Children missing education (CME)
All local authorities have a statutory duty to provide school places for children of compulsory school age. They must also establish (where possible) the identities of children in the area who are not registered at a school, or receiving a suitable education otherwise than at school.
To do this, we must track children no longer accessing education in the city to identify that they are not children missing education (CME). We will also carry out a variety of enquiries related to children of compulsory school age who are believed to be resident within our city, but without an education provision.
Why might children be missing from education?
There are various reasons for this which include, but are not limited to:
- The child not starting at school when they reach compulsory school age and therefore never entering the system
- Failing to transition between schools. For example, at phase transfer, or if a family moves from one local authority to another
- A delay in applying for a new school place upon arriving in the city
- Refusing an alternative offer of a school place when the preferred school is full
- Leaving a school with no forwarding education provision or destination
Making a CME referral - Which form do I need?
There are three forms for referring, or reporting, a child missing education. Please choose the form that most closely matches you:
Professional referrals
It is important that agencies work cooperatively and information is shared in a timely manner. If you are aware of a child missing education, a referral should be made to the CME Officer as soon as possible.
Please be advised that we do not accept referrals where a Southampton address cannot be provided for the pupil(s) in question. If you are unsure whether an address falls under Southampton City Council, please use this tool to check.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself up to five minutes to fill in the form.
Schools referrals
If you are a member of staff at a school within the Southampton City Council boundary, please use the following form to report a child, or children, missing education.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself up to five minutes to fill in the form.
Community referrals
If you are a member of the community who is aware of a child living in your area who you believe may be missing education, please use the following form to report this to us.
Before you fill in this form
You won't be able to save this form to complete later, so please allow yourself up to five minutes to fill in the form.
What happens next?
Follow up action will be taken, but for confidentiality reasons, we will be unable to provide feedback to you.
Contact details
Please use the forms above to advise us of a CME. If you need to contact us for any other reason please contact the Children Missing Education Officer by:
- Phone: 023 8083 3666
- Email: childrenmissingeducation@southampton.gov.uk
| Document | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Children Missing Education policy 2023 | docx | 418.0 KB |
