Data reveals that one in 12 school children in 2012-17 were removed from rolls without any explanation.
An investigation into the true scale of “off-rolling” from schools in England has found more than 49,000 pupils from a single cohort disappeared from the schools rolls without explanation. This has been found in a study done by the Education Policy Institute (EPI).
Researchers from the EPI said that one in 12 pupils from the national group who began secondary school in 2012 and finished in 2017 were removed from rolls at some point.
Off-rolling is the practice whereby schools remove difficult or low-achieving pupils from their rolls so that they are not included in their GCSE results or in order to reduce costs.
Over the five year period the EPI identified a total of 55,300 unexplained exits by 49,100 pupils and the numbers have gone up in recent years. The research also revealed that rates were particularly high in a small number of schools. 330 schools accounted for almost 23% of the total number of unexplained moves in 2017.
The EPI’s executive chairman, David Laws, said: “The size of unexplained pupil moves is disturbing and will raise concerns about whether some schools are ‘off-rolling’ pupils.”
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), which sponsored the research, said: “The data is shocking, if not surprising. There are nearly 55,000 pupils experiencing unexplained moves, but it is specific groups of students experiencing off-rolling at a far greater rate.
“It is urgent that we move beyond the numbers, analyse the real reasons behind these moves, and challenge the government policies which are undermining inclusive and high-quality education.”
Report author Jo Hutchinson said: “For the first time, we begin to see the full scale of this problem, having stripped away cases where family decisions have led to school moves.
“Our estimate is that one in 12 children are being pushed around the system, and that this has risen in recent years. We will undertake further research on these trends this year, highlighting prevalence among local areas and groups of schools.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The number of unexplained exits uncovered in the research is worryingly high, and the fact that certain vulnerable pupil groups are particularly likely to be affected is also worrying. However, we should keep in mind that many parents make the decision to move or home-school their child for their own reasons and without any pressure being applied.”
Anntoinette Bramble, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: “Councils have serious concerns about the extent of off-rolling and other abuses in the system, which is why they need to be given new powers and funding so they can monitor and take action where necessary.”
The Department for Education said: “No headteacher goes into the job to remove a pupil from school – and no headteacher takes the decision to do so lightly. Schools will typically have gone through a number of sanctions before exclusion is considered, taking into account the welfare of other pupils in the classroom.
“It is against the law to remove pupils on the basis of academic results – any school that does it is breaking the law. We have written to all schools to remind them of the rules on exclusions, and Edward Timpson is currently reviewing how schools use them and why some groups of children are more likely to be excluded from school than others.”
The think tank does not stay how many might off-rolled but it suggests a proportion of these moves might be the results of schools pushed out pupils rather than choices made by parents.
