June 16, 2019, Leicestershire Live: Leicestershire's 'invisible' children: The 901 children who missed out on education last year https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicestershires-invisible-children-901-children-2979733 A county council report has revealed the reasons behind the absences During 2018/19, some 901 children missed out on education in Leicestershire. The reasons are varied. Some may be carers, some are home educated, some have mental health needs or special educational needs. Others might have been permanently excluded or there may be medical reasons for their absence. A report detailing the figures, and the reasons was recently published by Leicestershire County Council. Children missing out on education are pupils who are not registered at a school and not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school. The local authority has a duty to establish the identities of these children, and was also responsible for the children who were on the roll of a school but had not attended for over 15 days. … “These reports concluded that if children are potentially ‘invisible’ they are at risk of not receiving an adequate education or at risk of harm.” Many families are choosing to home educate due to special educational needs not being met and problems with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). … Some 119 of the 901 children are classed as being ‘electively home educated and the education has been deemed unsuitable’…. In the 2018/19 financial year there were 28 exclusions. During the same period, there were 2,996 fixed term exclusions. Off-rolling, the process in which pupils are removed from school rolls by mutual agreement, could also be a contributory factor to the numbers of children who are not in education…. Councillor Ivan Ould, cabinet member for children and families said: “We’re very aware within Leicestershire of a number of children and young people who face significant challenges in attending school, or who are missing out on parts of their education.
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