Minister's Question Time: Margaret Hodge, Minister for children, young people and families

Improving these figures is one of my main priorities. The key factors behind the educational under-achievement of looked-after children were set out in the recent Social Exclusion Unit report A Better Education for Children in Care: instability, time spent out of school, lack of extra help with education, insufficient support and encouragement from home, and poor emotional, mental and physical health. The Government wants to implement all the report's recommendations. Indeed, we are going further by including a specific clause in the Children Bill, currently before Parliament, requiring local authorities to promote the educational achievement of looked-after children.

Later this year, we will publish guidance to help local authorities support schools and teachers as effectively as possible and make sure that all looked-after children achieve their full educational potential. It will revise and supplement the existing detailed guidance that we published in 2000.