The "roll" is the admission register. Regulation 9 of the 2024 pupil registration regulations sets out the only grounds for deleting the name of a pupil of compulsory school age, labelled Ground A to Ground O in the attendance guidance (paragraph 227 onwards). They include registration at another school, written notice from a parent of home education (Ground F), not returning after a leave of absence (Ground H), continuous absence of 20 school days after joint enquiries (Ground I), and permanent exclusion (Ground O).
Three rules matter most for safeguarding:
- A name must not be removed for any other reason. The guidance says doing so "could constitute off-rolling" (paragraph 222).
- A deletion can't be backdated, and attendance is recorded up to the day the name comes off (paragraph 225).
- The school sends the local authority a deletion return with the pupil's details, any new address and school, and the ground used (paragraphs 223 and 224).
Where a pupil's whereabouts are unknown, the school and local authority make joint reasonable enquiries first, so the child doesn't become a child missing education.
"Off-rolling" is not a legal term. It describes removing a pupil, or pressing a parent to remove them, in the school's interests rather than the pupil's.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 will add a consent rule for some children withdrawn for home education. That part was not in force when we checked on 20 October 2026.