On Wednesday 15 July, 12:00 – 1:00pm, we hosted a webinar to help practitioners identify and respond to safeguarding concerns about vulnerable children who have low school attendance, are home educated, or missing education.
Sir David Holmes CBE, Panel Chair, was joined by Panel Members Jenny Coles, Sally Shearer MBE and Victoria Morris to explore the challenges and potential risks for children when they are not attending school, another education setting or receiving suitable education at home.
Approximately 292 practitioners attended the webinar, which generated over 300 questions and comments in the forum. Participants were encouraged to continue discussions through the online forum, share useful resources and examples of good practice.
We have also recently published a range of resources on safeguarding children not in school on our online learning hub, including briefing papers, video explainers, statistics, local review case studies and further guidance for practitioners. Explore the topic page: Safeguarding children not in school.
The discussion focused on several key themes:
Good practice
Participants highlighted the value of clear guidance and examples of effective practice in identifying children who may not be known to services. There was strong support for enhancing information sharing and collaboration between education, health, police and social care partners to help build a fuller understanding of children’s circumstances and strengthen safeguarding arrangements.
Participants also discussed the importance of effective multi-agency processes, consistent data-sharing arrangements and opportunities to learn from successful local practice.
Educational neglect
Discussion explored situations where children experience prolonged periods out of education, including cases involving disputes about provision, delays in accessing support or disagreements about how needs can best be met.
Participants reflected on the importance of clear pathways for intervention, early support and ensuring that children remain visible to services. Some participants suggested that local authorities and partner agencies would benefit from additional powers, guidance or mechanisms to respond where education concerns persist
Legislation
Many participants discussed current legislation relating to elective home education, attendance and children missing education. Comments reflected a shared view that greater clarity in national guidance could help support consistent practice, particularly around admissions, enrolment processes, children moving between settings and mechanisms for maintaining oversight of children who are not regularly attending school. Participants also discussed whether existing arrangements provide sufficient opportunities for agencies to maintain contact with children and assess their wellbeing.
Responsibility of schools
Participants sought greater clarity regarding schools’ responsibilities when pupils have extended periods of absence, including expectations around welfare checks, home visits and ongoing monitoring. Discussion also considered the challenges associated with long-term leave, maintaining accurate contact information and ensuring children remain visible when they are not regularly attending school. Participants reflected on the practical and resource challenges schools may face while balancing attendance, safeguarding and inclusion responsibilities.