The battle with education
The next topic to talk about is my experience in education. This is something I’ll probably come back to a few times, because like most of the things I aim to talk about in this blog there’s a lot to unpack but let’s start with the school I can remember most; secondary school.
My education was never a priority, don’t get me wrong I’ve been called ‘bright’ my whole life, but I had other thing to focus on. My relationship with school was a difficult one, I honestly don’t know how else to explain it other than I was a ‘naughty kid’, I spent a lot of time wandering the corridors, in isolation or arguing with any teacher who tried to tell me what to do. There were certain classes like French and Geography that I wasn’t welcome in due to my behaviour, which was fine by me because they were bad teachers, and I don’t say that as a 12-year-old who doesn’t care about the meander of a river, I say that as a 20 year old woman who knows that some people just aren’t made to teach, or to be social workers, or parents. I had several distasteful experiences with the staff at my secondary school, the first being in Year 8 when one of my form tutors ripped into me at a parents evening calling me a disrespectful attention seeker. I’m not denying that I’m an attention seeker, I love being the centre of attention, I’m just extroverted in that way or maybe I was being deprived of it at home, but who says that about a 12-year-old without even questioning why they’re acting that way. Looking back now, there were so many signs that I was a child in need that the people around me missed, which is disappointing when you consider most of these people are trained to see these things. But instead of looking deeper I was just another ‘naughty kid’.
There has been an educational attainment gap between those who grew up in care and those who don’t forever, but it’s crazy that this is still an issue. In 2022 only 7.2% of cared for children achieved a grade 5 at GCSE, which is considered a ‘good pass’, compared to 40% of non-cared for children. Is this because their lack the ability to gain these grades or is it a failing system. The government, or more specifically local authorities, take custody of these children but then fail to act as a pushy enough corporate parent to ensure they achieve everything they are capable of – for context Corporate Parent means the collective responsibility of the council, elected members, employees, and partner agencies for providing the best possible care for the children who are looked after by that authority. There are other barriers which effect our educational achievement such as cared for children being less likely to attend the best schools- despite it being law that ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools be prioritised for cared for children- and being placed in unregulated education or accommodation. How is this still issue in 2024? Surely the education and future of our cared for children is a priority for the government, not because we are in care but because legally, we are THEIR child, and what parent doesn’t want to do everything they can to make sure their children reach their potential? A bad one to put it nicely.
For me, going into care allowed me priorities my education, having a stable environment to return to after a school day helped me focus on changing my behaviour issues and in turn think about my education and future. That didn’t mean I just stopped being excluded and put in isolation, because when I was struggling, I would usually revert to my previous coping mechanisms which didn’t fit well with my lesson timetable. I know that there was a huge difference in my behaviour before and after I was taken into care, but not everyone wanted to acknowledge that. There were staff who saw the difference and supported me through the transition to foster care, and thereafter, and they’re the people who really defined my school experience not the ones who spent five years convinced I’d fail my GCSE’s never mind get a degree. I hope they see me on ITV or BBC one day and change their backward opinions on young people who struggle behaviourally and/or have experienced the care system.
For the people who supported me no matter how difficult I was there aren’t enough words in the English dictionary to express how grateful I am, because if it wasn’t for you seeing that I could achieve everything I have, I would have succumbed to the negative opinions some people had. In the words of an A-Level sociology student, I would’ve lived up to the self-fulfilling prophecy of every young cared for child in the UK.
POV of a Foster Kid, Jess x
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