Young people growing up in care in parts of London are more than four times more likely to go on to university than their peers elsewhere, according to a new analysis.

Between 2006-07 and 2020-21, just 13 per cent of those with experience of the care system progressed to higher education nationwide, the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) found.

But a report by University of Exeter academic Neil Harrison identified “substantial variation” in participation rates across England.

The research aims to correct an “evidence gap”, which has seen analysis of the link between care and higher education focus on the national level and overlook regional patterns.

ߣߣ��Ƶ

“This stark disparity should concern all of us,” Denise Rawls, executive director of the NNECL, writes in her introduction .

“More importantly, it should challenge the assumption that low participation is inevitable. Some local authorities achieve significantly stronger outcomes than others, demonstrating that barriers can be overcome when aspiration, opportunity and effective support are brought together.”

ߣߣ��Ƶ

Despite overall rates of participation remaining low across the board, those who had experienced the care system in areas such as the East Midlands and South West were less likely to progress to university than their peers’ average attendance rate in London – at 9 per cent versus 21 per cent.

In fact, the capital “stands apart”, with most local authorities in London recording higher participation rates than most other areas of England.

In North East Lincolnshire, for instance, just 6 per cent went on to university, while in the boroughs of Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea that proportion was as high as 27 per cent.

London also has a notably higher rate among care-experienced young people with five or more “good” GCSEs including English and mathematics – registering at 60 per cent, versus between 41 and 51 per cent for other regions.

Meanwhile, across nearly every region and local authority, participation rates are “substantially higher” in places with higher proportions of care-experienced young people who are women; from black and ethnic minority communities; and those who do not have special educational needs or disabilities.

ߣߣ��Ƶ

“Care-experienced young people are more likely to access higher education in areas where it is culturally normalised, where Key Stage 4 attainment is higher, and where communities are more ethnically diverse,” the report notes.

“These factors account for some, but not all, of the London uplift in participation rates.”

Care-experienced young women were nearly twice as likely as men to go on to university, at 17 per cent versus 9 per cent – echoing differing participation rates between the sexes in the wider population, although “the contrast is even more evident”.

ߣߣ��Ƶ

In response to the findings, the NNECL wants to see local authorities extend their support for care leavers engaged in education from age 25 to age 30, giving young people more time to pursue opportunities.

It also wants to see its NNECL quality mark – an accolade demonstrating further and higher education providers’ commitment to welcoming care-experienced and estranged students – made a mandatory standard.

Universities currently bearing the badge include Liverpool John Moores, York, Bristol, Exeter and Salford.

Commenting on his research, Harrison, a specialist in education and social justice, said: “This is the first time that we have been able to look in detail at what is happening for care-experienced young people at the local level. We see stark differences in the likelihood of young people progressing to higher education depending on where they live. While there are demographic factors at work, this analysis also makes clear that local practice matters in understanding educational pathways and access to opportunities.”

ߣߣ��Ƶ

He continued: “It is important to recognise that many different organisations contribute to the educational trajectories of care-experienced young people. While this new study is framed around local authority areas, it is the overall educational ecosystem that matters. Local authorities themselves are only part of the jigsaw.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com