A report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has raised concerns that up to 300,000 children in England may not be receiving an education. The thinktank suggests that these children cannot be accounted for due to incomplete records and gaps in available data, urging the government to implement a national register to track those who are out of school.
The EPI arrived at this figure by comparing the number of children registered with NHS GPs in England with the number of children officially enrolled in schools or recorded as being home-schooled. By subtracting the number of children on school rolls or listed as home-educated from the total number of children registered with GPs, the EPI identified a potential gap of 300,000 children.
The thinktank also found that the gap between GP registrations and school enrolments has increased by 40% from 2017 to 2023, suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to a rise in prolonged school absences.
While acknowledging that the 300,000 estimate has limitations, the EPI emphasized that the figure does not include children who have moved abroad or to other parts of the UK, such as Wales or Scotland. It also does not account for cases where children are registered with multiple GP surgeries.
Whitney Crenna-Jennings, associate director at EPI and author of the report, stressed that the government must address the data gaps to better understand the scale of the issue. “Many thousands of children are missing from education in England. This is a critical issue that needs urgent attention,” she said. “While some may be receiving education outside formal settings, this research shows that those who go missing are often the most vulnerable in society.”
The report also found that the rate of permanent absences increases with age, with an estimated 50,000 children leaving school rolls by Year 11. The highest proportions of missing children were from Traveller, Gypsy, or Roma communities, with up to 75% of children from Traveller backgrounds exiting the education system.
In response to these findings, the EPI called for a more comprehensive register of children not in school. It recommended that data from education, health, and other administrative sources be compiled by the Office for National Statistics. The report also called for schools to record the reasons for children being removed from school rolls, with this data collected centrally.
Government figures from the Department for Education (DfE) estimate that 117,100 children were missing from education in the 2022-23 school year, up from 94,900 the previous year. However, these figures only include children not on school rolls or those who are home-schooled, leaving a significant number of children unaccounted for.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, called for increased investment in services to support children who are missing education, including local attendance support teams, children’s social care, mental health services, and special needs provisions. He also urged the government to take action to tackle the poverty that makes it harder for children to attend and succeed in school.
“The government must follow through on its promise to create a register of all children out of school as part of the forthcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill,” Whiteman said.
Related topics: