When I became Children’s Commissioner, one of the first things I did was to conduct a nationwide inquiry into the educational experiences of children leaving state education. These children had fallen off the radar during the pandemic. Local authorities confided that they did not know where they had gone or how to support them to reengage in education.
Three years on and we have still not shifted the dial on this issue. Thousands of children, still of compulsory school age, continue to leave state schools each year. Many have started to disengage, and some have left the school system altogether.
I am deeply worried about the consequences of children being absent from school or missing education. Research shows that children who are absent from school often leave school without the qualifications they need, and some are vulnerable to criminal exploitation.
Today’s new report, Lost in Transition, shines new light on the vulnerabilities of children who left the state education system last year. For the first time ever, my office have been able to examine the destinations, pupil characteristics and educational histories of children who left state education.
