Schools told to be ‘proactive’ with pupils missing education

The Department for Education has updated its Children Missing Education (CME) guidance, which places greater responsibility on leaders to monitor attendance, act swiftly on concerns, and work closely with local authorities to locate and support missing pupils.

Under the rules, which are now statutory for schools as well as local authorities, schools must closely monitor attendance through their registers and act early to address poor or irregular attendance, helping prevent pupils from becoming classified as CME. Where patterns of absence emerge, schools are expected to refer concerns to local authorities at intervals agreed by both parties.

If there are any safeguarding concerns about a child’s wellbeing, the guidance stresses that schools must take action immediately. Staff should follow their child protection policies and, where appropriate, involve the designated safeguarding lead, children’s social care, or the police.

Schools are also expected to take the lead in making initial efforts to locate children who may be at risk of becoming CME before escalating the case to the local authority. Even once a case is handed over, schools must continue working with councils to conduct joint enquiries and support a child’s return to education.

Ensuring admission registers are accurate and up to date is another key part of the guidance. Schools must record pupils on the first agreed day of attendance and make reasonable efforts to find any child who fails to turn up. Leaders are encouraged to regularly ask parents for updated contact and education details to support tracking efforts if a child goes missing from school.

The guidance also outlines new requirements around removing pupils from the roll. Names must only be deleted when legal grounds are met and following thorough joint enquiries with the local authority. A child can only be removed once both the school and council agree there are no reasonable grounds to believe the pupil will return.

The DfE has issued a firm warning against “off-rolling”, describing it as a form of school performance “gaming”. This includes pressuring parents to home educate or removing a pupil without a formal exclusion. The practice is labelled “unacceptable” and said to put children at greater risk of missing education entirely.

To help track pupils who move schools or whose next destination is unknown, schools must use the DfE’s secure School to School system. This includes access to the so-called “lost pupil database”, where records can be uploaded for children who leave without a known transfer.

The guidance also sets out how schools must cooperate with local authorities in cases where a child is not receiving a suitable education. If necessary, councils can begin a School Admission Order process to place the child in a school, even without the school's agreement. Where no agreement is reached, councils may escalate the case to the Secretary of State.

The DfE said the new guidance aims to ensure no child is left behind and stressed the importance of schools and councils working together to keep all children of compulsory school age in education.