Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Children's Bureau, Children missing education, published in January; and what steps they are taking to support Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children who are particularly at risk of missing education.

Nothing is more important than keeping children safe and in suitable education. That is why in September 2016, the department amended the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, to include further duties on schools to improve the information they provide to local authorities when a child is removed from their roll. This will better enable local authorities to carry out vital enquiries to ensure children are safe from harm.

We have a commitment to review the impact of these amendements by September 2019. As part of this review we shall consider the views of all key stakeholders, including the points raised by the National Children’s Bureau in their report ‘Children missing education’.

We have engaged with a number of local authorities to gather and share best practice in improving outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils. We plan to explore the barriers to education faced by GRT pupils in discussion with the department’s GRT stakeholder group. We are committed to ensuring that every child, whatever their background, has the opportunity to go as far as their talent and hard work can take them.