This document sets out the requirements for identifying children missing education (CME) and is for the attention and action of all schools with pupils of statutory school age (5 to 16). This includes independent schools.
Background
With effect from 1st September 2016, all schools are required to notify the maintaining local authority of children of school age starting and leaving their school.
This does not include those starting at the school at the first point of entry in reception or Year 7, or those leaving Year 11.
Legal requirements
The following applies to non-standard transition points, also referred to as ‘in-year’.
All schools will be legally required to:
- Inform the LA when they are about to delete a pupil’s name from the admission register under the permitted grounds relevant to children of statutory school age (these are shown on the ‘starters and leavers’ form which you can request from the School Admissions team);
- Record details of the pupil’s residence, the name of the person with whom they reside, the date from which they will reside there, and then name of the destination school (where they can reasonably obtain this information);
- Inform the LA of the pupil’s destination school and home address if the pupil is moving to a new school;
- If school does not have details of destination school, they must not remove the child from roll until exhaustive investigation has been undertaken by both the school and Family Support Service and the reasonable enquiries form has been completed and submitted to Elizabeth Spearman;
- If parent is deciding to home educate, they must notify the school in writing and school should in turn forward the notification to the LA to initiate home education process. School must not take child off register unless a written notification is provided;
- Provide information to the LA when registering new pupils within five days, including the pupil’s address and previous school (where they can reasonably obtain this information);
- If school is removing a child who is resident in another borough from roll, it is the responsibility of the school to inform the home borough of this, including the reason for removal.
In the case of refusal to disclose the name of the destination school, please contact the admission team key contact who will advise and assist.
System of notification
All schools will be required to notify the LA of all starters and leavers as set out in the legal requirements above with effect from the start of Autumn term. The ‘starters and leavers’ form has been provided for completion each Friday in school term-time. This will only need to be returned if there are starters and/or leavers to notify, but where where there are no returns to be made, within a four-week period, a nil-return should be made.
The majority of schools will need to return their notifications to the Admissions team using the LGfL Document Exchange. For Independent schools, returns will need to be made via the s2s website or by secured email.
Notifications must not be returned by email unless it is password protected.
It is the responsibility of each school to ensure that notifications are sent to the LA’s Admissions Team. Reminders will not be sent but the designated officer will contact you if notifications have not been submitted for a period of 4 weeks.
Schools are required to follow the requirements of the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 2006 (s.8 (1)) before deleting a child from register.
The Admissions Team has designated officers that will be checking and monitoring the information returned and will be the key contact for any enquires.
Notification officer: Snjezana Burchell, snjezana.burchell@lbhf.gov.uk
Requirements at standard transition points
Systems are already in place between schools and the LA to identify children that either do not accept a school offered to their child or do not turn up to the school for which they have been accepted.
The Admissions Team will monitor cases where a school place has not been secured at the standard point of entry (Reception and Year 7).
The Family Support Service are the point of contact for schools where pupils placed on a school roll have not arrived on their given start date.
Independent schools do not currently notify the LA of children that do not arrive on their given start date. To ensure the safeguarding responsibly is consistent with state maintained schools, it is requested that Independent schools use the ‘starters and leavers’ form to notify the LA of children that have not arrived as excepted. The school must have carried out their own checks before passing to the LA.
If your school is new or new to the process of returning starters and leavers to the LA, or your school is not listed on the Spreadsheet, please contact School Admissions for assistance.
Useful contacts
The admissions team: 020 8753 1085
Email contacts are the designated notification officers as provided above.
Family Support Service: familyservices@lbhf.gov.uk
ACE – Attendance (statutory function), Child employment, Elective Home Education (EHE) and Children Missing Education (CME): anwar.raihani@lbhf.gov.uk