Young Carers
Who is a Young Carer?
A Young Carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 who provides care, help or emotional support to someone close to them. This might be a parent, sibling, relative or friend who has an illness, disability, mental health difficulty or addiction and needs additional support in their daily life.
Young people may take on caring responsibilities in different ways. This could include helping with household tasks, looking after siblings, providing emotional support or helping someone with their everyday needs.
Why is support important?
Balancing school with caring responsibilities can be challenging. Young Carers may have additional pressures that can affect their attendance, learning, friendships, wellbeing and ability to take part fully in school life.
Research highlighted by Carers Trust in its 2024 report Caring and Classes: The Education Gap for Young Carers found that:
- Young Carers missed an average of 23 days of education.
- 46% of Young Carers in secondary schools in England were persistently absent during 2022/23, meaning they missed at least 10% of their education.
- 48% said they had experienced bullying during the previous year.
- 44% frequently found it difficult to prepare for tests or examinations because of their caring responsibilities.
- 30% were regularly late to school as a result of the demands of their caring role.
These figures demonstrate why it is important that schools recognise Young Carers and provide appropriate support. A caring role should not prevent a young person from succeeding academically, developing positive relationships or enjoying their time at school.
Our commitment to Young Carers
At The Joseph Rowntree School, we are committed to identifying and supporting students who have caring responsibilities. We want every Young Carer to feel understood, valued and able to achieve their potential.
Mrs Knox is our Young Carers Champion in school and is the key point of contact for students and families. She works alongside our pastoral team to understand the individual circumstances of each Young Carer and help put appropriate support in place.
If you are a student or parent/carer and would like to discuss a caring role, please contact Mrs Knox at ekn@josephrowntreeschool.
We recognise that no two caring situations are the same, so the support offered will be considered on an individual basis. Our aim is to provide a safe and supportive environment where Young Carers can talk openly about their circumstances, ask for help and feel confident that they will be listened to.
Support available
Depending on their individual needs, Young Carers at The Joseph Rowntree School may be able to access:
- Regular opportunities to check in with a member of the pastoral team and discuss any concerns.
- Support from our Young Carers Champion, Mrs Knox.
- Additional help with organisation, homework, revision and access to learning resources where caring responsibilities affect their education.
- Support with attendance and punctuality where these are impacted by a student's caring role.
- Consideration of appropriate adjustments to help students manage the demands of school alongside their responsibilities at home.
- Support during key transitions, including moving between year groups and preparing for post-16 education, training or employment.
- Access to wider school wellbeing and pastoral support.
- Liaison with parents and carers to ensure that the school understands the support a young person may need.
- Signposting and referrals to appropriate external services and specialist Young Carer organisations when additional support is required.
Working together
We believe that effective support comes from working closely with students, families and appropriate external organisations.
If a student is identified as a Young Carer, we will talk with them about their circumstances and, where appropriate, work with their parents or carer to identify what would make school life easier. We can also help families find out about support available in the local community.
Our staff are encouraged to be aware of the challenges Young Carers can face and to respond sensitively when caring responsibilities affect attendance, concentration, deadlines, behaviour or wellbeing.
We also aim to raise awareness across the school community so that students understand what a Young Carer is, recognise that caring responsibilities can affect young people in different ways, and know where they can go for help.
If you are a Young Carer
If you look after someone at home and think you might be a Young Carer, you do not have to manage everything on your own.
Speaking to a trusted member of staff is a good first step. You can talk to Mrs Knox, our Young Carers Champion, your Progress Leader, a member of the pastoral team or another adult in school that you feel comfortable approaching.
You can also contact Mrs Knox directly by email:
ekn@josephrowntreeschool.co.uk
Letting us know about your caring responsibilities means we can better understand your circumstances and work with you to make sure you have the support you need to learn, succeed and enjoy school.
Find more information about York Young Carers here: https://www.