‘What is educational neglect?’ is a question I am asked more frequently than ever before, by school staff, social workers and other professionals.
The answer to the question is both very simple and very complex. The Department for Education (DfE) states that persistent failure to send children to school is a clear indication of neglect. Similarly, the NSPCC identifies “not ensuring a child receives an education” as one of the four primary forms of neglect.
To further qualify, here are some key indicators of educational neglect:
- Chronically poor school attendance without an acceptable reason, such as illness
- A school aged child whose parents/ carers have not taken steps to secure a school place.
- Children who are being home schooled but are not receiving a suitable education.
- Pupils with unexplained low academic attainment in school.
Once upon a time, poor school attendance and educational attainment would have been seen largely as ‘education concerns,’ and the jurisdiction of schools and agencies such as the Education Welfare Service. However, the Department for Education (DfE)’ s 2022 Working Together to improve Attendance Statutory Guidance, has brought about a significant change in how we think about, and indeed address, issues relating to children and young people’s school attendance and their engagement with their education.
The guidance emphasises the importance of school attendance and states from the first page that ‘improving attendance is everybody’s business’. The guidance also references that if children are not accessing their education, this can be an indicator of a range of safeguarding issues. Given that educational neglect is likely to exist alongside other forms of neglect, such as lack of supervision, pupils who are not attending school regularly, or are not receiving a suitable education otherwise, may be at high risk of crime and exploitation.
Educational neglect should be treated as a universal concern, and, like other categories of neglect, can lead to potentially catastrophic outcomes for children and young people. When pupils are unable to access their education due to neglect, a robust multi agency response is not only desirable but likely to be necessary to address concerns and effect lasting change. MASH, Social Care, Early Help, the Youth Justice Service and other services here at Wandsworth council and in the community all play a part in helping to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
The Rochdale Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has produced a short video about educational neglect: What is educational neglect
The Wandsworth Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has created a useful multi-agency guide to the different kinds of neglect, which will be available on the new WSCP website once it is up and running.