Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network in Scotland, said: ‘The Fostering Network welcomes the continued improvement in academic achievement by looked after children in Scotland, as indicated in the Scottish Government’s report released this week.

‘It is very encouraging to see an improvement in the educational outcomes of looked after children in Scotland, and especially to see that children in foster care have the most positive outcomes. While we cannot expect dramatic and immediate change in educational outcomes for young people in care, it is positive to see a consistent improvement over time. There is clearly still a long way to go, but we have long maintained that foster care works and can improve educational outcomes – and this report clearly shows that to be the case. 

‘Foster carers play a vital role as primary educators for looked after children, and these figures reflect the positive impact that they are having. We should also take the time to congratulate the individual children behind these statistics who have made good progress educationally, and to ensure that we continue to examine why others are not achieving and to put in place individual care plans for them that can support their educational development.

‘We are aspirational for all children, and we want to celebrate the successes, educational or otherwise, of children who grow up living in foster care. Scotland has an ambition of being the best place in the world for children to grow up, and ensuring that all children – regardless of their background – can meet their potential academically is one way in which we can meet that ambition

‘The Fostering Network will continue to develop our projects and programmes which aim to improve the educational aspirations of looked after children, ensure they have the same educational opportunities as their peers, and celebrate the achievements of children living with foster families.’
 

You can read the full statistical release on the Scottish Government website.