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Children missing education (CME): procedures and policies

Get to grips with the statutory requirements for school procedures related to children absent from education and children missing education (CME), including monitoring attendance, updating admission registers and making reasonable enquiries about a child's whereabouts. See CME policies from primary, secondary and special schools.

Last reviewed on 29 September 2025See updates
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 41724
Contents
  1. Understand your attendance and registration requirements
  2. Keep your admission register accurate and up to date
  3. Understand your duty to share information with your LA
  4. Make 'reasonable enquiries' for pupils who aren't attending
  5. Know the pupils who are most at risk of going missing from education 
  6. You don't need a CME policy, but staff need to know about your CME procedures 
  7. See examples of policies from schools 
  8. Save time and stay compliant with The Key Safeguarding

The information in this article is based on statutory guidance for local authorities (LAs) and schools on Children missing education (CME), Working together to improve school attendance and Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE). 

Understand your attendance and registration requirements

Know and follow your LA's procedures

This is because your local authority (LA) has a legal responsibility to:

  • Identify any pupil who is of compulsory school age and not receiving education
  • Get these pupils back into education

Monitor attendance through your daily register

You must monitor pupils’ attendance daily through your attendance register. Remind yourself of the requirements and guidance around attendance in our other article.

In addition to this requirement, you should also:

You should agree with your LA the intervals at which you’ll inform them of the