Children Missing Education (CME)

Every child of statutory school age has the right to a suitable education through:

• attending a school
• getting a suitable education otherwise, such as through Elective Home Education (EHE)

If a child is not at school and not receiving education otherwise, then they may be a child missing education (CME).

A child is not missing education if:

• their whereabouts are known, and school understands that they have refused to attend school
• their whereabouts are known, and school understands that they have a diagnosed medical condition which is preventing them from attending school
• they are receiving a suitable education via elective home education (EHE)

We have a duty to understand and record which children in the BCP area are not getting a suitable education, so we can get the child into education as soon as possible.

Risks of not getting an education

Children at who miss out on education are at risk of:

• being victims of harm
• exploitation
• radicalisation
• underachieving
• becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life

Reasons a child might become a CME

Children may become a CME because:

• they did not start school when they reached compulsory school age
• their Elective Home Education (EHE) is not suitable
• they have moved home into our area or another local authority area without a school place
• they have moved up in their education phase (e.g. from primary school to secondary school) and they do not have a school place for the new phase

How to prevent a child becoming a CME

We identify possible CME and work to make sure they get back into suitable education. This may be through:

• checking the school place status of transitioning children
• working with schools and other local authorities to locate children who have moved areas without education in place

Parents have a responsibility to make sure they apply for a school place when moving to a new area.

We also rely on schools to let us know about any CME. Depending on the circumstances a school should:

• let us know if an offer of a place has been withdrawn by emailing admissions@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
• try to locate new pupils who don't turn up to school on their expected start date
• investigate any absence that does not have a reasonable explanation from the parent/carer
• contact all known family and friends to investigate the situation
• discuss possible CMEs in staff meetings to share information
• visit the child's home at least once to find out if the family are still at the address
• get a forwarding address for any family that is leaving the area
• keep next of kin details up to date in case a family moves without notifying the school

A school should report a child to us as a potential CME if the child:

• can't be found
• does not show up at school for 10 days after an authorised absence
• is absent without reasonable explanation for 20 school days in a row

Schools should be aware of government guidance for improving school attendance.

Any other agencies should email us at CME@bcpcouncil.gov.uk if you are concerned that a child may be missing education.