Children Missing Education (CME) Policy

Contents

1. Purpose

This policy sets out how Devon County Council fulfils its statutory duty to identify, as far as possible, children missing education (CME), and to ensure that all children of compulsory school age receive a suitable education.

It provides a clear and consistent framework for:

  • identifying children who may be missing education
  • undertaking timely enquiries to establish their whereabouts and education status
  • assessing and responding to safeguarding concerns
  • securing suitable education in a timely manner

This policy supports safeguarding, inclusion and the promotion of positive educational outcomes, and sets out what schools, services and partners can expect when responding to children who may be missing education.

2. Devon’s CME approach

Devon County Council adopts a proactive, safeguarding-led approach to identifying and responding to Children Missing Education.

This means:

  • Children missing education are treated as a potential safeguarding concern at all times
  • Early identification and swift action are prioritised to minimise time out of education
  • Schools, services and partners work together to share information promptly and coordinate responses
  • The Local Authority leads and coordinates all CME enquiries to ensure consistency and accountability
  • Multi-agency oversight, including the Children Not in School (CNIS) process, is used to track and review all cases

This approach ensures that children are located quickly, risks are assessed, and suitable education is secured as soon as possible.

2.1 Our approach in practice

In delivering the expectations set out in this policy, all partners will apply Devon’s Four Cornerstones. These principles describe how services, schools and professionals should work with children, young people and families in practice.

  • Welcome and care – Ensuring children and families feel safe, supported, and able to engage, particularly at times of change, challenge, or vulnerability.
  • Value and include – Recognising individual needs, promoting belonging, and removing barriers so all children can access and benefit from education.
  • Communication – Sharing information clearly, consistently, and transparently, and ensuring that children and families are listened to and understood.
  • Work in partnership – Working collaboratively across schools, services, families, and partners to take shared responsibility for outcomes and ensure coordinated support.

These principles underpin how statutory duties and expectations are delivered, ensuring that practice is inclusive, relational, and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

3. Scope

This policy applies to:

  • All children of compulsory school age (5–16), who reside in Devon, including those below the age of five, where they are eligible to start school in accordance with statutory admissions frameworks.
  • Children who are not on a school roll or not receiving suitable education
  • Devon County Council services with responsibility for attendance, education, inclusion and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), safeguarding, early help and children’s social care.
  • Schools, academies, alternative provision and commissioned education providers
  • Partner agencies, including health services, police and other local authorities

All services and partners are expected to work in line with this policy to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to identifying and responding to Children Missing Education across Devon.

This policy is underpinned by the following legislation and statutory guidance:

  • Education Act 1996 (Section 436A) – duty on local authorities to make arrangements to identify, as far as possible, children missing education
  • Children Act 1989 and 2004 – duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children – statutory guidance for multiagency safeguarding arrangements
  • Children Missing Education: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities and Schools
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) – absence and missing education as safeguarding indicators

All children, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to a full-time education suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs.

Children missing education are at increased risk of:

  • safeguarding harm
  • exploitation
  • poor educational and life outcomes

Devon County Council fulfils its duty under Section 436A of the Education Act 1996 through robust local systems for identifying, tracking and securing suitable education for children missing education, working in partnership with schools and other agencies.

Where a child is on roll at a school but not attending, they are not considered Children Missing Education. In these circumstances, schools must follow Devon’s Working Together to Improve School Attendance Policy.

5. Key definitions

The following definitions are provided to ensure clarity and consistency in the application of this policy.

  • Child Missing Education (CME): A child of compulsory school age who is not registered at a school and is not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school, , as defined in statutory guidance.
  • Suitable education: Efficient, full-time education suitable to a child’s age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs.
  • Pupils Missing Education (PME): Children who are registered at a school but who are not attending regularly. These children are not considered Children Missing Education, and their attendance should be managed in line with Devon’s Working Together to Improve School Attendance Policy.

6. Roles and responsibilities

The following responsibilities set out clear expectations for Devon County Council, schools and partner agencies to ensure a consistent and effective approach to identifying and responding to Children Missing Education.

Devon County Council will:

  • fulfil its statutory duty to identify, as far as possible, children missing education
  • coordinate all CME enquiries and determine the appropriate action required
  • maintain a register of children identified as missing education
  • undertake enquiries promptly to establish a child’s whereabouts and education status
  • hold a weekly multi-agency Children Not in School (CNIS) meeting to review and oversee all children missing education
  • coordinate multi-agency responses to ensure timely and appropriate action
  • monitor patterns and trends in CME to inform service improvement
  • identify and escalate concerns regarding unlawful exclusions or off-rolling for investigation and appropriate action by Education Quality & Inclusion teams
  • work with schools and partners to secure suitable education as quickly as possible
  • determine when involvement can be concluded in line with statutory guidance

Schools and education providers must:

  • notify the Local Authority without delay where a child is removed from roll and their next provision is unknown
  • notify the Local Authority where a child cannot be located or there are concerns that they are not receiving suitable education
  • follow statutory requirements in relation to pupil registration and removal from roll
  • work with the Local Authority and partners to support enquiries
  • support children to re-engage in education where a school place is identified

Partner agencies should:

  • Share relevant information promptly where there are concerns that a child may be missing education
  • Work collaboratively with the Local Authority to support enquiries
  • Take appropriate action where safeguarding concerns are identified

7. Identification of Children Missing Education

Children may be identified as missing education through a range of sources, including:

  • School admissions and attendance data
  • Elective home education notifications
  • Exclusions, placement breakdown or failure to start provision
  • Information from other Local Authorities or public services
  • Referrals from professionals or members of the public

7.1. Notifications to the Local Authority

Schools, families and partner agencies must notify Devon County Council without delay where:

  • a child has been removed from roll and their next provision is unknown
  • a child’s whereabouts cannot be established
  • there is concern that a child is not receiving suitable education
  • a child has failed to start at a school place

Notifications should include sufficient information to enable the Local Authority to begin enquiries promptly.

7.2. Early identification and prevention

Where concerns emerge that a child may be at risk of missing education:

  • schools and partners should take early steps to establish the child’s circumstances
  • information should be shared promptly with the Local Authority where concerns cannot be resolved
  • appropriate support should be provided to prevent the child becoming missing from education

8. CME procedures

Devon County Council will manage all Children Missing Education through a clear and coordinated process, ensuring timely identification, appropriate safeguarding and swift action to secure suitable education.

8.1. Initial checks

On receipt of a notification, the Local Authority will undertake initial checks without delay, including:

  • verifying the child’s identity and last known education placement
  • reviewing available records, including education, safeguarding, SEND and social care information
  • establishing whether the child is on roll elsewhere or receiving suitable education

8.2. Enquiries

Where suitable education cannot be confirmed, the Local Authority will:

  • make contact with parents/carers and known professionals
  • liaise with partner agencies and other local authorities where appropriate
  • undertake further enquiries, including home visits where necessary

Enquiries will be proportionate and undertaken promptly to establish the child’s whereabouts and education status.

8.3. Safeguarding

At all stages, consideration will be given to safeguarding.

Where concerns are identified:

  • appropriate referrals will be made in line with safeguarding procedures – if the child is open to Children’s Social Care, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) at the school should notify the child’s Social Worker without delay.
  • information will be shared with relevant services, including Children’s Social Care where required
  • immediate action will be taken where a child is considered at risk of harm – If a professional has a concern about the risk of harm to a child, an immediate referral should be made to the Front Door as per Devon’s safeguarding and child protection procedures.

The Front Door, P.O Box 723, Exeter, EX1 9QS.
0345 155 1071
mashsecure@devon.gov.uk
Emergency Duty Team (out of hours): 0845 6000 388

8.4. Tracking and oversight

All identified children who are missing education will:

  • be recorded and monitored by the Local Authority
  • be subject to multi-agency oversight, including review through the weekly Children Not in School (CNIS) meeting
  • remain open until the child’s education status is confirmed

8.5. Securing education

Once a child has been located, Devon County Council will work with schools and partners to:

  • facilitate admission to a school or appropriate provision
  • support reintegration where appropriate
  • ensure that education is suitable and arranged as quickly as possible

Enquiries will only be concluded once the Local Authority is satisfied that the child is:

  • in suitable education, or
  • otherwise accounted for in line with statutory guidance

9. Information sharing

Effective information sharing is essential to identify children missing education and to ensure that appropriate and timely action is taken.

Devon County Council, schools and partner agencies must work together to ensure that relevant information is shared promptly and lawfully to support the identification, tracking and safeguarding of children who may be missing education.

9.1. Principles of information sharing

Information will be shared:

  • in line with data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018
  • where it is necessary to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
  • to support the Local Authority in fulfilling its statutory duties in relation to Children Missing Education
  • on a proportionate and need-to-know basis

9.2. Expectations of partners

Schools and partner agencies should:

  • share information promptly where there are concerns that a child may be missing education
  • respond to requests for information from the Local Authority without delay
  • ensure that information shared is accurate and up to date
  • work collaboratively to ensure that information informs timely and appropriate action

Failure to share information may result in delays in identifying children and assessing potential safeguarding risks.

10. Safeguarding

Children missing education are at increased risk of harm. The absence of education must be treated as a potential safeguarding concern at all times.

All professionals should recognise that a child missing education may indicate safeguarding concerns, including neglect, exploitation or other risks.

Where a child is open to Children’s Social Care, the allocated Social Worker must be informed without delay.

Where a child is not open to Children’s Social Care and there are concerns about risk of harm, a referral must be made through appropriate safeguarding routes (see section 7.3).

Where a child cannot be located, this must be treated as a safeguarding priority and remain under active consideration until the child’s whereabouts are confirmed.

This policy should be read alongside the following policies and guidance, which support a consistent, inclusive and safeguarding-led approach:

Please note: some of our policies are hosted on the public facing Children, families and education (CFE) website, as they are relevant to parents as well as schools.

  • monitor and report information through appropriate strategic governance arrangements
  • maintain oversight of children identified as missing education
  • use data and intelligence to identify patterns, trends and areas for improvement
  • ensure that multi-agency processes, including the Children Not in School (CNIS) approach, provide effective oversight and coordination
  • reviewed annually to assess its implementation and impact
  • formally reviewed every three years, or earlier where required in response to changes in statutory guidance, legislation or identified areas of risk or improvement

July 2026

Published

Last Updated

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