Thousands of teens missing education 'under the radar' of official stats, report warns

There could be tens of thousands more teenagers who are not in education, employment or training (Neet) than official statistics suggest, the children's commissioner for England has warned.

A report by Dame Rachel de Souza said around 42,000 16- and 17-year-olds in England were officially classed as studying at college, but were not showing up at least half of the time.

She said they had gone "under the radar" and were "not getting the support that they need".

The Department for Education (DfE) said it planned to help colleges track attendance and ultimately to gather that data centrally.

Unlike schools, further education and sixth form colleges in England are not required to collect or report attendance data.

Dame Rachel's report is based on attendance data obtained from 262 college groups in England and says rates are "substantially lower" than in schools.

It suggests that more than half (52.2%) of 16- and 17-year-olds are estimated to be persistently absent by the standards used in schools, meaning they are missing 10% or more of college sessions.

And around 42,000 (5.9%) are severely absent, meaning they are missing at least half of college sessions.