Information for professionals

Find information and resources regarding Children Missing Education (CME) who are not registered on a school roll and school attendance.

Working together to improve school attendance

In line with Department for Education (DfE) “working together to improve school attendance” guidance, everyone has a role to play in promoting regular attendance and supporting children, young people and families where there may be barriers preventing regular attendance.

The School attendance helpline is open from 9:00am to 12:30pm and 1:00pm and 4:30pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during term time.

Telephone: 01905 844 440

Professionals must make the CME team aware of any Children Missing Education (CME) who are not registered on a school roll or in receipt of suitable education otherwise.

Email the CME team at: cme@worcestershire.gov.uk

Working together to improve school attendance guidance

See the Department for Educations guidance on attendance for maintained schools, academies, independent schools, and local authorities.

All schools and professionals supporting any children and young people should be following the new guidance: Working together to improve school attendance (gov.uk)Working together to improve school attendance (gov.uk)

Children Missing Education (CME) information for professionals

The government defines CME as

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

CME does not include:

children who are registered at an educational provision who are not attending regularly
children who are receiving alternative provision
children who are being Electively Home Educated (EHE)

The Local Authority has a statutory duty to identify and support all Children Missing Education.

We do this on behalf of the Local Authority do this by:

consistently encouraging all schools, partners and external agencies to notify us of any potential CME
operating a CME triage system to identify and prioritise the most vulnerable CME
leading the investigations in all reported CME to identify whereabouts and secure appropriate educational provision
working closely with children, young people, parents and carers and all relevant agencies for each individual case
identifying and appropriately challenging any perceived barriers preventing a child’s right to access education
providing caseworker support for each individual CME until successful resolution
developing trusted networks with other LAs and external partners to assist in wider CME investigations
escalating relevant complex cases to multi agency forums such as Missing Mondays, Fair Access Panels and Children who Cannot Attend School (CCAS) panels, whilst ensuring the voice of the child.
utilising School Attendance Orders and legal sanctions where required

Once a child or young person is confirmed to be on a school roll/suitably in educational provision otherwise, the CME definition ceases.

Children Missing Education Policy (PDF)

School attendance

If a child is a registered pupil, on a school roll, it remains the schools’ responsibility to work with the child/young person and family to secure regular school attendance.

This is classed as a school attendance matter

Many schools may have their own internal attendance support worker (sometimes called an attendance, education or welfare officer, pastoral support officer, family liaison worker or family support worker).

Every school is required to have a named attendance lead who is part of the school’s senior leadership team.

In addressing attendance concerns all schools, as a minimum requirement, should be

using a first day calling mechanism to make daily contact with the parents of any child not attending school and seeking information on each pupil’s well-being and reason for absence
regularly visiting the home addresses of pupils who are not attending school in order to see the child or young person to ensure their welfare and uphold safeguarding responsibilities
meeting with the pupil, parents or carers and most relevant school staff to identify the barriers to education and provide support to find agreed solutions (e.g., through completing an Early Help assessment or utilising the children with medical difficulties or graduated response models)
making reasonable adjustments to assist improved attendance
having a robust action plan in place, drawn up collectively and agreed by all parties, capturing the child or young person voice
seeking external multi agency support where required
adhering to the legal guidance by reporting into the local authority Children's Services portal any pupils who are on part time timetables, or who are regularly absent from school, have irregular attendance, or have missed 10 school days or more without the school’s permission
escalating any extreme cases (whereby robust casework and substantially evidenced multi agency support has continually failed to secure regular attendance) into the local authority for legal considerations

Schools have a safeguarding duty, under section 175 Education Act 2002 to investigate any unexplained absences.

Attendance and CSW (Child with a Social Worker)

This document contains information from the DfE (Department for Education) to support social workers to improve the attendance of children in their care.