100 children go missing from classes

Nearly 100 children are missing from school in London in areas where there is a high risk of forced marriage, new official figures have revealed.

The biggest number of absentees is in Newham where 40 pupils are missing, while 31 are unaccounted for in Waltham Forest and a further 16 have not been at school for some time in Tower Hamlets.

The figures are revealed in a report to MPs from the Government's children's minister Kevin Brennan as part of an inquiry into forced marriage and domestic violence.

It reveals that the London pupils are among more than 2,000 children officially classed as "not receiving a suitable education" - either in school or at home - in 14 areas of the country where evidence shows there is a higher risk of forced marriage.

The findings have alarmed MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Committee. Tory member David Davies said: "I find it horrifying that so many children have disappeared and nobody seems to know where they are."