‘Demands our attention’: As many as 300,000 children were missing from education in 2023, report finds
As many as 300,000 children aged five to 15 were missing from education in England last year, a report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has found.
The figures – which compare GP registrations with school enrolment data – mark a 40% increase in unaccounted absences since 2017.
According to the EPI, an estimated 400,000 children are not in school, a 50% increase in seven years. Of these, nearly 95,000 are registered for home education – double the number from 2017.
More than 50,000 students were also found to have left the state education system by Year 11, with no clear records explaining their exits.
Associate director at EPI Whitney Crenna-Jennings said: “Many thousands of children are missing or go missing from education in England – this is a critical issue that demands our attention.”
The data shows that dropouts peak in Year 10, just before students take their GCSEs, making up about a fifth of all exits.
The report also states that vulnerable groups, particularly teenagers, are disproportionately affected.
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Ms Crenna-Jennings added: “These children, often the most vulnerable, face increased risks of harm and poor outcomes.
“The government must work across departments and data systems to ensure every child receives their legal entitlement to education.”
The EPI says schools should document reasons for de-registering students to improve oversight and prevent illegal exclusions.
Campaigners had previously welcomed the register for missing children in the King’s Speech, but this is still not compulsory.
The EPI also recommends that there is a mandatory register by integrating data from education, health and other administrative data sources.
Data from the report uses GP registrations as there is currently no data source able to provide a definitive number of children in England.
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The new data suggests that better links between different sectors such as education, health, and local authorities are needed to track vulnerable children better.
The report also says more research is needed to develop interventions for preventing disengagement and support for the missing children.
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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