Only 5% of vulnerable children in England attending school

New data from the Department for Education has revealed that only 29,000 at-risk children attended school in England the week before Easter, compared to 723,000 children who were known to Social Services in 2019. The small take-up of emergency schooling has raised concerns that vulnerable children are facing increased danger whilst living in lockdown, potentially being exposed to what Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, describes as a “cocktail of risks”, including domestic violence, poverty and parents with drug or alcohol addictions. There are also concerns that vulnerable teenagers could leave home, and be at risk of grooming or sexual exploitation by criminals. Schools are working hard to support families and to check on children’s safety through regular phone calls, but it is not always possible to determine where a child is and how they are. Anne Longfield has called for a clearer message from government, saying that “social workers need to be knocking on doors and everyone needs to be working tirelessly to get these vulnerable children into schools”. Read more here.