From January 2023 young carers have been included in the annual school census which gives a great opportunity to build accurate data on the number of young carers in education across the UK.

The results of the first year were released in June – showing 38,983 young carers recorded nationally, which was a lower-than-expected figure What was shocking about the data was that 80% of schools across the county recorded no young carers at all. This means in many parts of the country schools simply do not have the knowledge of which of their students have caring responsibilities – so they aren’t able to offer them the tailored support needed to overcome the barriers they may face in education.

In Gloucestershire, we have worked closely with schools to prepare them for the census including creating a guide to help them. We also exchange information each academic year with the 250+Young Carer School Leads across the county so that it is clear who the young carers are that attend each school (those registered with GYC who have agreed to share information). In Jan 2023 Gloucestershire schools recorded just under 500 young carers through the census (1 in 20 pupils) – this is a good start, but we know it’s an underestimate – so we are hoping that through our work with schools in the run up to the 2024 census we can see an increase in this figure.

The census results are a reminder that support for young carers across the UK is a postcode lottery. We are proud that in Gloucestershire, GYC is able to work closely with schools to ensure that young carers are identified, understood and supported in their education settings.