PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(17 December 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are currently in place to ensure the (a) well-being and (b) safety of children who are home-schooled; and whether her Department reviews these safeguards regularly.

Asked by:
Luke Murphy (Labour)

Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for the government.

The department’s elective home education data collection shows that in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in home education. While this data collection is mandatory for local authorities to complete, the numbers reported are based on the voluntary registers of home educated children they hold. Parents are not required to inform their local authority that they are home educating or provide any information for these registers, which means that the data may underestimate the numbers of children in elective home education.

That is why this government is going further to identify and support children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that will make child-centred government a reality. This Bill will introduce a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep Children Not in School registers and accompanying duties on parents of eligible children and certain out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers. Local authorities will also have a new duty to provide support to the parents of home educating families on their registers. These proposals will enable local authorities to identify children not in school in their areas and provide support to them and, for those who are not receiving a suitable education or who are at risk of harm, to take action where this is the case.

It includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.

Local authorities have existing duties to safeguard all children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. Where a child is identified as suffering or likely to be suffering significant harm, the local authority has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action and we expect them to do so. The evidence, such as the most recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report, shows that while home education is not an inherent safeguarding risk, some children not in school are at risk of serious harm.

Answered by:
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1 January 1970