Responding to annual figures from the Association of Directors of Children Services showing a rise in the number of children receiving home education, Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:
“Disruption to school education due to the pandemic has accelerated already rising numbers of parents and carers choosing to home educate their children.
“Although most parents and carers provide a good home education, the LGA is concerned that the pandemic has led to increasing numbers of children receiving education outside the classroom and missing out on the benefits that a school environment brings, such as safeguarding and learning and socialising with other children.
“While parents, carers, councils and schools all have responsibilities to ensure that children receive suitable education, some significant gaps in legislation mean that it is possible for children to slip through the net and be exposed to serious risks by not being in full-time education.
“To tackle these issues, councils need powers to enter the homes of, or otherwise see, children in order to establish whether they are receiving a suitable education. The Government should bring forward its plans to introduce a register for all home educators to ensure that adequate safeguarding measures are in place.
“As well as these important measures, councils also need the resources to better identify children not receiving a suitable education and intervene if they are being taught in unsuitable or dangerous environments.”
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