Young Carers in Schools Award for Middleton

9 June 2023

Middleton Primary has been presented with the Young Carers in Schools Bronze award for its work in ensuring that pupils do not miss out on an education because they are young carers.

The school, which is part of Kingsbridge Educational Trust, received the prestigious accolade in recognition of the support they give to young carers. This includes drop-in sessions and homework clubs. The school also inform staff on how to identify young carers and share vital information on its website and noticeboards, so that pupils and their families know where to access help.

Identifying barriers to learning in order to improve the achievements of our pupils, is at the heart of what Kingsbridge Educational Trust set out to achieve when we rolled out the Young Carers in Schools Programme across all of our schools, said CEO, Peter Barnes.

It is testament to the tireless work of Middleton staff, that The Children’s Society and Carers Trust have acknowledged the school with the bestowing of the Young Carers in Schools award.

The programme was first implemented at Oakgrove School, who then worked with other schools in the Trust, sharing guidance and resources. 

Giles Meyer, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, today congratulated the award-winning schools, saying:

The Young Carers in Schools programme is helping to transform schools and support staff across England. Schools play a vital role in a young carer’s life, as many care for relatives without their teachers even knowing what they do. On average young carers will miss a day of school each month as a result of their caring role, so the steps schools take to identify and support them can have a huge impact on their learning, wellbeing and life chances.

Young carers are responsible for the 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.