Across England, tens of thousands of teenagers occupy a peculiar liminal space — enrolled in college on paper, yet absent from the classrooms and, crucially, from the systems of care designed to catch those who are falling. A report by children's commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza reveals that around 42,000 sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds are severely missing college without triggering any official alarm, because unlike schools, colleges bear no legal duty to track or report attendance. In the gap between what is recorded and what is real, vulnerable young people — many struggling with mental
Tens of thousands of UK teens 'hidden' from education stats, report warns
Tens of thousands of teenagers are missing education and not receiving needed support, with particular vulnerability among those with mental health challenges.