Number of children ‘missing in education’ is rising in Doncaster

Education bosses said at the end of the financial year on March 31, 199 children were not on the school roll – up by 43 from September 2020.

Children missing in education are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.

National guidance said this cohort are at ‘significant risk’ of underachieving, being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life.

In Doncaster’s case, the council said these are children who have left a school roll but have not joined another in the area or who have moved into the borough and are not yet in education.

Documents seen by councillors show that education teams within the council have dealt with nearly 400 cases since January 2020 where children were back in school.

Sennette Wroot, senior policy and insight manager at DMBC, said: “The rate of Children Missing in Education referrals has risen over the last six months, with 199 submitted since September, with 156 in the previous six-month period.

“This category relates to children who have left a school roll but have not joined another in this area or who have moved into the borough and are not yet in a school. Some 386 have been closed since January 2020, with 186 having been completed between September and January.

“Last January, the Children Missing in Education figure was 0.41 per cent of the potential school population and is now reduced to 0.39 per cent of pupil population (184 young people).

“This gives a closure rate of 67 per cent. This means that despite rising numbers of young people who fall into this category, the cases have been closed quickly, with young people joining the roll of a local school.”

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