Responsibilities of Education Stakeholders for Young Carers

Heliping the education sector support young carers to Improve attendance, close the attainment gap and achieve Ofsted/Estyn readiness through supporting existing wellbeing frameworks

• Identify young carers early and create safe opportunities for disclosure.

• Appoint a named lead or champion for young carers within the setting.

• Provide tailored support to address barriers to attendance, attainment and wellbeing.

• Make reasonable adjustments where caring responsibilities impact punctuality, homework, participation or behaviour.

• Work closely with families, local authorities and specialist young carer services to ensure coordinated support.

• Promote an inclusive culture where young carers feel understood, valued and not stigmatised.

Under safeguarding duties and inclusion frameworks, education providers are expected to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group and take proactive steps to ensure their caring role does not limit their educational opportunities or future life chances.ite your text here...

Under safeguarding duties and inclusion frameworks, education providers are expected to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group and take proactive steps to ensure their caring role does not limit their educational opportunities or future life chances.

Ofsted views young carers as a group that needs to be identified and supported within schools’ inclusive practice. Emerging inspection frameworks explicitly include young carers as part of inclusion criteria, meaning schools’ approaches to identifying and supporting them can influence inspection findings. The emphasis is on ensuring young carers access equitable education and support without lowered aspirations

Ofsted’s upcoming school inspection framework (from around late 2025) places inclusion at the core, and young carers are now explicitly referenced as part of that inclusion focus. Inspectors will look at whether schools identify young carers and provide appropriate support so they can attend, participate and achieve in education.

• Ofsted wants schools to show supportive practice

  Inspectors will expect schools to:

  identify young carers and understand their needs,

  provide tailored support for attendance, wellbeing and learning,

  ensure that they are not disadvantaged compared with their peers.