TORBAY COUNCIL
Children’s Services
Children Missing Education: Policy and Procedures
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Who is a child missing from education?
3. Why do children go missing from education?
4. Identifying children who are at risk of becoming a child missing from
education?
5. The role of schools
6. The use of S2S/Lost pupil database
7. Excluded pupils
8. The role of the Admissions Service
9. The role of the Traveller’s Education Service
10. The role of other agencies
11. Tracking and monitoring pupils referred to the Attendance Improvement
Service as being without a school place
12. Policies and Guidance used in this document
13. Appendix A – Deletions from admissions register
14. Appendix B – Legislation and guidance
15. Appendix C – Travellers and missing children protocols
16. Appendix D – CME referral form
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1. Introduction
1.1 The Government has placed a duty on Local Authorities (Education and
Inspections Act 2006) to make arrangements to establish (so far as it is
possible to do so) the identities of children in their area who are of
compulsory school age and not receiving a suitable education.
1.2 In the context of ‘Every Child Matters’ and the Children Act 2004 it is a key
responsibility of Torbay Children’s Services and its schools to safeguard all
children resident in Torbay or attending its schools. The best way for the
Local Authority (LA) and its schools to ensure the welfare of all Torbay
children is to ensure that they are all on a school roll and that children do not
‘slip off’ school rolls and become ‘missing’.
1.3 This document is intended to inform LA officers, schools, governing bodies
and other involved agencies about the policy and procedures to be followed in
order to identify and maintain contact with children missing education and
current developments for identifying those at risk of going missing from
education. It should be read in conjunction with LA advice and guidance on
school attendance issues and particularly the Education (Pupil Registration)
(England) Regulations 2006 and amendments, Behaviour and Attendance
Strategy and the Child Protection Policy.
1.4 The Children Act 2004 places a duty on all agencies to work together to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and to share
information. This principle underpins this policy and there is an expectation
that all agencies must work together to ensure that children and young
people do not “slip through the net” and become missing as well as ensuring
that all children in Torbay achieve the five core Every Child Matters outcomes
(hereafter referred to as ‘the five outcomes):
 Being Healthy
 Staying Safe
 Enjoying & Achieving
 Making a Positive Contribution
 Achieving Economic Well-being
1.5 As well as the five outcomes, Torbay Children and Young People’s Plan
identifies 7 key priorities:
 Raise attainment at all stages of education
 Improve attendance and behaviour at education settings
 Ensure all children and young people are protected from abuse and
neglect
and feel safe and supported in their families and communities
 Increase participation and positive activities
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 Reduce the number of teenagers becoming pregnant
 Reduce the number of children and young people living in poverty
 Reduce the use of alcohol and substance misuse
This policy has been constructed in accordance with the Department for
Education’s (DfE) good practice guidance entitled “Identifying and Maintaining
Contact with Children Missing or At Risk of Going Missing from Education
(2004)” and to lesser extent, the Education and Inspections Act 2006, the
Education Act 1996, the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational
Needs and Disability Act (2001).
This policy is designed to help Torbay Children’s Services meet its statutory
duties relating to the provision of education and the safeguarding and
promoting the welfare of children and supports Directorate developments
within Information Sharing and Assessment (ISA), in line with the Children Act
2004 and “Every Child Matters”. It also supports Directorate developments
around the monitoring and tracking of pupils in alternative programmes as set
out in the DfE’s “Guidance for LEAs – PRUs’ and Alternative Provision”.
2.
Who is a child missing from education?
2.1 Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places the following obligation on parents:
‘The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to
receive efficient full-time education suitable:
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular
attendance at school or otherwise’
2.2 Children Missing from Education (CME) in this document refers to all children
of compulsory school age who are either not on school roll or not being
educated other than at school e.g. privately or in alternative provision and
who have been out of any educational provision for a substantial period of
time. It also refers to children who are already attending Nursery or reception
classes who are ‘missing’ from their educational establishment, as well as
children of compulsory school age who are on roll at a school and have been
missing through unauthorised absence for 10 consecutive days (although a
shorter time is appropriate where there are child protection concerns).
3. Why do children go missing from education?
3.1 Children fall out of the education system and are at risk of ‘going missing’ due
to a wide range of reasons and some examples of which are listed below:
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3.2
Certain groups of children are more likely to be affected by the factors listed
above and include:
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4.
They fail to start appropriate provision and so never enter the system (e.g.
pre-school to Yr 1, new to city and no application made to school);
Cease to attend, due to exclusion (e.g. illegal or unofficial exclusions) or
withdrawal; removal from roll with no named destination; or
Fail to complete a transition between providers (e.g. being unable to find a
suitable school place after moving to a new LA or within Torbay).
Young Offenders;
children of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families;
children living in women’s refuges;
runaways;
children of homeless families living in temporary accommodation;
children of refugees and asylum seeking families;
children looked after (including Private Fostering arrangements);
children of new immigrant families;
children who are on the child protection register;
children who do not receive a suitable education whilst being educated at
home;
children who are permanently excluded from school;
children of parents with mental health problems
children with long term medical or emotional problems.
children who have suffered bereavement, trauma, domestic violence or
other adverse family circumstances
children with Special Educational needs
Identifying children who are at risk of becoming a child missing from
education?
4.1 In Torbay, the CME Officers are Victoria McGeough and Adam Cook and the
lead for overseeing all CME’s within is Tina Tozer (Locality Service Manager).
Referrals come into the Attendance Improvement Service and are allocated to
an Attendance Improvement Officer (AIO) for enquiries to be made.
4.2 In order to reduce the risk of children becoming missing from education,
Torbay has a single referral process for all agencies both in Torbay and for
outside agencies and other Local Authorities.
4.3 It is recognised that it is the LA’s responsibility to ensure that all school aged
children are in receipt of suitable and efficient education appropriate to their
age, aptitude and ability whether at school or otherwise.
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4.4 When a child is referred to the Attendance Improvement Service by a school
or other agency/body as being in danger of going missing from school, the
case will be prioritised and case worked until either the child is back in school,
all reasonable steps have been taken to track them (and failed) or it is
confirmed that the child is without a school place - in which case the
procedures identified in Section 11 below entitled ‘Tracking and Monitoring
Pupils Referred to the Attendance Improvement Service as Being Without a
School Place’ below will be followed.
4.5 The Attendance Improvement Service has a statutory duty to inspect school
registers and ensure that they are being kept in accordance with the
Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 and amendments.
This will include regular monitoring of pupils who have been removed from roll
to ensure that the Guidance in paragraph 5.5 below is being followed and that
no pupil is allowed to ‘disappear’ from a school roll.
5. The role of Schools
5.1 When a pupil is expected to join the school either at a normal time of starting
(e.g. Nursery, Reception or Year 7) or at any time and s/he does not arrive,
the school should firstly try to make contact with the parents by phone or
letter. If after one week no contact has been made the school should contact
Admissions and Student Services to find out if the child had been registered
elsewhere. After two weeks (10 school days) the school should complete a
referral to the Attendance Improvement Service (See Appendix D) who will
follow the procedures for ‘missing pupils’. The pupil should not be removed
from roll until the AIO has ascertained the pupil’s whereabouts and safety
and has confirmed that the pupil is registered at another school, is being
educated otherwise or at the very minimum has made reasonable enquiries
as to the missing child’s whereabouts and been unable to trace them.
5.2
If a pupil is absent for a prolonged period or fails to return from a holiday the
school should follow the normal procedures for investigating pupil absence
(i.e. telephone calls, letters, invitations to meetings at the school etc). If the
child does not return to school the matter should be referred to the
Attendance Improvement Service within two weeks and the AIO will follow the
procedures for ‘missing pupils’. The pupil should not be removed from roll
until the AIO has ascertained the pupil’s whereabouts and safety or has made
reasonable enquiries to this end.
5.3
If a pupil ‘disappears’ without any warning the school should immediately
notify the Attendance Improvement Service. If there are safeguarding
concerns, a referral should be made directly to Torbay Children Services by
telephoning 01803 208100.
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5.4
A School Transfer form must be completed by the School when:
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The school has been informed that a child is moving out of area but the
details of the new school are not provided.
The school has been informed that the child is moving out of area,
details of the new school are provided but after 15 days, no confirmation
has been received.
(There are other times when this form should be completed not directly
linked with children missing education. Please see guidelines on School
Transfer form for more information on when to complete)
5.5 There are strict rules on when schools can delete pupils from their
Admissions Register. These are outlined in Regulation 8 of the Education
(Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 and amendments. A
summary of these is provided in Appendix A.
5.6 When a pupil is deleted from the Admission Register the school must clearly
indicate the date and the reason for the removal from roll. In the event of a
pupil moving to another school, the name of the school should be indicated
and the pupil’s records should be sent to the new school within 15 days.
Where the pupil is subject to a child protection plan or there are safeguarding
concerns and the school holds a child protection file this must be sent to the
new school as soon as possible. If a child’s name is removed from the school
roll the LA must be informed.
5.7
Admissions and Student Services must be informed:
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In the event of a parent informing the school that s/he is removing the
child to educate him/her at home the Admissions and Student Services
Officer should be informed by email to pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk or by
post to Oldway Mansion. The name will then be placed on the database.
Arrangements will then be made by the Education Other Than At Schools
(EOTAS) Co-ordinator for the LA to satisfy itself that the education being
provided is ‘suitable and efficient’.
If the pupil has moved or transferred and is on roll at another school
Admissions and Student Services at Oldway must be informed by email to
pupil.services@torbay.gov.uk or by post to Oldway Mansion.
If the pupil is to be removed from roll for any other reason the AIO must be
informed of the proposed deletion and given time to make appropriate
enquiries about the child’s whereabouts.
Pregnancy is not a reason for a pupil to be removed from the school roll.
Schools, in liaison with their allocated AIO must investigate fully all cases
of non attendance at school and should never remove a pupil from roll
until this has been done.
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5.8 Schools will need to monitor all deletions from school rolls by race, ethnicity,
gender, SEN and disability to ensure that it is fulfilling its obligations under the
Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the Special Educational Needs
and Disability Act (2001).
5.9 If a school learns of a school aged pupil without a school place (e.g. a sibling
or friend of a current pupil, or a child on its waiting list) the school must inform
Admissions and Student Services.
5.10 If a pupil is resident of another Local Authority it is the school’s responsibility
to notify the Local Authority that pupil resides in of any of the circumstances
above.
5.11 Removal from roll for any reason other than those specified above is illegal.
5.12 The DfE has stated that it is no longer acceptable for schools to back date the
off roll date to the beginning of enquiries once it is agreed a pupil can be
removed from roll. The School can only back date the date of removal to
when confirmation has been received.
6. The use of s2s and the Lost Pupil Database
The School to School (s2s) website is a secure website, which is operated by
the DfE on behalf of all maintained and independent schools (including
academies) in England and Wales. It was set up in to enable schools to post
standardised data about individual pupils (such as assessment results and
attendance) to the website, for retrieval by the pupil’s new school, or by a
local authority. The specified format of this data is termed an electronic
Common Transfer File (CTF) and is a statutory requirement on schools. This
file can be imported into the schools Management Information System (MIS)
and means that they do not have to input data they receive via the website,
which in turn means improved efficiency, accuracy and speed of data
transfer. The CTF should be used both at the normal transfer time, and when
pupils leave the school during the year.
Advice about the s2s and CTF system can be obtained from the Local
Authority schools administrative support & ICT service.
6.1 If a school knows which school a pupil is moving to it should ensure that the
Common Transfer File (CTF) is sent to the receiving school via S2S as
quickly as possible. The new school may then apply for the full school record.
6.2 If the new school is unknown the CTF should be coded XXXXXXX
(destination unknown) or MMMMMMM (moved to Independent Sector or out
of country including Scotland) and uploaded onto S2S in the normal way.
These records are then stored in a secure area of S2S known as the Lost
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Pupil Database. If a CTF file is rejected schools should recode the file
MMMMMMM.
6.3 Schools should check S2S regularly to look for the CTFs of new pupils which
have been sent to them. If a new pupil is admitted and the CTF is not
available schools should request that their allocated AIO or the LA Education
Data Management team search the Lost Pupil Database for the pupil’s CTF
which can then be forwarded to the school.
7. Excluded pupils
7.1 The Admissions Officer must be informed of all exclusions from school (both
permanent and fixed term). All schools will follow the DfE statutory Guidance
on Exclusion from School. In the event of a pupil being excluded for a fixed
term, work must be provided and if the exclusion is for more than 15 school
days the DfE expects that full time education will be provided. If a school is
imposing an exclusion of more than 15 school days the Admissions Service
should be informed of the arrangements that are being made for the pupil’s
education during the exclusion. During any period of fixed term exclusion or
period the school continues to hold the same responsibilities for safeguarding
and child protection e.g. attending and submitting reports for initial child
protection conferences and core group meetings.
7.2
If the exclusion is permanent the school should notify the Admissions
Service... The pupil will then be considered by the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU)
Placement Panel (which meets monthly) and appropriate full time provision
will be identified. Pupils will be tracked by the panel until they are placed on
the roll of a PRU or other alternative provider.
7.3 In the event of either a fixed term or permanent exclusion, where the pupil is
open to Children’s Services the school must notify the social worker / case
worker of the decision immediately.
7.4 Pupils who are on the roll of a PRU are subject to the same regulations as in
2 above. The LA operates a Cross-Border Protocol for pupils resident in
Torbay but educated elsewhere and vice versa. Pupils only revert to their
home authority when the appeals process has been exhausted.
8. The role of the Admissions Service
8.1 The Admissions Service has responsibility for:
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the co-ordination of all admissions to reception classes, ensuring, in
cooperation with primary admission authorities, that no more than a single
offer of a reception class place is made to applicants for Torbay schools;
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the co-ordination of admission arrangements for pupils transferring from
primary to secondary school, ensuring, in co-operation with secondary
admission authorities and other LA’s, that Torbay-resident pupils receive
no more than a single offer of a secondary school place;
processing requests for in-year admissions and transfer of school,
Admissions and Student Services will allocate places in community and
controlled schools and liaise with VA and Foundation Schools. Parents
must apply to their ‘home’ LA and the LAs then exchange information
about the application
identifying through the Authority’s data systems and other agencies those
children who require the allocation of a school place (for the major intakes
at reception and secondary transfer but, also, in respect of other school
years);
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8.2 To contribute to the work of ensuring that all pupils are on a school roll and
attending school, the Admissions Service works as follows:
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prioritises work on the allocation of school places for children in public
care;
ensures that advice about admissions and support with the application
procedure is readily available for families recently arrived from overseas;
carefully considers each request for a transfer of school, ensuring that
parents are aware of the implications of a change of school and
discouraging the request where appropriate; ensuring, at every
opportunity, that parents are advised not to withdraw their children from
school without first having secured an alternative school place; in area
transfers are usually only agreed at the start of each term.
Identifies children who are out of school and unable to readily benefit from
a mainstream school placement so that consideration may be given to
involving the EOTAS team.
contributes to the maintenance of an efficient pupil database which,
following liaison with schools and parents as necessary, records the
school places offered and those taken up or declined;
shares information with other LA’s and admission authorities regarding
individual pupil placements within their schools;
investigates, with parents, schools and the Attendance Improvement
Service, as necessary, those cases where pupils fail to take up school
places or where it becomes evident that a child is out of school;
follows-up and monitors the outcome of admission referrals made to the
Authority’s community schools;
deals with enquiries from other LA’s about “missing” children, determining
whether such children may be on the roll of a Torbay school.
For those pupils that are established as being resident in Torbay but not
on the roll of a school, in the first instance the Admissions Service will
send out a TIPS 4 booklet to the parent. If there is no response, a referral
to the Attendance Improvement Service will be made. These referrals are
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then allocated to an AIO who makes contact with the family to secure a
placement.
9. The role of the Travellers Education Service (TES)
9.1 Traveller children are frequently identified as being “missing from school”. This
can be for a variety of reasons but particularly because;
 They fail to make a successful transition at Year 6-7
 They live within families who frequently move from place to place within
the LA, across LA boundaries and sometimes, to other parts of the UK.
 They may live within families who are on the move in trailers, who camp
illegally.
9.2 Children with no school place usually come to the attention of the TES through;
 Home visits made with regard to children who are in school. (They are
usually older siblings).
 Visits to illegal encampments.
 Referrals received from other authorities with information about families
that are known to have moved to Torbay.
 Anonymous complaints/information from members of the public.
9.3 The TES response to finding a child not on any school roll:
 Discuss with parents and facilitate an application for admission.
 Follow up applications for admission.
 When parents oppose school placement, inform Attendance Improvement
Service and Court Officer.
 Make home visits accompanied by Court Officer.
 When parents opt for EOTAS, explain procedure and ensure that the
procedure is followed.
 Maintain pastoral contact with families who opt for EOTAS to ensure that
the children are receiving an education.
 Inform appropriate education Welfare Service if child is living outside
Torbay.
 Keep a record of children not on any school roll.
10. The role of other agencies
10.1 Other agencies frequently come into contact with school aged children –
especially Children’s Services, Health, the Police, the Youth Service, the
Youth Offending Team, Connexions Service and other Council wide services.
It is an expectation of ‘Every Child Matters’ that any professional coming
across a school aged child will ask where that child is registered at school. In
the event of a child not being on the roll of a school other professionals
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should complete the Child Missing Education referral form and send it to the
address shown on the form.
11. Tracking and monitoring pupils referred to the Attendance Improvement
Service as being without a School place
11.1 On receipt of the Children Missing Education form the EMS database will be
checked. If the recorded school is different from the last known school then
the recorded school will be asked if the pupil is on roll.
11.2 If EMS shows the pupil is out of school a check will be made with:
 Admissions and Student Services
 The Traveller Education Service
 EOTAS Co-ordinator
As appropriate to see if the child is known and what educational provision is
being made.
11.3 If the pupil is not known to any of the above, the Attendance Improvement
Service will investigate the circumstances of the pupil being out of school and
the pupil and parent wishes for provision. The pupil will be logged on the
Children Missing Education spreadsheet.
11.4 An AIO will carry out a home visit to the family in order to try and secure a
placement. If residency cannot be determined by visiting, other checks may
be carried out in collaboration with colleagues from other relevant agencies.
These checks are carried out in accordance with the following legislation:
 Current Child Protection legislation, which states that any child missing from
education is deemed to be a ‘Child in Need’.
 Section 27 of the Children Act 1989, which states that a local authority may
request help from any LEA and other agencies in exercising their duty to
provide support and services to children in need and that Education staff
have a duty to gather information regarding concerns.
 Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, which states that it is the duty of the
parent of every child aged five to sixteen to cause the child to receive
efficient, full-time education, suitable to his or her age, ability or aptitude and
to any special needs he/she may have, either by regular attendance at
school or otherwise.
 The Children Act 1989 which states that all public agencies should work
together, exchange and share information for the welfare and protection of
children in the area.
11.5 Every effort will be made to secure an appropriate school place and where
necessary the procedures outlined in the Hard to Place Protocol will be
followed. If necessary, legal action or a School Attendance Order will be
considered in order to ensure a child attends.
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11.6 In the event of a child being ‘missing’ the AIO will liaise with relevant agencies
such as the Children’s Social Care Teams and the police and undertake
home visits in order to comply with the Children Missing Education policies
and procedures. The case will not be closed until the child is securely on roll
in a school or other appropriate provision; or reasonable attempts have been
made and failed to track the missing pupil.
11.7 The details of any child found to be resident outside of Torbay are referred to
their responsible Local Authority.
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12. Policies and Guidance used in this document
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Education and Inspections Act 2006
Childrens Act 1989 and 2004
Education Act 1996
Every Child Matters
Identifying and maintaining contact with children missing or at risk of going
missing from Education 2004
Special Educational needs and Disability 2004
Equality Act 2010
Guidance on LEAs – PRUs and Alternative provision
Race relations (Amendments) Act 2000
Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education
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Torbay Behaviour and Attendance Strategy
Promoting School attendance in Torbay Strategy 2009-2011
Torbay Children and Young peoples plan 2010-2013
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Appendix A
Deletions from Admission Register
The Education (Pupil registration) (England) Regulations (2006) provides the
regulations as to when a school can delete a child from their admission register.
Below is a summary of these regulations, full details can be found at
https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/UKSI20061751.pdf
The regulations enable schools to delete compulsory school-age children in the
following circumstances:
a. the school is replaced by another school on a School Attendance Order;
b. the School Attendance Order is revoked by the local authority;
c. completion of compulsory school age;
d. permanent exclusion;
e. death of the pupil;
f. transfer between schools; and
g. pupil withdrawn to be educated outside the school system.
h. failure to return for an extended family holiday after both the school and the local
authority have tried to locate the pupil;
i. a medical condition prevents their attendance and return to the school before
ending compulsory school-age;
j. in custody for more than four months;
k. 20 days continuous unauthorised absence and both the local authority on school
have tried to locate the pupil; and
l. left the school but not known where he/she has gone after both the school and
the local authority have tried to locate the pupil.
Schools can only lawfully delete non-compulsory school-age children in the
following circumstances:
a. left the school;
b. 20 school-days continuous absence without good reason;
c. death of the pupil;
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d. permanent exclusion; or
e. child who was admitted to the nursery is not transferring to the reception class.
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Appendix B
Legislation and Guidance
There are various statutory duties upon LAs and parents (supplemented by
guidance) relating to the provision of education and the safeguarding of the welfare
of children and which may be relevant to children missing education. The principal
provisions are as follows:
Section 14(1) of the Education Act 1996 provides that a Local Education
Authority (LEA) must make sure there are sufficient schools for providing education
in their area. For these purposes, the schools must be sufficient in number,
character and equipment to provide all pupils with the opportunity of appropriate
education (s.14(2)). “Appropriate education” means, broadly education which is
desirable in view of the pupils’ different ages, abilities and aptitudes and the
different periods for which they may be expected to remain at schools (s.14(3)).
Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 provides that the parent of every child of
compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education
suitable to his age, ability and to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
Furthermore, section 437(1) of the Education Act 1996 provides that if it appears
to a LEA that a child of compulsory school age who by reason of illness, exclusion
from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless
such arrangements are made for them. For these purposes, “suitable” education is
defined as “efficient education suitable to the age, ability, aptitude and to any
special educational needs the child (or young person) may have.” (s.19(6)).
Moreover, section 19(4A) of the Education Act 1996 provides:
“In determining what arrangements to make under subsection (1) in the case of
any child or pupil, a LEA shall have regard to guidance given from time to time by
the Secretary of State.”
Section175 of the Education Act 2002 (which came into force on June 1st 2004)
imposes a duty upon LEAs and governing bodies to exercise their functions with a
view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. For these purposes,
“functions” includes the powers and duties of LEAs and governing bodies.
Related Guidance
Guidance of the LEA responsibility for arranging education outside of school is set
out in Circular No. 11/99 Social Inclusion: the LEA role in Pupil Support; LEAs
decide what is suitable education out of school for a particular child, in consultation
with parents, in line with their own policies, the efficient use of resources and
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having regard to this guidance. LEAs cannot decide not to arrange any education,
to make arrangements which do not provide suitable education for that child.
Guidance for LEAs for schools on monitoring attendance is contained within
http://education.gov.uk website.
Good practice for Gypsy/Traveller Achievement and for Supporting Asylum
Seeking and Refugee Children which are part of the Department’s Aiming High
strategy to raise Minority Ethnic Achievement: Aiming High: Guidance on
Supporting the Education of Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children – A Guide to
Good Practice.
The Children Act 2004 includes various provisions relating to safeguarding and
promotion of welfare of children, including:
1) a duty upon each children’s services authority to promote co-operation between
it and various other bodies to improve the well-being of children so far as
relating to (amongst other things) education and training.
2) A duty upon various bodies (including children’s services authorities) to make
arrangements for ensuring that their functions are discharged having regard to
the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; and
3) Provision for the Secretary of State to put into place information databases for
the purposes of arrangements under s175 of the Education Act 2002 or (a) and
(b) above, and a framework for the sharing of information contained in such
databases for such purposes.
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Appendix C
Travellers and Missing Children Protocols
The fundamental message in “Safeguarding Children in Education” (DfE’s
Guidance Sept 2004 with reference to Section 17, Children Act 1989 and Section
175 of the Education Act 2002) requires LEAs to make arrangements to ensure
that their functions are carried out with a view to safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children. We all have statutory duty to promote and safeguard the
welfare of all children
Traveller children on a school roll are deemed “missing” if, (as for all children):
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They appear to have left their current address and where after reasonable
enquiries have been made; there is no knowledge of a destination address.
It is suggested that a period of 4-6 weeks is given for reasonable enquiries to
be made/or to await a request for school records before notifying the
attendance improvement service. Administrator who will ensure that procedures
have been followed and advise the school regarding the removal of the pupil
from the school roll if appropriate.
If a possible destination address (out of county) is known, but no school
records have been requested:


The Devon Consortium Traveller Education Service (DCTES) needs to alert the
TES in the receiving Home Authority who can make reasonable enquiries to
locate the child.
If the Home Authority TES cannot locate the child, they will alert the Attendance
Improvement Service within the authority.
This requires the DCTES to establish wherever possible a destination address:



“Up country” or other vague references is insufficient and requires clarification
through reasonable enquiries.
Where ‘T’ is authorised in the school register, the next receiving authority needs
to be known and notified
You do not need to notify the Attendance Improvement Service the
whereabouts of highly mobile families unless or until a child’s whereabouts
become unknown.
Parents electing to home educate:
DCTES can promote and safeguard the welfare of Traveller children by ensuring
that:


Parents register with the Local Authority.
Assessments and monitoring of educational provision are carried out and
supported, where appropriate, with joint home visits. (The difficulties of high
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mobility must not stand in the way of following these procedures – all
reasonable steps need to be taken to ensure that visits are made and followed
up).
When traveller parents advise that their child has been sent out of county to
be home educated (for example with grandmother) whilst the parents remain
in county:
DCTES needs to ensure that:


Registration procedures are implemented.
Destination address is requested from parents so that procedures for
registering, assessing and monitoring educational provision by the receiving
authority can be followed.
In the absence of the above, the child will be registered as missing and all
appropriate procedures implemented.
For families believed to be fleeing domestic violence:


DCTES needs to liaise with the Attendance Improvement Service who can
check if the family is known to be in a County Women’s Refuge. If so, they can
arrange for school records and other information to be sent on to subsequent
school in a way that does not compromise the safety of the family.
Contact with and support the DCTES can also be facilitated through the
Attendance Improvement Service route.
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Appendix D
Children Missing Education Referral
Please use this form to notify the Local Authority of any child you believe is missing
from education. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the details - fill in as much of the
form as you can and send it to your allocated Attendance Improvement Officer or
the relevant locality team whose addresses and contact details are listed at the
bottom of this form.
A child who is ‘missing education’ is a child who is not receiving a suitable
education either through school, alternative provision or home education.
Name of child
DOB
Previous/alternative Surname
Gender
Name of siblings
DOB
Name of Parents/Carers
Current/Last known address
Possibility of where child/family might have moved to
Is the child subject to a Child Protection Plan or are there any other services
involved with the family? I.e. GP, Social Worker etc
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What actions has the referrer taken to locate the child? I.e. have parents, other
Local Authority and admissions been contacted? (Please attach copies of any
relevant information or correspondence).
Referrer details
Name of referrer
School/Job title
Contact details
For Torquay, please post this form to Torquay Locality, c/o Torquay Town Hall
Castle Circus, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3DR or call 01803 208104 for more
information.
For Paignton and Brixham please post this form to Paignton and Brixham Locality,
6 Waddeton Close, White Rock Business Park, Paignton, TQ4 7RZ or call 01803
208102 for more information.
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