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    Children Missing Education (CME)

    Every child in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole should have a suitable education in place.

    Sometimes children find themselves not in education, for example if they have moved into the BCP area without a school place.

    The BCP CME team identify children who are not on a school roll or in suitable education otherwise, for example via elective home education (EHE), and track their return to education.

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    How we define CME  

    CME are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school (Guidance on Children Missing Education (DfE, 2024).

    A child is not CME if: 

    • their whereabouts are known, and school understands that they have refused to attend school 
    • their whereabouts are known, and school understands that they have a diagnosed medical condition which is preventing them from attending school 
    • they are receiving education via elective home education  (EHE)
    • they are absent and a parent has provided a reason for the absence or provided a return date

    A child is CME if:

    • they are not on a school roll
    • if they have left the BCP area and no return date has been given and no forwarding address has been provided
    • they appear to be genuinely missing, and parent has not given a reason for their absence


    Additional information

    You can find more information about children missing education on the BCP Council site.

    Contact

    You can contact the CME team at cme@bcpcouncil.gov.uk