Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2021/22

School leavers post-school destinations

This section presents data on the destinations of the estimated 1,068 young people who were looked after during the period 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022 who left school during 2021/22. It also presents findings on school leavers who experienced care at any point since turning 5 (2,030 leavers) and at any point since turning 12 (1,356 leavers). This section covers pupils in publicly funded mainstream schools in the 32 local authorities, and one grant aided school.

Initial destinations relate to the activity undertaken by young people approximately three months after the end of the school year (October 2022). Follow-up destinations relate to activities undertaken 9 months after the end of the school year (April 2023). School leavers who are engaged in higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment or are undertaking personal skills development are classified as having a 'positive destination'. Other destinations include unemployed seeking, unemployed not seeking, and unknown. See background notes for more information.

Headline findings

• Over the last ten years, the proportion of leavers looked after within the year who were in a positive destination (initial and follow-up; 84.8% and 70.4%, respectively) after leaving school has increased. However, in 2021/22 looked after leavers continue to be less likely to be in a positive destination, particularly Higher Education, than all school leavers (initial and follow-up; 95.7% and 93.5%, respectively).
• In 2021/22, the gap between the proportion of leavers looked after within the year going on to Higher Education as an initial destination compared to all school leavers was 33.2 percentage points. This is the smallest the gap has been since 2009/10 (29.6 percentage points), and down compared with 2020/21 (37.4 percentage points) and in pre-pandemic 2018/19 (35.1 percentage points).
• In 2021/22, the gap between the proportion of leavers looked after within the year in a positive follow-up destination compared to all school leavers was 23.1 percentage points. This is down considerably since 2009/10 (44.0 percentage points) but relatively comparable to 2020/21 (22.2 percentage points) and at pre pandemic 2018/19 (21.5 percentage points).
• In 2021/22, the proportion of leavers in a positive follow-up destination was similar for those care-experienced at any point since turning 5 (73.1%) and leavers care-experienced at any point since turning 12 (70.5%), compared with those looked after within the year (70.4%). However, this was still lower than all leavers (93.5%).
• In 2021/22, of all community placements, leavers looked after within the year who were placed at home with parents had the lowest proportions in a positive destination at both initial (74.0%) and follow-up (56.2%). Those looked after with foster carers provided by the local authority had the highest proportion of leavers in a positive destination at both initial (94.8%) and follow-up (86.0%).

Impacts of COVID-19

For notes on impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on School Leaver Attainment see section 1.2.1 of Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations.

Initial destinations

In 2021/22, three months after leaving school, leavers looked after within the year (84.8%) were less likely to be in a positive destination than all school leavers (95.7%; Table 2.1). There were also notable differences between the initial destinations that school leavers went on to. Leavers looked after within the year were more likely to end up in further education (47.8%) than all school leavers (25.5%).On the other hand, they were considerably less likely to be in Higher Education (8.1%) than all school leavers (41.2%). These findings are likely to be related to looked after young people tending to leave school at earlier stages, coupled by their lower attainment levels when compared to all school leavers (see previous sections).

Experimental statistics show that, broadly, care experienced school leavers were less likely go on to a positive initial destination than all school leavers (Table 2.1). The proportion of leavers care-experienced at any point aged 12 or over in a positive destination (83.6%) is similar to leavers care-experienced at any point aged 5 or over (84.5%), as well as leavers looked after within the year (84.8%). In terms of the type of initial destination, a notable finding is that the proportion of school leavers who were in employment was slightly higher for those who experienced care since turning 5 (16.8%) than those who experienced care since turning 12 (14.8%) and those looked after within the year (14.1%). This suggests that leavers experiencing care at an earlier stage and not again are more likely to be in employment than those experiencing care whilst at secondary school, or during their leaver year. Nonetheless, this proportion remains lower than that of all school leavers (25.1%).

Table 2.1 Initial destinations of school leavers

Percentage of leavers by initial destination (3 months after leaving school) for school leavers looked after within the year, care experienced leavers, and all leavers, 2021/22.

[Note 1] Positive destinations includes higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment, personal skills development and activity agreements.

Follow-up destinations

In 2021/22, nine months after leaving school, school leavers looked after within the year (70.4%) were less likely to be in a positive destination than all school leavers (93.5%; Table 2.2). For school leavers looked after within the year this reflects a reduction of 14.4 percentage points from initial positive destinations, compared with 2.2 percentage points for all leavers. This suggests that not only are leavers looked after within the year less likely to arrive in a positive initial destination, but they are also less likely to stay there.

In terms of destination type, the greatest decrease between initial and follow-up proportions for school leavers looked after within the year was observed in Further Education (down 12.9 percentage points). Meanwhile, the proportion of school leavers looked after within the year who were unemployed increased (up by 6.7 percentage points). As such, it is possible that dropping out of Further Education increases the proportions of looked after care leavers who are unemployed, thereby reducing the overall proportion of looked after school leavers in a positive destination at follow-up. However, it is also important to note that the proportion of school leavers looked after within the year with an unknown destination increased at follow-up (up by 7.8 percentage points). This loss of information at follow-up likely contributed to the reduction in school leavers looked after within the year who were in positive destinations.

Experimental statistics show that leavers care-experienced at any point aged 5 or over, and leavers care-experienced at any point aged 12 or over were also less likely to be in a positive destination at follow-up than all school leavers (Table 2.2). The proportion of school leavers in a positive destination who experienced care since turning 5 (73.1%) is slightly higher than for those who experienced cared since turning 12 (70.5%), and those looked after within the last year (70.4%). For school leavers who experienced care since turning 5, this reflects a reduction of 11.4 percentage points at follow-up. For those who experienced care since turning 12 this reflects a reduction of 13.0 percentage points at follow-up. The greatest decrease between initial and follow-up proportions for care experienced leavers were observed for those in Further Education (down 12.2 percentage points for those experiencing care since turning 12; and down 11.5 percentage points for those experiencing care since turning 5). Meanwhile, the proportions of care experienced leavers who were unemployed increased between initial and follow-up destinations (up by 6.5 percentage points for those experiencing care since turning 12; and up 5.7 percentage points for those experiencing care since turning 5). Increases in the proportion of care experienced leavers with an unknown destination likely contributes to the overall reduction in the overall proportions of those in positive destinations at follow-up. 

Table 2.2 Follow-up destinations of school leavers

Percentage of leavers by follow-up destination (9 months after leaving school) for school leavers looked after within the year, care experienced leavers, and all leavers, 2021/22.

[Note 1] Positive destinations includes higher education, further education, training, voluntary work, employment, personal skills development and activity agreements.

Longer term trends show that the gap between looked after school leavers and all school leavers for follow-up positive destinations has narrowed over the past decade (Chart 4b). In 2011/12, 57.9% of looked after school leavers were in a positive destination 9 months after leaving school compared with 89.8% of all school leavers. This reflects a difference of 31.8 percentage points, compared with a 23.1 percentage points gap in 2021/22. The improvement in the gap between looked after school leavers and all leavers was primarily driven by an increase in the proportions of looked after leavers who go on to Further Education, which is up from 22.1% in 2011/12 to 34.9% in 2021/22 (supporting Table 2.2). Additionally, this could also be explained by a reduction in the proportions of looked after school leavers who are unemployed and seeking has more than halved from 30.4% in 2011/12 to 11.2% in 2021/22 (supporting Table 2.2).

The most notable increases in the proportion of looked after school leavers in a positive follow-up destination occurred between 2009/10 and 2013/14. This then stabilised up until 2016/17 during which the proportion of looked after school leavers in a positive follow-up destination increased to 71.8%. Since then, the proportion of looked after school leavers in a positive follow-up destination has stayed around this level, peaking in 2019/20 (75.3%) followed by a decline between 2020/21 (71.0%) and 2021/22 (70.4%).Whilst it is true that all leavers saw a decrease in the proportion of children in a positive destination between initial and follow-up survey each year since 2009/10, this effect is more pronounced for leavers looked after within the year. In 2009/10,  the proportion of all leavers in a positive destination dropped by 1.8 percentage points between initial and follow-up surveys. By comparison, the drop for leavers looked after within the year was 16.2 percentage points.

Positive destinations by placement type

As shown in Table 2.3, the proportion of leavers looked after within the year who went on to a positive destination varies by placement type. Specifically, leavers looked after within the year placed in community settings were more likely to be in a positive destination when compared to those in residential settings, at both initial and follow-up.

For school leavers looked after within the year placed in community settings, those who had been placed with foster carers provided by a local authority were most likely to be in positive initial destinations (94.8%). This was closely followed by those placed with foster carers purchased by a local authority (94.3%), and those placed with kinship carers (89.3%). At follow-up, a similar pattern is observed. School leavers looked after within the year who had been placed with foster carers provided by a local authority were most likely to be in positive destination (86.0%), followed by those with foster carers purchased by a local authority (79.2%), and followed by those placed with kinship carers (77.6%). Notably, those placed in other community placements had a higher proportion of school leavers in a positive destination at follow-up (83.3%) than foster carers purchased by a local authority, although this relates to a much smaller number of school leavers (6).School leavers placed at home with parents had the lowest proportions in a positive destination at both initial and follow-up (74.0% and 56.2%, respectively).

Furthermore, looked after school leavers with more than one placement during the year showed similar proportions in initial (74.4%) and follow-up (56.6%) positive destinations as those placed at home with parents. Additionally, both of these placement categories showed the greatest decrease between initial and follow-up destinations (down 17.8 percentage points). This was followed by foster carers purchased by a local authority (down 15.1 percentage points) and those placed with kinship carers (down 15.1 percentage points).

For looked after school leavers placed in residential accommodation, the highest proportion in a positive initial destination were those placed in a local authority home (86.3%) and other residential accommodation (76.2%). At follow-up, the highest proportion in a positive destination were those placed in a voluntary home (75.0%) and those in a local authority home (67.4%). The greatest decrease in the proportion of looked after school leavers in initial and follow-up destination was found for those placed in other residential settings (down 21.4 percentage points) and those in a local authority home (down 18.9 percentage points).