MEMBER NEWS: Research shows it's worth skipping a class for mentoring

This article, originally published by TES and written by Emma Seith, discusses how new research shows big gains over a short period of time for care-experienced pupils - if they have the support of a trusted adult.

We have known for decades that looked-after children do worse in school. In more recent times, there has been a real will to do something about it. The result has been some improvement but the pace of change has been glacial and there's a long way to go before the results of looked-after children are on a par with their peers.

The latest statistics, for instance, show that 39 per cent of looked-after children gain one or more National 5 or equivalent, against 86 per cent of all school leavers.

It's no mystery why this gulf exists - the Independent Care Review, published earlier this month, found that the current care system was "fractured, bureaucratic and unfeeling"; it called for Scotland to start parenting, not processing, looked-after children.

In other words, the challenge schools face is that when you have lived through the trauma of being taken from your family - irrespective of how dysfunctional that family was - and having multiple placements and schools, qualifications can take a back seat.

But a report - published just ahead of the Care Review - indicates big gains are possible for looked-after children over short periods of time. It was published by MCR pathways mentoring programme, which is now established in 10 Scottish councils.

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