Children missing education
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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.