Thousands of teenagers in England may be missing out on education without appearing in official statistics, according to a report by the children’s commissioner.

The report estimates that around 42,000 16- and 17-year-olds are officially recorded as studying at college but attend fewer than half of their sessions. Dame Rachel de Souza said these young people had gone “under the radar” and were not receiving the support they needed.

The findings are based on attendance data obtained from 262 college groups in England. Further education and sixth-form colleges are not currently required to collect or report attendance data in the same way as schools.

The report estimates that 52.2% of 16- and 17-year-olds are persistently absent by the standards used in schools, meaning they miss at least 10% of college sessions. About 5.9%, or 42,000 young people, are described as severely absent because they miss at least half of their sessions.

The Department for Education estimates that 57,000 16- and 17-year-olds in England are not in education, employment or training, known as Neet. Dame Rachel’s report says persistently absent students enrolled at college should be considered “hidden” Neets alongside them.

Reasons for missing college

Dame Rachel said reasons for non-attendance included part-time work and travel costs. She also said some teenagers had been largely absent from education since the Covid pandemic.

Liam Sloan, principal at Bolton College, said students who were frequently absent often faced mental health challenges or had part-time jobs. He said some students might choose an immediate paid shift over a qualification they would complete months later.

He said English and maths GCSE classes were a particular challenge for students who had not achieved a grade 4 or above and were required to continue studying the subjects alongside their other courses.

Bolton College has introduced full-time “positive engagement officers” to welcome students each morning and contact those who do not attend. Mr Sloan said attendance at the college had improved in recent years.

Government response

Dame Rachel has called for attendance data for 16- and 17-year-olds to be collected and targets to be set. Her recommendations also include faster expansion of mental health support teams in colleges, improved work experience and free bus travel for children.

The Department for Education said it planned to help colleges track attendance and ultimately collect the data centrally. It also said students in further education should be prioritised in future reforms to tackle the Neet problem.

The department said it would accelerate the rollout of mental health support teams and introduce a new stepping-stone qualification aimed at reducing the number of students repeatedly failing and resitting GCSE maths and English.

Cath Sezen, director of education policy at the Association of Colleges, said funding pressures were limiting colleges’ ability to provide tailored support. She called for increased investment, better integration of support services and a stronger national strategy for employer engagement.

Data from the Office for National Statistics indicates that about one in eight people aged 16 to 24 are Neet. A report led by former minister Alan Milburn has warned that the proportion could rise to one in six within five years.