Children missing education

All children, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to an efficient, full time education, which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have.

Scheduled maintenance

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Children missing education are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.

Children missing education are at significant risk of underachieving, being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation, and becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life.

A child missing from education (CME) is a child of compulsory school age. They are not:

registered at a school
placed in alternative provision by a local authority
getting suitable home learning or education otherwise

Reasons why children go missing from education can include, but are not limited to:

not starting school at the appropriate time and therefore not entering the education system
being removed from school by their parents due to problems at school
stopping their education due to exclusion, illness or poor attendance
not finding a suitable school place after moving to a new area
personal circumstances

You can report a child missing education by contacting the Lewisham Attendance Service on childrenmissingeducation@lewisham.gov.uk or 020 8314 6272.

Published on: 05/03/2025