Government needs to take “urgent action” to support school drop-outs

The National Children’s Bureau is calling on the government to identify and support children who drop out of education.

According to the children’s charity, “despite the duty on local authorities to provide education to every child, significant numbers drop off the school roll and do not receive an education at home either”.

The Bureau stated that children who miss education often face multiple challenges which can range from special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and mental health issues.

In addition to this, a Freedom of Information request submitted by the charity and the BBC last year found that tens of thousands of children are missing education each year.

In order to support the children missing out, the Bureau has called for a wider definition of “children missing education”, to include the pupils technically on a school roll, but are not accessing full-time education.

In addition to this, the Bureau has asked for resources for schools and local authorities to identify children at risk of dropping out and helping them return. As well as better data collection to share between agencies to make sure children are getting the support they need.

Its new report, Missing Education, also highlights case studies of children who do not attend school or receive an education at home.