Concern over children missing school

Thousands of children in Dorset are missing out on schooling, with ‘no idea’ how much the problem is costing the taxpayer, according to research conducted by an online school.

Figures obtained by Minerva’s Virtual Academy (MVA) show the number of pupils persistently absent from school in Dorset in 2021/22 was 6,617 – an increase of 116 per cent on the previous year’s figure of 3,068.

According to an MVA spokesperson Dorset Council is ‘unable to say’ how much it has spent addressing the issue, although it made more than £27,000 in fines for nonattendance in the 2021/22 school year.

The spokesperson added: “In 2021/22 more than 890,000 children were persistently absent from secondary school in England alone.

“Many education authorities said they did not hold figures for the number of pupils classed as persistently absent – those with an attendance record of 90% or below.”

In response, MVA says it has launched its Class of 10,000 campaign, which aims to get 10,000 children currently missing out on full-time education back into learning on the internet. The school has teamed up with not-forprofit organisations Square Peg and Not Fine in School to highlight some of the issues which are keeping young people out of the classroom and highlight the solutions available.

Hugh Viney, who founded MVA during the lockdown, said: “There are 1.67 million children and young people who are facing barriers to attendance at school, with reasons ranging from anxiety and mental health difficulties through to complex additional needs.

“Mainstream schools aren’t suitable for every pupil. “Many young people thrive in a traditional school environment but, for a significant proportion, a bricks and mortar setting simply cannot meet their needs. We know from experience that online schooling can help many of these children, but the government and many local education authorities are reluctant to go down that route.

“We want to try and help 10,000 children back into education – that is just one per cent of the estimated number of children who are currently missing out.”