부산대학교 도서관

• Instability often overshadowed young people's experiences of being in care. • Disrupted schooling could have a devastating impact on academic confidence. • School was frequently described by participants as a key source of support. • Stigmatisation was a significant theme in participants' narratives of school. • Narratives often painted a complex picture of instability, educational struggle, and perceived failure. • The societal imperative to be resilient and self-reliant had the effect of responsibilising participants. Research highlights a plethora of negative outcomes for care leavers and it is widely accepted that children in care are likely to have lower educational attainment than their peers. Rather than concluding that these figures can be attributed directly to being 'in care', scholars have indicated that the matter is more complex, drawing attention to circumstances which pre-date or supersede entry into care. This paper seeks to highlight the experiences of those care leavers who bucked the trend and achieved sufficient qualifications to study in higher education. Despite achieving well academically, our research shows that young people in care still struggled to manage the academic pathway between care and university. This paper draws on evidence collected from 234 care experienced students in England and Wales to consider the educational challenges faced by those without familial support. Findings revealed that instability, stigma and poor institutional support were significant barriers in participants' educational journeys. We consider the impact of narratives of 'meritocracy' and 'resilience' on interpretations of educational success for care leavers. We conclude that caution should be exercised when celebrating individual successes, and greater attention should be paid to structural and systemic barriers to educational achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]