There are awards, and then there are the ones that quietly say something important about how a school looks after its own. This week, The Springfields Academy picked up one of the latter — a national accolade recognising its work with young carers.
Based in Calne and part of Reach South Academy Trust, the school has been presented with a Young Carers in Schools award, a scheme run by The Children’s Society and Carers Trust. It’s not handed out lightly. Schools have to show, in practical terms, how they identify and support pupils who are carrying responsibilities well beyond their years.
Young carers — those under 18 helping to look after a family member — are often easy to miss. The signs aren’t always obvious, and many keep quiet about what’s going on at home. Yet the numbers are sobering. According to Carers Trust, around two in every classroom could fall into that category.
At Springfields, the response has been deliberately hands-on. There are dedicated clubs and drop-in sessions, led by staff who know exactly who they’re there for. Beyond that, the school has built in enrichment opportunities — trips, rewards and regular “HEARD” sessions where young carers can speak openly about their experiences. It’s backed up by a wider support network, including coffee mornings and groups that bring families into the conversation rather than leaving them on the sidelines.
It’s the sort of approach that acknowledges the balancing act these pupils face. Research from Carers Trust suggests 40 per cent of young carers struggle to get enough support to manage both school and home life. Meanwhile, studies from The Children’s Society indicate they achieve, on average, a grade lower at GCSE than their peers, often alongside dips in confidence and wellbeing.
None of that will come as a surprise to school staff who see it day in, day out. What’s different here is the structured effort to do something about it.
Vicky Morgan, from Carers Trust, described the award as richly deserved, pointing to the difference schools can make simply by recognising who their young carers are and putting the right support in place. Lisa Witherden of The Children’s Society was more direct, noting that many schools still report having no young carers at all — a statistic that doesn’t hold up in reality.
For Springfields’ executive headteacher Nicola Whitcombe, the message is straightforward: these pupils shouldn’t have to choose between caring and succeeding. The school’s role, she says, is to make sure they don’t have to.
It’s a quiet piece of work, this — no grand gestures, no headline-grabbing initiatives. Just consistent attention to a group of young people who might otherwise slip through the cracks. And in the end, that’s exactly what this award is recognising.
