Deletions from the school roll
Inform us of a pupil leaving school
Inform us of deletion where advised by SEND team
Deletions from school admissions register
A pupil’s name can only be deleted from the admission register for a reason set out in regulation 9 of the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. When any of the situations set out in regulation 9 occurs, the pupil’s name must be deleted. A pupil’s name must not be removed for any other reason and doing so could constitute off-rolling. We are happy to support schools in interpreting the above legislation but have no legal authority to direct a school as to the action they must take in individual situation.
In accordance with regulation 13(4) to (6), a school must make a return to the local authority when a pupil’s name is deleted from the admission register (a Deletion Return). This does not apply where the pupil’s name is deleted at or after the end of the last term of the school year when they are in the school’s most senior class (for example, pupils who leave primary school at the end of Year 6).
The Department for Education (DfE) is very clear in its guidance for schools that a school cannot retrospectively delete a pupil’s name from the admission register or attendance register.
The duty to make a return does not apply where the pupil has completed the final year of education normally provided by that school (ending statutory education, phase transfer or permanently excluded).
Within Central Bedfordshire we require an Off Roll Notification – Deletion return as soon as a child is being removed from the school roll. Failure to do this is a breach of statutory guidance and could be seen as a failure to keep a child safe.
If a child is moving out of county/out of the country, schools are required to obtain details of the child’s new home address, new school/education provision and parent contact details including email addresses before removing from the school roll. If these details cannot be obtained, the Child Missing Education Procedure should be referred to.
Please refer to the Working together to improve school attendance Statutory guidance August 2024, page 64 to 75 for additional guidance.