Have you heard?
- Details
- By AEWM
The new update to KCSIE has now been published and will take effect from September 2023.
The main changes relevant for attendance are:
- Clarification on the difference between Children Missing Education and children absent from education.
- Children being absent from education for prolonged periods and/or on repeat occasions can act as a vital warning sign to a range of safeguarding issues including neglect, child sexual and child criminal exploitation - particularly county lines. It is important the school or college’s response to persistently absent pupils and children missing education supports identifying such abuse, and in the case of absent pupils, helps prevent the risk of them becoming a child missing education in the future. This includes when problems are first emerging but also where children are already known to local authority children’s social care and need a social worker (such as a child who is a child in need or who has a child protection plan, or is a looked after child), where being absent from education may increase known safeguarding risks within the family or in the community. Further information and support, includes
- Guidance on school attendance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ including information on how schools should work with local authority children’s services where school absence indicates safeguarding concerns.
- Information regarding schools’ duties regarding children missing education, including information schools must provide to the local authority when removing a child from the school roll at standard and non-standard transition points, can be found in the department’s statutory guidance: Children Missing Education.
- Further information for colleges providing education for a child of compulsory school age can be found in: Full-time-Enrolment of 14 to 16 year olds in Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges.
- General information and advice for schools and colleges can be found in the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy.
- An additional line on EHE section around children with an EHCP
'Where a parent/carer has expressed their intention to remove a child from school with a view to educating at home, we recommend that LAs, schools, and other key professionals work together to coordinate a meeting with parents/carers where possible. Ideally, this would be before a final decision has been made, to ensure the parents/carers have considered what is in the best interests of each child. This is particularly important where a child has special educational needs or a disability, and/or has a social worker, and/or is otherwise vulnerable. Where a child has an Education, Health and Care plan local authorities will need to review the plan, working closely with parents and carers'.
- Details
- By David Harvey
The DFE has invited the AEWM to take part in a roundtable discussion (22 May 2023) to look at the guidance for EHE. Once the roundtable discussions have been conducted, and any amendments made , the document will go out for consultation.
This is a great opportunity for AEWM to be involved at an early stage and help shape EHE guidance. Other participants include Education Otherwise, Education Freedom, Centre for Personalised Education, AEHEP, National Children's Bureau, Children Commissioner's Office and up to 7 home educators
Members are asked to let Dave Harvey (AEWM representative) know what they would like to see changed or included in the guidance. Please drop Dave an email (
- Details
- By AEWM
As you may be aware, the Department has been working closely with Northern Education Trust, as part of the attendance action alliance, to set up the first school attendance hub.
The hub is based around North Shore Academy (recently graded outstanding in all categories by Ofsted, having risen from Requires Improvement in 3 years). As part of the hub, North Shore have shared all of their key materials and attendance resources, and have been supporting school leaders in around 60 secondary schools to make changes to their practice.
The DfE are looking to expand the attendance hubs programme. New attendance hubs will be led by senior leaders in schools with strong attendance practice, in some of the largest trusts in the country. As part of the programme, these schools will also share, in-depth, their strategies and resources for improving attendance.
After Easter (w/c 17th April) the DfE intend open up applications to schools to express an interest in being supported by a hub.
Schools of all types and phases will be eligible for support and further details will be available from the DfE after the Easter holidays.
Members who may wish to encourage schools they work with to participate.
- Details
- By Julia Jack
The DfE are now collecting termly data from Local Authorities for CME and EHE data as part of their children not in school measures such as the compulsory register within the Schools Bill currently going through parliament. This will eventually replace the need for the national ADCS annual survey.