Tens of thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds are enrolled in further education colleges but missing more than half their classes, analysis suggests. An estimated 42,000 young people in the age group are “hidden NEETs” because they are signed up to post-16 education but attending so rarely that they are effectively disengaged, the children’s commissioner has found. The figure could almost double the number of 16- and 17-year-olds officially recorded as not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England. Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza is now calling for attendance data for young FE students to be collected consistently across all state-funded education providers, with the Department for Education setting “ambitious” targets that Ofsted can use to inform inspection judgments. The DfE said it was introducing “attendance monitoring” in further education to enable early support for young people whose attendance begins to decline. It added that it was working with the sector to develop the approach and identify effective strategies for tackling absence. Slipping through the cracks De Souza said her ‘hidden NEETs’ report provides a near-comprehensive picture of attendance in further education settings for the first time. FE settings are not required to report attendance to the DfE in the same way as schools. Using her statutory powers, de Souza requested attendance data for 16- and 17-year-olds during the 2026 spring term. Analysis of figures from 262 college groups found 28,528 students in the age group were severely absent – missing more than 50 per cent of sessions – equivalent to 5.9 per cent of students. The commissioner’s office estimated that, if data from all 290 college groups targeted in its research were included, the number would rise to 41,995. There were 46,520 16- and 17-year-olds already known to local authorities as NEET, according to the latest data. Adding the estimated hidden NEETs would make the total population 1.9 times larger. De Souza said: “My concern is that tens of thousands of children are currently being counted as ‘in education’ when, in reality, they are barely attending. “We have a blind spot: hidden NEETs slipping through the cracks, young people with all the negative impacts of not being in employment, education or training but with none of the targeted interventions designed to help and support them.” Her report added: “We could, in theory, achieve ‘NEET zero’ and do nothing for this cohort. They would be, for all intents and purposes, hidden NEETs.” College attendance ambitions vary De Souza’s research found college attendance is “substantially” lower than in schools, with particularly poor attendance in GCSE English and maths resit classes and on lower-level programmes. Average reported attendance rates were 84.8 per cent for 16-year-olds and 83.4 per cent for 17-year-olds. This compares with overall attendance rates of 94.8 per cent among primary school pupils and 91.6 per cent among secondary school pupils during the same term. College students receiving free school meals, those with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) and looked-after children all have higher absence rates than their peers. There are also major differences between colleges in how attendance is measured. Almost a third set attendance targets below 90 per cent, the threshold that would correspond to persistent absence in the school system. Meanwhile, 8 per cent did not set attendance targets for their 16- and 17-year-olds. Colleges cited mental health, poverty, transport difficulties, caring responsibilities, paid work and the transition from school as key barriers to attendance. College leaders told the commission that efforts to tackle poor attendance were hindered by funding pressures, a lack of statutory levers to support attendance and insufficient sharing of information about students’ previous attendance between schools and colleges. Mental health support is also less widely available in college settings, with mental health support teams (MHSTs) covering 42 per cent of post-16 students compared with 79 per cent of secondary pupils. Cath Sezen, director of education policy at the Association of Colleges, claimed all colleges set high expectations and take attendance very seriously. She added that data is regularly monitored by teachers and managers, with strategies put in place to support good attendance habits. She said: “Colleges do so much for students, against all odds, but the growing strain on the FE system, as well as funding pressures is limiting colleges’ ability to provide tailored support, particularly for those who need it most.” As well as calling for the DfE to introduce statutory attendance data collection across FE, de Souza wants free bus travel extended to all under-18s and the rollout of MHSTs expedited in post-16 settings. The report comes as former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn prepares to publish his full national review into youth participation in work and education. His final recommendations are expected this autumn. Milburn said: “The children’s commissioner is right to shine a light on hidden NEETs. “The fact that colleges have no obligation to report attendance means tens of thousands of young people can disengage entirely without clear accountability. A better system is needed to ensure that no young person can be lost in this way.” A DfE spokesperson said: “Engaging young people in further education is vital to tackling the NEETs crisis. This is an important report that highlights just how badly students in further education need to be prioritised in future reforms. “We’re introducing attendance monitoring and tracking in colleges and accelerating the roll out of mental health support teams in colleges. Just like with schools, we will continue to work with the further education sector to ensure that colleges and training providers proactively and effectively tackle student absenteeism.”