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Purford Green School

Purford Green School

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Purford Green Primary wins award for young carer support

Purford Green Primary school has been given a Bronze award for their work to make sure students don’t miss out on an education because they are young carers.

Young carers are responsible for emotional, practical or physical care for a parent, sibling or other family member who has a physical disability, mental health issue or substance misuse issue. The 2011 Census statistics revealed that there are just over 166,000 young carers in England, but research reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The true figure could be closer to 700,000 young carers in England, equivalent to one in 12 school children many of whom are unrecognised and unsupported.

 

Purford Green has demonstrated that they support young carers in many ways, including drop-in sessions with a member of staff who is responsible for this vulnerable group of pupils.  Vital information about how to identify young carers is made available to all school staff, and noticeboards and the school webpage lets students and their families know where to go for help.

 

Associate Headteacher, Rhonda Smith said: ‘We recognise that there are enormous pressures on children who care for someone in their household and they have a lot of additional responsibilities which can impact on their own childhood significantly. We are committed to ensuring that any young carer in our school receives the emotional support needed to enable them to be successful in their life journey.’