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Councillors heard robust procedures are in place to monitor Calderdale children ‘missing from education’ and those whose families elect to educate them at home, as far as the law allows.

Concerns had previously been expressed that children missing from education might have “fallen off the radar” and also queried why more families are choosing to educate their children at home.

Figures presented to Calderdale Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Board show that the number of children missing from education has fallen in recent years – from 363 referrals in 2015-16 to 191 in 2021-22, with a spike in the first year of the pandemic.

But numbers of children whose families have elected to home educate them have increased – there were 127 referrals in 2015-16 compared to 385 in 2021-22.

Education issues and children missing from school were discussed by Calderdale councillors

Councillors heard there are many reasons for this such as dissatisfaction with mainstream education, concerns about appropriate SEND provision, and anxiety and mental health issues.

Rate of increase has slowed in the last two years other than a noticeable spike in the 2020-21 academic year, attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent relaxation in Covid-19 measures and expectation children will attend school.

Service manager Parveen Akhtar said: “We have very tight procedures in place for both children within education and elective home educated children coming off the roll of the school.”

Councils are very limited in access they have to children educated at home although changes to the law are on the way, she told the meeting.

Coun Brenda Monteith (Con, Brighouse) said the report was encouraging. “Your efforts to find children who are missing education are very comprehensive and very extensive and probably go further than other local authorities,” she said.

Coun Danielle Durrans (Lab, Ovenden) was concerned schools had sufficient appropriate places, for example for autistic children, if families were electing to educate them at home because parents considered those available to be unsuitable.

Coun Ashley Evans (Lib Dem, Warley) asked if there were children the council did not really know about.

Ms Akhtar said: “We can’t say we have no ‘ghost’ children but every single child we know of we track and monitor to the best of our ability.”

Questions asked over 'ghost children' in Calderdale Council education debate