This report begins by looking at the number of children who are out of school, some of whom have attended school at some point. It then presents the structure of national systems of compulsory education in order to identify the trajectories by which pupils progress – or not – through the education system.
 
When are children meant to enter school and what are the ages that are supposed to be covered by the system? How effective is the policy concerning compulsory education? Does it cover all children? Do they start on time? The section ends with a description of the main patterns of school progression found across the world.