Children Losing Out Through Missing School

Children Losing Out Through Missing School: Education market research from the National Children’s Bureau suggests that many children as losing out in educational terms through not having a school place or being unknown to local authorities. Figures obtained through a freedom of information request show that on any given day around 7,700 children are missing class across 79 local authorities who responded – although the Department for Education has hit back, stating that the figures are misleading. {Tweet this}

Children Losing Out Through Missing School - VoicED Education Market Research

Children Losing Out Through Missing School

According to the National Children’s Bureau, the figure of 7,701 young people missing school daily across 79 local authorities would mean that around 14,800 were missing school across the country if the figures were extrapolated.{Tweet this}

More detailed FOI requests and analysis of the figures returned from 45 councils also suggests that among those children who are missing class each day, an estimated 3,000 of them are in an unknown location.{Tweet this}

In addition, the NCB’s study also claims that around 5,000 students are missing out on education due to the fact that they are waiting for a school place. Local authorities also gave a number of other reasons for children missing school – including exclusion, the child having special educational needs, pregnancy or being a teenage mother, moving between schools, not enrolled in a school, or because they are believed to have moved overseas.

According to government guidelines, children are deemed to be missing out on education if they are not on a school roll and are not receiving a suitable standard of education in place of being at school – for instance home-schooling.

The Department for Education has, however, criticised the NCB’s report, with a spokesman calling it misleading and unhelpful. He stated that the report wrongfully included children who have missed one or two days of school for a wide-number of reasons, including moving schools or having been sent home following behavioural issues. The DfE also noted that parents have a legal responsibility to ensure that their children were attending school. {Tweet this}

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