St Mary's Church of England Primary School is committed to developing and enhancing support for young carers and their families. To demonstrate this commitment, the school is a member of the Young Carers in Schools programme and is currently working towards achieving the Bronze Award.

A young carer is a child or young person who provides emotional, practical, or physical support to a parent, sibling, or other family member who has a physical disability, mental health condition, long-term illness, or issues related to substance misuse.

We will demonstrate our commitment by strengthening and expanding our provision for young carers, building on the identified needs of our pupils and their families. We will regularly review and develop the school's support for young carers, with the aim of meeting their needs more effectively and ultimately achieving best practice.

How We Will Achieve This

• The whole school community is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend, participate in, and enjoy school in the same way as their peers, and achieve their full potential.

• A designated Young Carers' School Lead is  appointed to support young carers and their families. Pupils and families will be informed of who this person is and how they can access support.

• The school will only share information with professionals and agencies on a need-to-know basis, and only when it is necessary to support pupils and their families.

• St Mary's Church of England Primary School will actively seek feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to help shape, review, and improve the support we provide.

• The school has effective referral procedures and works in partnership with relevant external agencies, including local Young Carer services. Where appropriate, referrals will be made so that young carers and their families can access specialist support and guidance from dedicated key workers.

We will strive to achieve best practice for students and families in our school in order to provide them with the best chance of success in their future. If you think your child might be a young carer or could be affected by any of the issues we’ve highlighted, please contact Mrs Finch via the school office.