Up to 300,000 children in England could be missing from education, a report has suggested.
Teenagers are more likely to leave the English education system, especially in Year 10 when pupils are leading up to their GCSE exams, according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI).
The analysis, which compared GP registrations with school registrations and pupils registered in elective home education, estimates that up to 300,000 children may be missing from education in 2023.
The number of children missing from education may have risen by 41% since 2017, the report said.
But the think tank acknowledged that the estimated number may include children who have left the country or who have died if these children are not removed from GP rolls.
Our findings reveal the potential scale of the issue as well as the urgent need for comprehensive data on children and targeted interventions to ensure that every child receives their legal entitlement to education
The Government should require schools to record reasons for deregistering pupils and existing data should be used to ensure vulnerable children do not fall through the cracks, the report has said.
The think tank has also called for progress on the Government’s plans to create a mandatory register for children not in school.
Researchers subtracted the number of children aged 5-15 enrolled in school in England from the number of children aged 5-15 registered in GP practices to estimate the number of children not in school.
They then pulled out those formally registered in elective home education to arrive at an estimate of the number of children “missing” from education.
Up to 400,000 children were estimated to be not in school in 2023, an increase of over 53% from 2017.
Across the same period, local authority data suggests that the number of formally registered home-educated children more than doubled, from 45,500 in 2017 to 94,800 in 2023.
After accounting for pupils registered in home education, EPI estimated that as many as 305,000 were missing from education in 2023, which is around 2.5 times higher that the Department for Education’s (DfE) estimate.
DfE data, published in February, estimated that there were 117,100 children missing education (CME) at any point during the 2022/23 academic year, compared with 94,900 in 2021/22.
These children are of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.
But the EPI report said the DfE figures only capture CME “known” to local authorities, and it added that “concerns remain regarding childrenwho leave the state education system and become unaccounted for”.
The analysis also found that pupils who leave the education system by year 11 are more likely to be vulnerable and marginalised.
The rise in the number of pupils missing from education is extremely worrying and a register of children not in school is long overdue to ensure their safety and wellbeing
Whitney Crenna-Jennings, associate director for mental health, wellbeing and inclusion at the EPI, said: “Many thousands of children are missing or go missing from education in England, this is a critical issue that demands our attention.
“Whilst some may be receiving a suitable education outside of formal settings or in different countries, this research shows that the children who go missing are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society, potentially at risk of harm and poor outcomes.
“Our findings reveal the potential scale of the issue as well as the urgent need for comprehensive data on children and targeted interventions to ensure that every child receives their legal entitlement to education.
“The Government must work across departments and data systems to address data gaps and ensure the necessary support is provided to those children who need it.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “The rise in the number of pupils missing from education is extremely worrying and a register of children not in school is long overdue to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
“We also need to provide better support for disadvantaged pupils and other groups of children most at risk of missing education. This will require investment to tackle child poverty and build up the capacity of mental health services.
“All children deserve access to a good education and we cannot allow so many to continue missing out on the benefits this brings.”
A DfE spokesperson said: “Our mission is to break down the barriers to opportunity that are holding young people back, making sure they have the support and education they deserve, and to tackle the pattern of children falling through the cracks.
“That’s why we have confirmed plans to introduce children not in school registers, new protections for children being home educated when they are subject to a children’s social care investigation, and a single child identifier so children can get the right support from education, health and care services.”
