Chadrack Mulo
12 Apr 2017 · Coroner ME Hassell · London Inner (North)
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of contact details for family members or friends
“The school had a telephone number for [the deceased]'s mother, but not for any other family member or friend. Now, they insist that for every child in the school they have the telephone number of three different adults.”
2. delayed response to child absence
“If a child unexpectedly fails to attend and no relevant adult can be contacted via phone, staff at the school do not now wait three to five days as they did then, but instead immediately send a member of staff to the family home.”
3. police forced entry without confirmation
“If there is no answer at the family home when staff members attend, they now immediately contact the police, who in most cases are likely to force entry.”
Responses
2017-0120-Response-by-Department-for-Education.pdf ↗· Department for Education
Stated action
“have asked Departmental officials to examine how we can best update the statutory 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' guidance and the 'School Attendance' guidance so that they reflect best practice and recommend that schools hold more than one contact number. You”