Continuing in post-16 education: The views of adopted young people

Many adopted children face challenges at school and college which adversely affect their experience and attainment. Without effective post-adoption support, they are at an increased risk of being excluded from or opting out of education. While this has been confirmed by research, there has been less discussion of the problems children face and the services they find helpful. This is especially the case for those over the age of 16 (the statutory school leaving age in the UK). To explore this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five adopted young people aged between 16 and 19. A thematic analysis of their responses identified four factors that help them continue in post-16 education: (1) a positive self-identity; (2) supportive people; (3) supportive approaches; and (4) supportive systems. Participants identified the benefits of staff appreciating the needs of adopted children and the features that promote an ‘adoption-friendly’ ethos in schools and colleges. The implications of these observations for understanding the educational needs of adopted young people, practice development and future research are discussed. Attention is drawn to the importance of multi-agency work and the role of adopted young people in steering and co-producing effective support in educational settings.