PANDEMIC fears are thought to be the most likely reason for an increase in the number of Dorset pupils not attending school.

During the year the numbers missing education has risen from 511 to 610 – although the increase is less than for neighbouring counties.

At the same time permanent exclusions from school have fallen, from 102 to 33, although some of this may be due to children not being in the classroom so frequently as a result of Covid restrictions. Fixed term exclusions, for a limited time, have also fallen over the same period from 3,047 to 2,063.

Among the permanent exclusions is a reception-age child from an academy school which falls outside of council powers – a situation Dorchester councillor and retired reception teacher Cllr Stella Jones says should not have been allowed to come about.

“I am pleased to see that permanent exclusions have gone down but I’m appalled that a child of reception age has been permanently excludes. For a child of four or five to be excluded is wrong,” she said.

Dorset Council’s people and health overview committee heard on Thursday that the county had seen an increase in home-schooling during the year as pupils, or parents, who were anxious about the pandemic, moved their children out of the classroom. Many of these had since returned and were being supported by council staff, in some cases by educational psychologists or other specialist staff who were experts in persuading children to come back to school.

Corporate director for education and learning Vik Verma told councillors that home educators presented a challenge for the council because the definition of a ‘suitable education’ which they had to provide was difficult to assess in legal terms. He said that often the best the council could do was to maintain contact with families and offer support and ensure safeguarding while at the same time encouraging a return to school.

The county operates a ‘children missing out on education’ board with partners to take an overview on the situation, gather information and review cases, attempting to find solutions.

Council cabinet education spokesman Cllr Andrew Parry told the meeting he would like to see guidance around home education tightened up and would consider, after taking guidance, lobbying local MPs or the Secretary of State to get an improvement in the rules.