More than 10,000 under-16s have vanished from council records after leaving state education, damning report reveals

MORE than 10,000 under-16s have vanished from council records after leaving state education, a report reveals.

The kids lost contact with authorities after “falling through the cracks”, sparking concern.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza is calling for all pupils to have a unique ID so officials can keep tabs.

Her findings show 81,940 teens left state education in 2021/22 — with many emigrating or going private.

Around 13,000 — mostly those with special needs or from poor families — became home-educated while a further 3,000 are believed to be out of school entirely.

But 10,181 children of school age are totally unaccounted for.

Dame Rachel said councils are “worried” for them but “did not have the resources or powers to identify and support all these children to return”.

She added: “I am deeply concerned to see just how many children are falling through the cracks.”

The report also highlighted the increasing concern of pupil absences since schools closed during Covid.

Dame Rachel said children’s mental health has since worsened, with many now anxious about in-person learning in classrooms.