Children abroad – response needed by COP Wednesday 21 April

Sent to all HTs

SENT FROM: GARETH DRAWMER, HEAD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND LEARNING

Dear Colleagues,

The DfE and Local Authority are aware of a small number of pupils who are not in school because they remain abroad. Initial investigation by DfE suggests that over 2,000 pupils may be overseas, having not returned to school following the 8 March easing of restrictions.

There are various reasons why pupils went abroad with families in the first place and therefore varying reasons why they have not returned to school. The reasons include parents choosing not to travel back to the UK, restrictions preventing return travel, and the prohibitive costs associated with quarantine upon return if the family is travelling from, or through, a red list country. In some cases, parents have informed the school they will return but only after the Easter break. There are some instances where the departure from the UK was not triggered by the pandemic but by EU Exit. The exact numbers will depend on the specific demographics and communities within a local authority area. This number is constantly evolving because some families are starting to return to the UK.

DfE are particularly aware that the picture may have shifted somewhat over the Easter break and so are hoping to get a more accurate and up-to-date picture of the issue now that schools have returned.

The LA are therefore asking schools to complete a short survey to let us know about any pupils who are currently overseas.  The survey can be found at https://forms.office.com/r/76kvkFiaJ6.  It should only take a few minutes to complete.  If you do not currently have any pupils who are abroad then please still complete the survey – you just need to give us your school name and answer “no” to the first question.  Please complete the survey by 2pm Wednesday 21^st April.

How do the DfE and LA intend to use the information provided? 

The DfE are hoping to get a better estimate on the numbers across all regions and to gather more information about what the response of schools to the issue has been. This will enable them to tailor support. This evidence may also be able to help DfE engage with OGDs should bigger actions be required to deal with a widespread problem. This will directly inform the policy approach the department takes for this issue.  We will only share a single aggregated response with DfE on behalf of the LA, and will not share information from individual schools.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.  I hope the first day of the summer term has been a good one for you all.

Kind regards,

 

Gareth Drawmer

Head of Achievement and Learning