Navigating Higher Education as a Foster Kid

The list of reasons as to why I wanted to go to university is a lengthy one, it was initially because my foster mum was so proud of her son for being at university I thought I’d get that same treatment if I perused similar aspirations; then it became more of a ‘wanting to break they cycle’ situation. Yes, I’m at University because I want better career opportunities, but I’m also here to show the thousands of children in care that think they don’t belong in higher education that they are wrong.

14% of care leavers go to university compared to 47% of all young people, according to Civitas. This statistic speaks volumes and shows that people who grew up in care face unbelievable challenges that deters them from accessing further education. The facts continue to support this with 75% of care leavers being less likely to attend sixth form and twice as likely to not be in any education, employment, or training after KS4. The lack of care leaver representation in the media, within higher education and high earning careers is something that I believe needs to change, I’m determined to shatter the glass ceiling that nobody else seems to acknowledge. If we don’t see ourselves represented as good enough to reach these positions, why would we ever try?

The road to where I am now was a difficult one, with being made independent at seventeen and having all the worries of adulthood on one shoulder and the pressure of my a-levels on the other. Failing both my A-Level mocks was the slap in the face that made me recognise I didn’t have the same stability and opportunities as my peers, and that I was going to have to work harder than them for the same reward. In my mind, university was the only option. I had to move out of my flat in September either way so for me it was university, or potentially facing homelessness. It’s all these additional worries, such as accommodation, finances, moving away and a lack of a support system, that cared for children have that really deters them from pursuing higher education. We have more on our shoulders than most young people, which is why I believe that where possible the government and local authorities should try and make those weights a little lighter.

All care leavers in the UK are entitled to maximum student loan, which is one of the main government initiatives to encourage us to go to university, but past that the support offered for care leavers is a postcode lottery. The Department of Education says “Care leavers should be supported to access appropriate education or training that will enable them to fulfil their goals. This will include the statutory support available to care leavers, such as the £2,000 bursary for care leavers in Higher Education” but past that it’s dependent on your local authority. For example, my local authority pays for my accommodation and gives me a weekly allowance, but the council next door might only offer the basic £2,000 across three years. It’s completely ludicrous that care leaver support at university is based on what your council decides, and isn’t universal across the UK.

One of the most important things you can do when applying to university as a care leaver is check what support your university has in place, not all universities will offer guaranteed 52-week accommodation, not all universities will offer bursary or scholarship schemes, or guaranteed work. These are things anyone who is care-experienced should be considering when choosing the best university for them, as it will completely change your university experience.

Become, a charity that is working towards reforming the care system and also run the search engine Propel, want to push care-leavers to reach further education. Rebecca Jones, the Senior Advice and Support Officer for Higher and Further Education, told me 'University is actually a viable option for those who have been in the care system - just knowing that it is there, accessible and available is such a massive thing, and something that we have to fight for'.

My time at university has been one of the most positive and stable times of my life, and I’m forever grateful that I’m able to defy the odds and act as a role model for other cared for children. I believe the issue with children’s social care, especially when it comes to care leavers accessing university, is the lack of consistency across the system. I’ve met some social workers who choose not to discuss higher education with their young people because even they believe ‘it’s not for them’.  We recognise that there is a barrier between care experienced people and university, but we – and by we, I mean social services, universities, schools, the government, and even other care leavers- fail to dismantle the view that university is ‘not a place for kids like me’.

POV of a Foster Kid, Jess x