Abstract

Young carers (individuals under 18 providing care to family members) experience significant disadvantages. While prior research suggests caring negatively impacts education, evidence is limited by methodological constraints and lacks national-level representation. This study aimed to assess associations between young caring and official educational attainment and school engagement at primary and secondary school levels in England, and to identify potential inequalities by gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, household composition, and special educational needs. We used data from Understanding Society: UK Household Longitudinal Study linked with the National Pupil Database. We used cross-sectional pooled data covering 2009–2018, focusing on two educational stages in England: Key Stage 2 (KS2, end of primary school) and Key Stage4 (KS4, end of secondary school). Regression models assessed associations between self-reported young caring and educational outcomes (attainment and absenteeism), adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Young carers made up 12.8% of the KS2 sample (n = 1740) and 10.6% of the KS4 sample (n = 2091). They had significantly lower attainment at KS2 (reading, mathematics, writing) and at KS4 (fewer and lower-grade GCSEs). Persistent absenteeism was substantially higher among young carers compared to non-carers (KS2: 5.8% vs 3.7%; KS4: 24.5% vs 19.1%). Socioeconomic disadvantage explained part, but not all, of the educational gaps. No additional inequalities were observed. These findings demonstrate that young carers face early and persistent educational disadvantages, with lower attainment and higher absence rates partially linked to socioeconomic inequality, highlighting the urgently need for target support to help young carers manage responsibilities and mitigate negative impacts on education.