Number of kids not in school doubles in a decade

The number of children in Lancashire not attending school at all has doubled in the last decade.

A report that went before county education bosses found there had been "sustained growth" in the number of pupils who were classed as "children missing compulsory education (CME)".

The figure of 3,805 – up from 1,856 in 2017 – does not include children whose parents choose to home school them.

The number of children "electively home schooled (EHE)" has risen by 300% over the same time period, with 3,600 now getting their education at home.

The council said that "across the country, local authorities were seeing a rapid rise in home education requests from families", adding: "The pressures of Covid, mental health waiting lists, parents working from home, greater access to home learning resources, and access to SEND places have all had an impact nationally."

But the report to education chiefs added that the number of pupils being taught at home in Lancashire was above the national average.

It said that the number of children missing any type of education was down to "systemic challenges, including sufficient resource to manage demand, insufficient specialist places, delays in admissions, and financial pressures".

The area with the highest number of children missing full-time education was in Preston, where 179 were classed as CME.

It was followed by Hyndburn (101) and Burnley (99) and Pendle (86).

The report added: "This is often due to the complexity of need of the child, the support parents might require accessing education or a lack of provision in those areas.

"Sometimes parents do not wish for their child to attend a school that might be some distance from their home."

The report noted that "staffing capacity has not increased at the same rate as referrals".

Fylde had the lowest number of CME, at 30.

The Pennine/Lancashire East district has the highest number of children whose parents or carers choose to educate them at home (EHE), with an average of 1,051 a year.

The council said it had doubled the number of staff dealing with children not in school, and that "with increased staffing this also means we can move into a preventative model whereby families are contacted before there is a breakdown of relationship with school or more support is offered to try to maintain a school place where this is appropriate".

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