Young Carers

Young Carers at Colyton Grammar School

We recognise the vital role Young Carers play within their family units; as well as the additional responsibilities they might have.  A Young Carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps look after, or whose life is affected by, a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. A Young Carer may become vulnerable if their caring role risks impacting upon their emotional or physical wellbeing and the prospects in their education and life.

We are committed to ensuring equal access to all opportunities at our school and supporting our students to achieve.  Our core purpose is to enable all students, regardless of background, to thrive on highly selective courses at elite universities and to be happy and successful in their future careers.  We have a strong sense of belonging at Colyton Grammar School and we champion this through our core values of scholarship, humility and service.

We recognise that not all Young Carers will need or want support, but we have created a support provision for our Young Carers.  We want to ensure that our Young Carers are supported, so that they can achieve their full potential, participate in the opportunities we create for our students, and to be happy and successful in their future careers.

We will only share information about Young Carers with professionals and agencies on a need-to-know basis in order to support these students and their families.  We will actively seek feedback from our Young Carers so we can shape and improve the support that we provide.  We also work with Devon Young Carers and similar partners in Somerset and Dorset, who take referrals made and where appropriate look to provide support. This could be through school drop ins, providing information/advice, assessments, trips/activities and 1:1 support from a Young Carers Lead Practitioner.

At Colyton Grammar School Ms Anna Rust is the Operation Lead for our Young Carers and Mr Jeff Robinson, Designated Safeguard Lead, oversees the provision for our Young Carers.

If you have any queries or would like to let me know about Young Carers in your family, please get in touch with Ms A Rust,  Operational Lead for Young Carers, on: youngcarers@colytongrammar.com

Young Carers Colyton Letter to Parents 

Young Carers Policy