Member

Amendment 82, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Agnew of Oulton, seeks to increase the number of boarding school places available to children in care, in particular to those in kinship care. I thank the noble Lord for tabling this amendment. I reassure him that we are committed to ensuring that all children are given the best possible opportunities to succeed. We recognise the positive impact that boarding schools can have but we do not believe that they should be the default position for all children living in kinship care. We all know that stability has to be the watchword for young people who, in many cases, are going through some enormous traumas, and stability in education is of fundamental importance to both well-being and educational outcomes. It is essential that we minimise disruption through unnecessary changes to school placements and removal from friendship groups, for example, or any of the things that really matter to a young person.