Local authorities and schools losing track of children, claims Ofsted

Local authorities are struggling to identify and track children who are missing from education and vulnerable to physical, emotional and psychological harm, according to a report published today.

A survey of 15 authorities in rural and urban districts by the education watchdog Ofsted found that none of them felt confident they knew about all the children living in their area. It described how children sometimes disappeared because schools weren’t fully aware of policies and procedures for informing the authority.

Even when these policies are understood, schools – including academies and independent schools – do not always comply with the guidelines. The difficulty in exchanging information about children moving between areas adds to the problems.

Cases such as the death of Khyra Ishaq, a seven-year-old who was starved to death in May 2008 when she was withdrawn from school in Birmingham and supposedly home-educated by her mother, demonstrate the risk when children go missing from education. Last month, a case review found that her death had been preventable and there had been a catalogue of missed opportunities by social services and other professionals to intervene.

Patrick Leeson, director of education and care at Ofsted, said: “Local authorities and their partners need to share information effectively and more systematically to identify young people who are missing from education, particularly when their whereabouts are unknown.”

He said it was “of serious concern” that some schools are not following agreed procedures and legal requirements for notifying local authorities when pupils are excluded or taken off the roll.”However, the report does highlight some of the good work local authorities have done to overcome the challenges in ensuring all the children living in their area are identified and are receiving a suitable education,” Leeson said.