4.9 Children Missing from Education/School |
Contents
1. Children Missing from Education
Children who are missing from education are more likely to be vulnerable in one way or another – they may be from disadvantaged families or at risk of neglect or abuse.
Certain groups of vulnerable children are more likely than others to go missing from education:
- Young people who have committed offences
- Children living in women’s refuges
- Children of homeless families, perhaps living in temporary accommodation
- Young runaways
- Children with long-term medical or emotional problems
- Looked After children
- Children with a gypsy/traveler background
- Young carers
- Children with transient families
- Teenage mothers
- Children who are permanently excluded from school
- Migrant children, whether in families seeking asylum or economic migrants
- Trafficked children
For detailed guidance, see ‘Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities in England to identify children not receiving education’, published by the DfES in February 2007.
The local authority must have a Children Missing from Education Officer and a system of recording and notification in relation to children who are known to be missing education.
Any agency or practitioner who receives information that a child or children of compulsory school age are not registered at any school should notify the Children Missing from Education Officer.
2. Children Missing from School
As a result of daily registration, schools are particularly well placed to notice when a child has gone missing. Where this is linked to any ongoing concerns that the child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm, this should be communicated to Children and Young People’s Services.
Head teachers should inform the Children Missing from Education Officer and the child’s social worker immediately a child subject to a Child Protection Plan is missing.
In the more general circumstances of a child going missing, who is not known to any other agencies, the Head Teacher should inform the Children Missing from Education Officer and Education Welfare Officer of any child who has not attended for 10 days without provision of reasonable explanation.
The Children Missing from Education Officer should ensure through the Education Welfare Officer that reasonable enquiries are made - e.g. home visits, liaison with the Children and Young People’s Services and/or Housing - and notify the school if it appears that the child has moved out of the area.
If no information is forthcoming within 2 days, the Children Missing from Education Officer should alert her/his manager, who should inform the Children and Young People’s Services and the Police in writing.
The child’s name may not be removed from the school roll until s/he has been continuously absent for at least 4 weeks and the local authority has been unable to locate the pupil and her/his family. This action is only taken after consultation between the school and the Children Missing from Education Officer and in line with the relevant statutory guidance. In these circumstances the child’s name should be referred to the centrally held ‘Lost Pupil Database’.
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