Children missing education (CME)

Children missing from education (CME) are at significant risk of

• underachieving
• being victims of abuse
• becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) later in life

Schools, including Academies and Free Schools, must inform the local authority of:

• the details of pupils who have been absent from school for 10 continuous school days
• contact cannot be made with the parent or carer to establish the reason for the absence
• the absence has not been reported

Notification

Schools must notify the local authority via the online form.

Missing Pupil Checklist

Contact us

For further details about the process download the CME Policy and Practice Guidance​ document​​ (Word, 70.4KB).

Essex secondary school colleagues should also refer to the Essex Fair Access Protocol​​ (Word, 43.5KB).

For further advice or information relating to CME, contact the Education Compliance Team:

Telephone: 0333 0322 962

​Email: cme@essex.gov.uk