Report investigates children missing from state education in Wales

ADR Wales has published a report examining how to estimate the number of children not enrolled in state schools across Wales. Using linked data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, the study supports potential regulations to create a database for tracking children missing from state education.

Under the Education Act 1996, parents are responsible for ensuring their children receive appropriate full-time education, either through school attendance or alternative methods, while local authorities must identify those not receiving it. The Welsh Government is proposing that local authorities develop a database of linked education and GP registration data to monitor this.

The report tested this approach by linking anonymised education and GP records, estimating the number of children missing from state education as of April 2021. Children were grouped into those still in education, those no longer recorded, and those unaccounted for. The report also examines why some children appear in GP data but not in education records, including the effects of attending independent schools or schools in England.

The findings were compared with Office for National Statistics analysis using 2021 Census education data for accuracy.

Read the full article from ADR Wales and read the report.