‘Closing the Gap’: How is the Use of Non-Mainstream Schools Related to the Educational Outcomes of Children in Public Care?

Abstract In high-income countries, children ‘in care’ have, on average, much lower educational attainment than their peers. We explore the hypothesis that this gap can be lessened by reducing the use of non-mainstream schools (NMS). We analysed a national longitudinal data-set comprising state-educated children eligible for national examinations in 2013 at the age of sixteen years (n = 642,805), including a sub-sample of 4,847 children looked after continuously in state care for at least a year on 31 March 2013 (CLA12). Nearly four out of ten CLA12 were in NMS at the age of sixteen years: this proportion varied widely between authorities. The academic attainment of those in NMS was very low and lower on average in authorities making high use of NMS. These differences were not explained by differences in child characteristics. We argue that care removes children from stress at home and offers them an opportunity to realise their academic potential. However, concentrating children with very low attainments, behavioural problems or highly specialised needs in long-term settings makes it difficult to realise this potential. Real needs for individualised teaching in a supportive setting should be flexibly met in mainstream schools, special units within these schools or, at the most, short-term placements in NMS. Most English children get their secondary education in mainstream local schools. A minority are educated in ‘non-mainstream’ schools (NMS), aimed at the special needs of particular groups. We show that ‘children in public care’ are particularly likely to enter NMS; that those doing so had much lower academic attainment than expected from their characteristics, and that authorities making high use of NMS had lower than expected average attainment amongst their children in care. The high use of NMS for this group most probably reflects a desire to respond to their low attainment and difficulties in adjusting to school. Care removes children from family stress at the root of these problems. NMS designed for children whose low attainment stems from varied causes could be a step towards seizing this opportunity but risk locking in long-term low attainment. We argue that stable, supportive placements offer children in care a chance to catch up academically. Some mainstream schools also meet the special educational needs of children in care, enable academic catch up and thus substantially increase their life chances. Such schools comply with internationally en