Jay, Matthew A; (2021) An epidemiological study of participation in secondary schooling by children receiving social care in England. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: A fundamental right to education is enshrined in human rights instruments owing to its known links to health and well-being across life. In England, there is limited evidence that children with exposure to children’s social care (CSC), such as children looked after (CLA) and children in need (CiN), are more likely to be off-rolled (an illegal practice whereby children are removed from the school) or formally excluded by the school. My PhD investigates non-enrolment and formal exclusion across secondary school using the National Pupil Database and national CSC data. METHODS: I identified ~1M children in state schools in year 7 in 2011/12 and 2012/13. The exposure was defined as the highest of the following over a period starting in primary school: no CSC; CiN; on a child protection plan; CLA. Outcomes were the cumulative incidence of non-enrolment across years 8 to 11 (had >1 year not enrolled), non-enrolment in years 10 and 11 (and sat <5 General Certificate of Secondary Education exams) and formal exclusions across years 7 to 11. To explore the association between CSC and non-enrolment and exclusion, including their geographical variation, I employed hierarchical logistic regression. RESULTS: Children with CSC history were more likely to be non-enrolled across years 8 to 11, especially in years 10 and 11. Children with CSC were also more likely to be excluded across secondary school. These relationships persisted after adjusting for confounders. There was significant variation in non-enrolment and exclusion rates across local authorities and non-enrolment was more common in London. CONCLUSION: Non-enrolment in administrative records, though not a perfect measure, is likely to be driven largely by off-rolling. These findings could inform policy and legislative reform to reduce exclusions and non-enrolment by schools of children who have required support from CSC during childhood. This should involve better data collection on children not in state schools and interventions that address the systemic factors that drive exclusion, formally and informally, from school.

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