Hundreds of SEN kids missing from school - report

Hundreds of children with peculiar acquisition needs (SEN) are wholly missing from acquisition successful England, investigation suggests.

Children with SEN marque up 22% of the 2,900 children not enrolled astatine a schoolhouse oregon being suitably educated elsewhere - which is disproportionately high, arsenic 16% of children successful authorities acquisition person SEN, the study says.

Children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, who produced it, said proviso for children with SEN was “the fig 1 happening that needs sorting retired alongside attendance to marque definite our kids tin spell to school”.

The Department for Education said the study showed determination were "far excessively galore children falling done the cracks".

Data from the children's commissioner's bureau for the 12-month play betwixt the outpouring presumption of 2022 and 2023 suggested 11,600 children were missing from acquisition astatine immoderate constituent during that time.

Many of those had worked their mode backmost into the acquisition strategy by the extremity of that period. However, 2,900 were past recorded arsenic being missing from education, meaning they were not registered astatine immoderate schoolhouse oregon known to beryllium learning astatine location oregon determination suitable elsewhere.

"I deliberation radical would beryllium stunned that determination are that galore children successful this state that we bash not cognize wherever they are," Dame Rachel told BBC Radio 5 Live.

She said it was a "scandal" that children missing from acquisition were "not connected anybody's radar".

Children missing from acquisition (CME) are those of schoolhouse property who are not registered pupils astatine a schoolhouse oregon receiving suitable acquisition elsewhere, specified arsenic astatine home.

They are antithetic to children who are persistently absent, who are pupils registered with a schoolhouse who miss astatine slightest 10% of their clip determination oregon the equivalent of astatine slightest 1 time per fortnight.

Dame Rachel said managing the SEN situation and improving attendance were the apical priorities for getting children backmost into schools.

According to a Teacher Tapp survey commissioned by BBC Radio 5 Live, 28% of schoolhouse leaders crossed the authorities assemblage said SEN backing was their apical fiscal concern.

That fig roseate to 44% among superior schoolhouse leaders.

The fig of pupils astatine Varndean High School successful Brighton who person an acquisition and healthcare program (EHCP) has risen by 50% to 30 since the past schoolhouse year, said caput teacher Shelley Baker.

An EHCP is simply a ineligible papers mounting retired what a pupil's peculiar educational, wellness and societal attraction needs are and what is required by assorted work providers to conscionable them.

"For each pupil that comes with immoderate EHCP, that's an other assets of a bully mates of weeks connected a subordinate of unit that we don't have," Mrs Baker said.

"So we person to beryllium truly originative and enactment intimately with our families to marque definite that kid gets the enactment they truly need.”

But lone a fraction of SEN children get an EHCP - plans which are funded by section authorities.

Some parents adjacent spell to tribunals to unafraid one, with galore section authorities forecasting ample shortfalls successful their SEN budgets.

According to a survey by the foundation Support Send Kids, 41% of parents with SEN children accidental they person had to permission their jobs to walk clip pursuing their children’s ineligible rights to support.

However, adjacent those with an EHCP tin conflict to find specializer schoolhouse places and often cannot beryllium provided for successful mainstream education.

The children's commissioner's information suggested 13,100 children had near the authorities acquisition strategy during the play betwixt the outpouring presumption of 2022 and 2023, and had subsequently been taught astatine home. Nearly 1 successful 3 of those were SEN children.

Stephanie Darrah discontinue her occupation successful December past twelvemonth and moved her household from Staffordshire to Norfolk aft her seven-year-old lad Glen, who was diagnosed with autism and has an EHCP, struggled to acceptable successful with mainstream schooling.

Glen is present taking portion successful an outdoor acquisition placement and receives 9 hours of tutoring per week but is inactive without a imperishable schoolhouse place.

She said children had been failed by a deficiency of backing but added that determination were a "lot of large radical retired determination warring the strategy from wrong and doing their champion to enactment these kids".

Although children recorded arsenic being successful suitable location acquisition are not classed arsenic being missing from education, Dame Rachel has called for each kid to beryllium fixed a unsocial identifier, akin to an NHS number, to assistance way those who are.

Supporters accidental it would assistance agencies similar schools and societal services to talk to each different crossed assembly borders.

It was besides a committedness Labour made successful its predetermination manifesto.

A Department for Education spokesperson said Dame Rachel's study laid "bare the standard of the situation to the acquisition system".

It said the authorities volition bring successful a instrumentality truthful that councils indispensable nutrient and support registers of children not successful school, "ensuring less young radical gaffe nether the radar".

• Listen unrecorded to peculiar sum from wrong our schools connected Tuesday 10 September, from 06:00 BST connected Radio 5 Live.