At present, local authorities have a legal duty to make arrangements to identify children of compulsory school age who may not be receiving an education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, as well as any special educational needs. If a local authority identifies any such children, it has power to enforce school attendance. The Department for Education issued revised guidance for local authorities in April 2019, making it clear that existing powers, if properly used, are adequate to ensure that children not attending school receive a suitable education. There are no plans to amend this guidance or alter the powers of local authorities to monitor or check outcomes of home education.

However, in the spring of 2019, a consultation was held on proposals for a mandatory register of children not attending state or registered independent schools. This register would help local authorities carry out their responsibilities. Responses to the consultation are still being considered and a formal government response document setting out next steps will be issued in due course.

The department welcomes the work that Ofsted has undertaken to investigate what happens when children are moved from schools into home education. We launched a consultation earlier this year into proposals for a mandatory register of children who are not attending state or registered independent schools. As we made clear when launching this consultation, we are concerned about the increase in the number of such children especially when the circumstances suggest that the education provided at home may not be suitable. This is particularly the case if children are the victims of the unacceptable practice of ‘off-rolling’ by schools.

We are also considering the Ofsted report and its detailed recommendations. We agree with the main point raised in the report, which is that co-ordination between schools, local authorities and parents can minimise the likelihood of poor home education taking place when a child is withdrawn from school.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Data on numbers of children educated at home or those removed from school for that purpose are not collected by the department. Consultation on proposals for the creation of a mandatory register of children not enrolled at state-funded or registered independent schools closed on 24 June 2019. If the proposals were to be brought into effect, they would make such data available.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Data on numbers of children educated at home or those removed from school for that purpose are not collected by the department. Consultation on proposals for the creation of a mandatory register of children not enrolled at state-funded or registered independent schools closed on 24 June 2019. If the proposals were to be brought into effect, they would make such data available.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Data on numbers of children educated at home or those removed from school for that purpose are not collected by the department. Consultation on proposals for the creation of a mandatory register of children not enrolled at state-funded or registered independent schools closed on 24 June 2019. If the proposals were to be brought into effect, they would make such data available.

​The purpose of the proposed register is to enable local authorities to track the main daytime weekday educational settings for children in scope, and to take action if it appears that a suitable education is not being received in usual school hours. This purpose would not be served by bringing into coverage the register activities carried on in places or at times not relevant to determining suitability, or by including places which are simply hosting educational visits rather than providing tuition and it is not our intention to do so.

Issues such as the definition of usual school hours, and what is a relevant setting for the purposes of providing local authorities with information about children on the proposed register of children not in school, will be considered based on responses received to the consultation, which closes on 24 June. Implementation issues such as these are an important part of the consultation, information for which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.

​The purpose of the proposed register is to enable local authorities to track the main daytime weekday educational settings for children in scope, and to take action if it appears that a suitable education is not being received in usual school hours. This purpose would not be served by bringing into coverage the register activities carried on in places or at times not relevant to determining suitability, or by including places which are simply hosting educational visits rather than providing tuition and it is not our intention to do so.

Issues such as the definition of usual school hours, and what is a relevant setting for the purposes of providing local authorities with information about children on the proposed register of children not in school, will be considered based on responses received to the consultation, which closes on 24 June. Implementation issues such as these are an important part of the consultation, information for which is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.

The department’s revised guidance for local authorities on elective home education published on 2 April 2019 can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education.

This document can be used by schools and contains guidance on flexi-schooling at pages 34-35. The guidance makes clear that schools are free to agree to flexi-schooling arrangements and need not suffer any disadvantage in doing so.

Yes, of course, and I will very happily meet my hon. Friend to discuss this further.

A not insignificant number of parents feel compelled to take their children out of school and into home-schooling as a result of bullying. Will the Department’s call for evidence on home education look at the support being given to these children to try to get them back into mainstream schooling as soon as possible?

There were more than 3000 responses to the call for evidence which are still being considered. Many dedicated families are doing a very good job educating their children at home, taking on heavy responsibilities in doing so.

We are concerned, however, that overall numbers of children said to be being educated at home are rising, the reasons for which are complex. We need to help local authorities deal effectively with children who are not in school. We will publish the Government’s response soon.

The Department will give careful consideration to the findings within the Chief Adjudicator’s annual report as it endeavours to ensure that the admissions system continues to work effectively for parents, pupils and schools.

Pupils leave school rolls for many reasons including: permanent exclusion, moving to another school, or changes of circumstances (as when a pupil moves to a new area). All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register.

Statutory guidance on exclusions is also clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded.

A consultation and call for evidence on elective home education was held by the Department between April and July 2018. This included the issue of registration of children by local authorities. The responses received are still being considered, and a government response document outlining next steps will be published in due course.

This publication sets out a behaviour change approach that will inform our work to improve the home learning environment, so that a greater proportion of children have the early language, communication and literacy skills they need to thrive. It brings together the latest evidence from research and draws on the experience of experts working with families every day.

The behaviour change model is a living document, which we intend to update as new evidence emerges and as practice develops.

​Information on the number of children being educated at home, and the reasons for their being so educated, is not held centrally.

​In 2018, the department held a consultation and call for evidence on home education to gain more information about home education in England. The government’s response to this will be published shortly.

The government supports the right of parents to educate their children at home, and many families do this well, taking on a very significant responsibility in doing so. Local authorities are responsible for identifying any children who are not receiving a suitable education and taking steps to remedy that situation, if necessary, by enforcing school attendance.

We want to make sure that every child receives a good education. In some cases, the government is concerned about the quality of education which some children are receiving at home, especially in the context of the increasing numbers of children who are being removed from school to be educated at home.

As a result, the government consulted in 2018 on revised guidance for local authorities and parents on home education. The finalised versions of this guidance will be published shortly. At the same time, a call for evidence on the issues of registration and monitoring of children educated at home, and support for home educating families, was held, and a government response document setting out proposed next steps will also be published soon.

The obligation to pay taxes is a general one. In general, tax receipts go into the ‘Consolidated Fund’ and taxes are not earmarked to any particular purpose.

I do appreciate that not all taxpayers make direct use of every service provided by the government, and that parents who choose to educate their children at home are one example of this. However, a similar argument for a tax refund could be made by anyone who does not use a publicly provided service, or some aspect of that service, including those who are not parents. Primary and secondary education is primarily funded through general taxation, irrespective of usage, and not through charging users.

The government response document resulted from the consultation on elective home education, which ended on 2 July 2018. This document along with the finalised guidance documents will be published soon.

The number of responses received to the consultation were as follows: