Government under pressure over ‘ghost children’ missing from class

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2023

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The government “remains committed” to legislate to establish a register of pupils who are not in school, the education secretary said.

It comes after criticism that the King’s Speech on Tuesday, which set out the legislative agenda for the year, did not include anything about the plan to reduce the number of so-called “ghost children”.

As Sky News has reported, since the pandemic there has been a rise in the number youngsters who have stopped going to school.

Often this is pupils who have been excluded from the classroom and then fall out of the system – making them vulnerable to being targeted by gangs.

Making an intervention as Education Secretary Gillian Keegan opened a debate in the House of Commons, Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson said: “What was crystal clear from the King’s Speech yesterday is despite her [Ms Keegan’s] grandiose statements here, education is not a priority for this government.”

Ms Wilson asked why there was no announcement “about bringing forward legislation for a children-not-in-school register” – something ministers promised they would still do after scrapping the Schools Bill last year.

The education secretary said that remains the government’s position – though she did not say when the plans would be brought before parliament, only saying it would happen at a “suitable opportunity”.

“We do remain committed to legislating to take forward the children-not-in-school measures and we will progress these at a future suitable legislative opportunity,” Ms Keegan said.

“We are continuing to work with local authorities to improve the non-statutory registers. And we have also launched a consultation on revised elective home education guidance.

“So there is work going on, the consultation is open until January 18, 2024. So there is a lot of work going on and we do intend to bring forward that legislation.”

The law requires all children of school age to receive suitable full-time education, but last year 141,000 children spent more time out of class than in – up by 137% since the pandemic.

Local councils blame funding problems for not being able to keep track of missing pupils well enough.

Last May the government launched a piece of legislation known as the Schools Bill, which promised to raise standards through a series of measures including the creation of local authority-administered register for children not in school.

However, come December it was scrapped, with ministers insisting they were committed to its objectives despite not taking the legislation further.

Speaking in the Commons, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson paid tribute to Sky News “for being relentless in pursuing this issue”.

She said persistent absenteeism means we are now on track for two million children to be regularly missing school by 2025.

She said: “That’s one in four of our children. There is no greater failing by this government than standing by as more and more children are missing from school for days on end, term after term, a lost generation of children missing from England’s schools.”

A broad and complex crisis damaging the lives of thousands

Nick Martin

People and politics correspondent

@NickMartinSKY

For months now I’ve been speaking to children, parents, teachers and experts all struggling with one major issue – children not going to school.

It’s a quiet, hidden crisis; the child too anxious to get out of the car, the parent spending hours on the phone fighting for a special school place. And all that time, learning is lost.

The latest data paints a really worrying picture, too. It shows that 140,000 children are missing 50% or more of their education – called severe absence.

And a staggering 1.5 million children are what’s called persistently absent – missing the equivalent of a morning a week. These figures are double what they were before the pandemic.

Back in July, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan accepted this is “crisis”. She said wished she could drive children to school herself, and even said it was the job of headteachers to do the same, if necessary.

Her department has introduced attendance hubs and mentors to tackle the problem in the worst affected areas.

But campaigners – including the children’s commissioner for England – have been calling for legislation in the King’s Speech to focus efforts to get children back to the classroom, to enshrine a solution into law. But nothing materialised.

Labour now appears to be seizing the opportunity.

It’s always been thought that education won’t be a big issue in the next election. That could be about to change with the party choosing to take valuable parliamentary debate time to raise the issue in the House.

There are lots of issues at play here; the cost of living crisis, NHS waiting lists for mental health services, school places and council funding.

It is a broad and hugely complex crisis that’s damaging the lives of thousands of children.

Ms Phillipson earlier told Sky News that if she becomes education secretary after the next election, she will “take action to make sure our children are supported, that every day in school matters”.

She said that would mean: “More mental health support, with mental health hubs in every community, improved access to mental health support within our secondary schools, and alongside that for our younger children, universal free breakfast clubs to support children with a softer start to the school day, and also wider help for families during what’s a really difficult time with the cost of living crisis.”

Meanwhile, Andy Cook, chief executive of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), a centre-right think tank, warned the crisis could have far-reaching consequences for society.

He told Sky News: “You go into any prison and you talk to the people there, 90% of them say they missed a lot of school on a regular basis. So we need to take this seriously.”

UK

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz guilty of assaulting two female police officers at Manchester Airport

Published

7 hours ago

July 30, 2025

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Mohammed Fahir Amaaz guilty of assaulting two female police officers at Manchester Airport

A man has been found guilty of assaulting two female police officers at Manchester Airport last year.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz punched PC Lydia Ward in the face, knocking her down and breaking her nose.

The 20-year-old was also convicted of assaulting PC Ellie Cook and the earlier assault of a member of the public at an airport Starbucks.

The jury was unable to decide whether Amaaz and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, also assaulted a male officer.

The incident happened at a car park pay area on 23 July 2024 after the brothers went to collect their mother from a flight.

Police were called after Amaaz went into Starbucks and headbutted Abdulkareem Ismaeil – who he claimed racially abused his mother on the plane.

The brothers resisted when officers tried to detain them and told the court they didn’t know they were being approached by police.

Prosecutors said Amaaz threw 10 punches, two elbow strikes and a kick, while Amaad aimed six blows at firearms officer PC Zachary Marsden.

Amaaz told the trial he feared the “lunatic” male officer would “batter him to death” and Amaad said he believed he was under attack.

Footage of a kick and stamp by PC Marsden on Amaaz was widely shared on social media in the days after the incident.

The brothers – from Rochdale – denied all the charges and said they acted in self defence.

Their lawyers said police had used “unlawful force”, grabbing Amaaz from behind without identifying themselves.

But jurors at Liverpool Crown Court disagreed and found Amaaz guilty of actual bodily harm to PC Ward, as well assaulting PC Cook and Mr Ismaeil.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said the intention is to retry both defendants on the charge they assaulted PC Marsden.

The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, said he was pleased that Amaaz’s “appalling conduct” had been exposed.

Sir Stephen said 44 of his officers are assaulted every week.

“Our officers are decent people who routinely place themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. They deserve our respect and support,” he said.

UK

Ozzy Osbourne is given final tour of Birmingham – with thousands of fans flooding streets to pay their respects

Published

7 hours ago

July 30, 2025

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Ozzy Osbourne is given final tour of Birmingham - with thousands of fans flooding streets to pay their respects

Ozzy Osbourne has taken his final tour of Birmingham – with his family experiencing the love of thousands of fans who turned out to see the heavy metal star come home.

“We love you, Ozzy!” came the shouts from the crowd as his cortege stopped at Black Sabbath Bridge in the city, a site that has become a shrine to the performer since his death at 76 last week.

His family and loved ones, including his wife Sharon Osbourne and their children Jack, Kelly and Aimee, spent several minutes taking in all the flowers, messages and other tributes left in an outpouring of love from fans.

Sharon was in tears as she took it all in. Supported by her children, she gave a peace sign to the crowd before returning to the procession vehicles.

Each family member carried a pink rose, wrapped in black paper, tied with a purple ribbon – the traditional Black Sabbath colours. The flowers bearing his name in the hearse were also purple.

Before reaching the city centre, the cortege had travelled past Ozzy’s childhood home in Aston. Just a few weeks ago, he was on stage at Villa Park performing his final gig alongside many of the musicians his music had inspired, from Metallica to Guns N’ Roses to Yungblud.

Heavy metal, reality TV and biting bats: Ozzy Osbourne obituary

On a hugely emotional day, his presence could be felt throughout the city, with the star’s music playing in pubs and posters paying tribute: “Birmingham will always love you.”

For fans, this was a chance to say not just goodbye, but also thank you to a star who never forgot where he came from. His remarkable achievements from humble beginnings and continued love for his hometown, even when he lived thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, meant that for many, the loss feels incredibly personal.

‘The Prince of Laughter – not Darkness’

Graham Wright, a roadie who worked with Black Sabbath in the 1970s and beyond, up to the Back To The Beginning reunion gig at Villa Park, told Sky News he would remember Ozzy not by his traditional nickname, the Prince of Darkness – but as the Prince of Laughter instead.

“It was a shock he left us so soon after [the show],” he said. “The show was tough for him but he was determined to say goodbye to his fans, that was the main thing. It was important for all four of [Black Sabbath] to get back together and do a farewell.

“The tears will be flowing today to see the Ozz man – the Prince of Laughter, not Darkness. He really was. We’ll all miss him.”

‘My mum used to say he was a lovely boy’

Chris Mason, general manager of The Brasshouse pub, which is next to Black Sabbath Bridge, said music by the band and Ozzy’s solo material had been played pretty much “on loop” since his death.

“I’m a metal fan and Ozzy being the godfather of the scene – if not for Ozzy and Black Sabbath, we wouldn’t have heavy metal,” he said. “This is what Birmingham is about, bringing people together, and Ozzy and Black Sabbath did that.

“He was Mr Birmingham and his family have brought him back.”

Mohabbat Ali, who used to live on the same street as Ozzy’s childhood home, said the property had become one of the focal points for tributes in the city.

Describing what it was like living near him, he said: “He played guitars, very loud at night sometimes, but my mum used to say he was a lovely boy.”

From an era of preening rock gods, Ozzy was the real deal

Katie Spencer

Arts and entertainment correspondent

The sea of black was always a given – but this wasn’t about respecting funeral traditions. Ozzy himself had previously said he wanted his send-off, when it came, to be a celebration and not a “mope-fest”.

This was his final tour in the city that meant so much to him.

For fans, he meant so much to them.

For his family, the emotion was raw.
Sharon, his soulmate, has spent her life and career organising his shows, and it was clear how hard this day was for her.

After they left, fans flooded the streets to lay flowers.

Not since David Bowie has an artist’s death prompted such an outpouring of emotion. From an era of preening rock gods, Ozzy was the real deal – one of the most notorious figures in rock, but a man who remained as Brummie as can be.

‘A true legend who never forgot his roots’

Birmingham’s lord mayor, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, also attended the procession and spoke of the city’s pride in Ozzy.

“What a great honour for us to have him here one last time,” he said. “The love for Ozzy – well, you can feel it in the air.”

The star put both Aston and Birmingham on the map, he said, and always took the time to get to know people.

Mr Iqbal said Ozzy sent him a letter after reading on the mayor’s website biography how he had struggled with dyslexia at school – something the star identified with.

“I’ve got the letter in a frame and it’s in my office… he was just a natural human being, down to earth. You wouldn’t have known he was a rock star – but he was a true legend, who never forgot his roots.”

UK

Second-largest population increase in England and Wales in over 75 years – mainly fuelled by migration

Published

13 hours ago

July 30, 2025

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Second-largest population increase in England and Wales in over 75 years - mainly fuelled by migration

The population of England and Wales has grown by more than 700,000 in the year to June 2024 – the second-largest increase in over 75 years.

The change was largely fuelled by international migration, with natural change – the difference between births and deaths – accounting for only a small proportion.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were an estimated 61.8 million people in England and Wales in mid-2024, up from 61.1 million the year before.

It is the second-largest numerical jump since at least 1949, when comparable data began.

And it is behind only the rise of 821,210 that took place in the preceding 12 months from mid-2022 to mid-2023.

Nigel Henretty of the ONS said the population of the two countries has increased each year since mid-1982, but said the rate of population increases has been higher in recent years.

“Net international migration continues to be the main driver of this growth, continuing the long-term trend seen since the turn of the century,” he said.

Net international migration – the difference between people moving to the country and leaving – accounted for 690,147 of the estimated population increase of 706,881 people, or 98% of the total.