Thousands of 'hidden children' missing from UK schools, charity warns

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thousands of pupils across England are going missing from education for months and sometimes years at a time, placing them at risk of abuse and exploitation, a leading charity has said, Calling on the government to take "urgent action", the National Children’s Bureau has warned that a lack of data collection and information sharing about children missing school at both local and national level, has allowed large numbers of pupils to "disappear off the radar". Written in collaboration with UK charity Lankelly Chase and based on in-depth interviews with children, young people and their families, the report calls for a wider definition of “children missing education”. The NCB said that responses to 2014 a Freedom of Information request indicated that more than 14,800 children were missing education across England at any one time. "Given ongoing challenges like budget cuts and the fragmentation of school oversight at local authority level, there is a risk that the mainstream education system will find it even harder to accommodate and support children whose lives are difficult or chaotic, so we support NCB’s call for renewed and focused attention on children at risk of missing education.” In response to the report, a Department for Education spokesperson said: “Every child should have access to the best possible education, regardless of background or circumstance.