Academic Achievement Of Children And Young People Education Essay

Academic Achievement Of Children And Young People Education Essay For my dissertation topic, I decided to focus on the area of ‘academic achievement of children and young people in care’, and try to discover if looked-after children and young people are being failed by the system. I became interested in this area as I have came across many different reports from various agencies and also from the media that education of young people in public care is a cause for concern. For me to do my literature review I will carry-out research from different academic articles which is relevant to my dissertation title, I will describe and analyse the knowledge which exists within these articles which will help me identify the scope and key issues surrounding my title. With reference to Jackson and Simon 2005, ‘Children who grow up in local authority care, ‘looked-after’ under the Children Act 1989, are 4 times more likely than others to require the help of mental health services; 9 times more likely to have special needs requirin g assessment, support or therapy; 7 times more likely to misuse alcohol or drugs; 50 times more likely to wind up in prison; 60 times more likely to become homeless, and 66 times more likely to have children needing public care’. These are all huge issues which do affect individuals in the public care sector. One way to overcome many of these problems is ‘education’, if these individuals were getting the right educational outcomes and qualifications it would provide them with a better quality of adult life. ‘Each step up the educational ladder is associated with improvements in health, both mental and physical; employment, income, housing, family life, absence of additional problems and lower risk of involvement with the criminal justice system’, (Jackson and Simon, 2005). Jackson and Mc Parlin 2006, ‘argue that the poor outcomes for individuals who have spent time in care as children can be confidently linked to educational failure, and that t he care and education systems must bear a heavy responsibility for this’. Pre-care experiences can play a massive part in depressing attainment, but also the outcome of certain experiences when children get removed from their families can cause a huge impact in their lives. ‘Teachers often know nothing or very little of the child’s history and the training they receive do not equip them to understand the care system or to manage the behaviour of looked-after children, (Comfort, 2004). Pithouse et al 2002, accept that ‘carers urgently need more training and support, including advice from psychologists, but point out that the overused term ‘challenging behaviour’ obscures a wide variety of problems arising from the children’s previous experience of life in chaotic and neglectful households and the uncertainties and disappointments associated with being in care’. Many children entering care, do so over the age of 10, and may only be spending a short time in care. ‘Consequently, a child’s pre-care experience is one of the most important influences on their journey through care’ Hannon et al 2010. No matter what background a child in care has, they must be giving the same chance as any other child to make the most of their talents and potential. For this to be achieved schools can help by boosting a child’s health and well-being, by mounting self confidence and self esteem, as educational outcomes are powerfully influenced by a child’s emotional, mental and physical health.