{"id":234348,"date":"2025-09-08T15:59:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T14:59:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=234348"},"modified":"2025-09-08T15:59:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T14:59:47","slug":"schools-should-take-proactive-action-to-get-kids-back-to-class-new-rules-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/schools-should-take-proactive-action-to-get-kids-back-to-class-new-rules-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools should take ‘proactive’ action to get kids back to class, new rules state"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Schools should take \u201cproactive\u201d action to help cut the number of children missing education (CME) and locate those at most risk, the government has said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department for Education has today updated its CME guidance<\/a>, making it statutory for schools to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what leaders need to know\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Take \u2018proactive\u2019 steps<\/strong> …<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pupils\u2019 attendance must be monitored by schools<\/a> through their attendance registers. Primaries and secondaries should also take \u201cproactive steps to address poor or irregular attendance to prevent children becoming\u00a0CME\u201d, the guidance states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is \u201cessential\u201d for poor attendance to be referred to the relevant local authority at intervals agreed to by both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council officers are allowed under the law to \u201caccess the attendance and admission registers of all types of school to carry out their functions\u201d. They can also \u201ctake digital or physical extracts\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. … and if concerned, act immediately<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If there are concerns a child\u2019s safety or wellbeing is at risk, it is \u201cessential\u201d for schools \u201cto take action without delay\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where staff have safeguarding concerns about a pupil, they should follow their child protection policy and involve their designated safeguarding lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cases where they are concerned for a youngster\u2019s welfare, they should \u201cimmediately consider whether a referral needs to be made to local authority children\u2019s social care and, if appropriate, whether to call the police\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Schools to locate children at risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The guidance also said schools “should” do \u201ctheir own initial proactive work to locate a child at risk of becoming a CME\u201d, before working with their council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when a case is referred to a local authority, they should \u201ccontinue to play their role in conducting joint reasonable enquiries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government wants leaders to work with councils to \u201creturn CME in their local area into education\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools should also \u201coffer appropriate support to successfully integrate children \u2026 including having efficient decision-making processes for admissions in place to prevent delays\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Make admission registers current<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Schools \u201cmust enter pupils\u2019 names on the admission register on the first day\u201d it and a \u201cperson with control of the pupil\u2019s attendance have agreed\u201d they will start lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they fail to turn up on the agreed date, the school \u201cshould undertake reasonable enquiries to establish the child\u2019s whereabouts\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the importance of ensuring the records are \u201caccurate and kept up to date\u201d, leaders should \u201cshould regularly encourage parents \u2026 to inform them of any changes to their child\u2019s personal details and education arrangements\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will help them and councils when \u201cmaking enquiries to locate CME\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. When to delete names<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Where grounds are met for the deletion of pupils\u2019 names from the admission register, as set out in the school attendance (pupil registration) (England) regulations 2024<\/a>, this must be done \u201cimmediately\u201d. Schools cannot do so retrospectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a child hasn\u2019t returned within 10 school days of a leave of absence or has been away from class for 20 days unauthorised, joint enquiries between the school and council to locate them and understand their circumstances are required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the youngster is found, both \u201cparties must agree there are no reasonable grounds to believe the pupil will attend the school again\u201d before their name is deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Off rolling \u2018a form of gaming\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Off rolling is described as a \u201c<\/strong>form of gaming\u201d where a school prevents a pupil from attending school normally, takes their name of the roll without a formal permanent exclusion or encourages parents to home educate their child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cunacceptable\u201d practice is \u201cdone in the interests of the school rather than the best interests of the pupil\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe correct removal of names from the register supports lawful exclusions, effective monitoring of pupil movements, and reduces the risk of off rolling, which puts children at further risk of missing education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. The \u2018lost pupil database\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Department for Education provides a \u201csecure internet system\u201d, called School to School, allowing leaders to transfer pupil files to the child\u2019s next school if they move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All local authority-maintained schools are required to do this when a youngster goes elsewhere.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform also contains \u201ca searchable area, known colloquially as the lost pupil database\u201d. Here, files can be uploaded for pupils who have left but their new school\u2019s unknown or moved overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if a child arrives without information transferred by their last school, leaders are \u201cstrongly encouraged to contact their local authority who will be able to search the database\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Work with your LA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a council does not believe a suspected CME is receiving a suitable education, it must begin the school admission order (SAO) process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Governors from local authority-maintained schools that officials are looking to name in an SAO must be consulted beforehand. This is usually done by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If no agreement can be reached, the council must serve a written notice on the governing body and headteacher. If the school disagrees with being named in an order, it \u201chas 15 days to seek a direction from the secretary of state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If an authority names an academy in an SAO and the school refuses to admit the child, the council \u201ccan ask the secretary of state to direct the trust\u201d to do so. If a direction isn\u2019t made, the order will need to be varied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guidance added: \u201cSchools and local authorities should work together to help to minimise the time a child spends out of education by cooperating with each other to provide a school place for all children of compulsory age, where suitable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everything leaders need to know from new statutory guidance on children missing education<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":215927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1576,28,239],"post-theme":[2524],"class_list":["post-234348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-attendance","tag-dfe","tag-education-policy","post-theme-attendance"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t