Children missing education
Every child, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to an efficient, full-time education which is suitable to -
- their age
- their level of ability
- personal aptitude
- any special educational needs they may have
Children missing education are those of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school. They are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school. Compulsory school age begins on the first day of term following the child’s fifth birthday and it ends on the last Friday in June in the school year in which the child reaches 16 years of age.
Children missing education are at significant risk of -
- underachieving in education
- becoming victims of harm
- exploitation
- radicalisation
- becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) later in life
The Child Missing Education (CME) accepts referrals when a child is absent from school and their whereabouts are unknown, or where a child is not on a school roll and there does not seem to be any education in place.
Anyone with a concern that a child is missing education is encouraged to refer their concerns to our service.
The role of the Local Authority
Under section 436A of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a legal duty to establish the identities of children in their area who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise. This duty only relates to children of compulsory school age.
In Hull, the safety and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children is paramount. If you have concerns about a child missing education, complete the children missing education referral form.
The role of schools
If a child goes missing from education, the child’s school has a responsibility to make enquiries to find out where they are. Schools must enter pupils on the admission register at the beginning of the first day on which the school has agreed, or been notified, that the pupil will attend the school. If a pupil fails to attend on the agreed or notified date, the school should undertake reasonable enquiries to establish the child’s whereabouts. They should consider notifying the local authority as soon as possible.
Schools must monitor pupils’ attendance with a daily register. Schools should agree with their local authority how often to inform local authorities of the details of pupils who fail to attend regularly or have missed 10 school days or more without permission. It is important that pupils’ poor attendance is referred to the local authority.
Where a pupil has not returned to school for 10 days after an authorised absence or is absent from school without authorisation for 20 consecutive school days, the pupil can be removed from the admission register at the school. This is only when the school and the local authority have failed, after jointly making reasonable enquiries, to establish the whereabouts of the child. This only applies if the school does not have reasonable grounds to believe that the pupil is unable to attend because of sickness or unavoidable cause.
You can read more about how the Education Welfare and Access and Inclusion Service are supporting children and young people in Hull on page 20 of the Annual Education Report 2023-2024.