New rules for schools after absent boy starved to death with mother’s body

Schools have been told to hold more than one emergency contact number for children following the death of a four-year-old London boy who was missing from classes for two weeks.

Guidance from the Department for Education says schools should keep more than one phone number for pupils “where reasonably possible”, after a consultation showed 87 per cent of people supported the move.

The change was prompted by the 2016 death of Chadrack Mbala-Mulo, who was found starved to death at home in Hackney after his mother died suddenly. He had been away from school for two weeks.

Chadrack, who was autistic and mute, was discovered with his arms wrapped around the body of his mother Esther Eketi-Mulo, 24, more than a fortnight after she died from an epileptic fit. A coroner’s report said Chadrack had died from dehydration and malnutrition two days before he was found.

Staff at Morningside primary school in Hackney had attempted to phone his mother several times when he did not turn up at school, and also tried to visit her flat in a nearby tower block but could not get past the security entry system.

After the tragedy Chadrack’s school changed its procedures and now holds three contact numbers for each child.

The Department for Education wants all schools to follow suit, and a spokeswoman said holding more than one emergency contact number “gives schools and colleges more options to reach someone when a child is missing from school, as the unknown absence could also be a safeguarding concern”.

The “Keeping Children Safe in Education” statutory guidance gives additional advice to help staff deal with allegations of child-on-child sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Nadhim Zahawi, Minister for Children and Families, said: “Schools and colleges play an important part in keeping children safe, so it’s right we take the necessary steps to ensure staff have the guidance and support they need to deal with concerns about a child.”