help. But when that has happened school have put it down as an unauthorised absence.”

There are an estimated one million young carers in the UK, with ages ranging from just five to 17. Of these, around 15,000 are caring for more than 50 hours per week, including 3,000 children aged five to nine. Caring is taking a heavy toll on all areas of their education, with 44% telling Carers Trust’s survey they are struggling to study for tests or exams and nearly half (48%) saying they have been bullied in the past year because they were a carer. Nearly one in three (30%) are regularly late for school due to the demands of their caring role.

Carers Trust is now calling for the UK Government to introduce a Young Carers Pupil Premium. Linked to the existing Pupil Premium funding for other disadvantaged pupils. The scheme would provide schools with some of the funding and flexibility they need for staff to be able to identify and better support their young carers.

Carers Trust CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said:

“The new Government has come in with a vow to tackle what it calls an absence epidemic. However, any national crackdown needs to recognise why young carers miss nine more school days on average than their classmates. This isn’t about irresponsible young people or parents – quite the opposite. Young carers are some of the most responsible people in society.

“This is a problem that’s been hiding in plain sight for years but many teachers and schools lack the tools and funding to tackle it. We need a revolution in the identification and support for young carers in our education system, supported by the introduction of a Young Carers Pupil Premium. You don’t need a GCSE in maths to work out the difference that would make to young carers’ lives and educational attainment.”