A Sutton school which supports young carers has been handed an award.

Overton Grange School, Stanley Road, has been given a Bronze award for its work in making sure students education doesn’t suffer if they are young carers.

The Young Carers in Schools programme helps primary and secondary schools improve outcomes for young carers and celebrates good practice through the award.

Gail Brown, Education Welfare Officer at the school, said: "When young carers came into school to give a presentation, I was surprised how many of young people actually have a caring responsibility for members of their family and the impact this can have on their wellbeing.

"I felt it was important to focus and identify students in our school who were young carers and help them to be able to access support. We have worked very closely with Sutton Young Carers, and I am very proud to be the first Sutton school to receive this award."

Young carers can be responsible for emotional, practical or physical care for a parent, sibling or other family member who has a physical disability, mental health issue or substance misuse issue. The 2011 Census statistics revealed that there are just over 166,000 young carers in England, but research reveals the true figure could be closer to 700,000.

Research carried out by Carers Trust and The Children's Society shows that, on average, young carers miss or cut short 48 school days a year and often have lower levels of self-confidence, mental wellbeing and significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE level, because of their caring role.

To help schools support young carers, the programme offers a step-by-step guide for leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff, with practical tools designed to make it as easy as possible for schools.

To achieve their Bronze Award, Overton Grange School demonstrated it supported children in a variety of ways including homework clubs, drop-in sessions.

Giles Meyer, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, says: “Schools play a vital role in a young carer’s life, but many care for relatives without their teachers even knowing what they do. On average young carers will miss half a day of school each fortnight as a result of their caring role, so the steps schools take to identify and support them can have a huge impact on their learning, wellbeing and life chances.”

The programme is open to all schools in England and to sign up schools just need to visit www.youngcarersinschools.com