Sharp increase in number of parents choosing home education for children

The number of children in elective home education (EHE) has increased in the last five years – and in some councils, it has more than doubled since 2019, an analysis has found. In Wolverhampton the figure has risen from 296 in 2019 to 506 now. It has risen from 149 to 531 in Shropshire and from 308 to 440 in Dudley. It is a trend replicated in all areas of the West Midlands.

More families have opted to formally remove their children from school after the pandemic allowed them to experience homeschooling, councils have said.

But a growing number of parents are now choosing home education because they feel the current school system cannot meet the needs of their children – especially those who have mental health issues or special educational needs and disabilities (Send), according to charity Education Otherwise. The figures - obtained by the PA news agency using Freedom of Information requests - show that dozens of councils in England also saw the number of children registered in home education rise last year.

Around half of councils in England – 72 out of 152 – provided full data showing the total number of children registered as EHE in August 2019, August 2020, August 2021, August 2022 and August 2023. The figures are based on children registered as being in home education with local authorities, so the numbers are likely to be higher as parents do not have to inform councils if they decide to withdraw their child from school. It comes as council leaders and headteachers’ unions have called for a national register of children not in school to ensure the numbers of those educated at home is known - but many home educators oppose a register as they fear it could lead to interference.

Wendy Charles-Warner, chair of home education charity Education Otherwise, said the Covid-19 pandemic led to more homeschooling as parents “dipped their toes in the water” and became aware of a different route.

Traditionally lifestyle choice was the main motivator for home education, but in the last year she said there has been a “dramatic change” in the reasons given by parents as to why they are withdrawing their child from school.

Ms Charles-Warner said: “A really high proportion of parents are now telling us that they’re coming to home education because schools are not meeting their child’s needs.”

She added: “We use the term ‘elective home education’ and some of these parents will get quite cross about that because they’re not actually electing to home educate. They feel forced to do so. It is very worrying.”

Laura became a home educating parent after her neurodivergent daughter - who is now eight-years-old - reached mental health crisis in 2022 and was unable to leave the house and attend school.

She said the needs of her autistic daughter “cannot be met” in mainstream education but also that she does not “fit in” the specialist school system.

The mother from Buckinghamshire - who gave up plans to return to work to home educate - told PA: “Having a child not in education when it’s not through choice has a massive impact on us as a family.”

She said: “It was never my intention to home educate. But actually now she’s out of the school system you can see how broken the system is and how unfit for purpose it is - especially for those children who are neurodivergent or have special educational needs.”

Her daughter faced disruption in Reception and Year 1 due to school closures in the pandemic. But Laura believes the lockdowns were a “blessing” for her child who had struggled to transition into school.

“She would have broken a lot sooner had it not have been for the pandemic. She would have been out of school. She wouldn’t have even got through to Year Two before hitting mental health crisis,” Laura said.

She added: “In my opinion, some of this is the reason why there is such a massive number of children who can’t go back to school after the pandemic. It’s because children have experienced what it’s like to not live with that level of stress and to go back to that after the pandemic is just awful.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said it was “incredibly sad” if parents are home educating because they feel their child is not getting the support they need in school.

He called on the Government to invest in education to ensure this is “never the case” and schools have the resources they need to help all pupils to thrive.

Mr Barton said: “It is a real concern that there has been such an increase in home education following the pandemic.

“The reasons for this are numerous and complex but major factors are likely the worsening mental health among young people and the growing number of children with unmet special educational needs.

“The crisis in Send funding is limiting the amount of specialist help that schools are able to offer, while cuts to children’s services mean there are often long waits for external support.”

Heather Sandy, chair of the education policy committee of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), said Covid-19 and school closures had led to “more families choosing to home educate”.

But she said: “We are now seeing more children who are less engaged with an education system which does not meet the needs of all learners, this is evidenced by the rising number of school exclusions, persistent absenteeism and a year on year increase in the number of children being home educated.”

Cllr Sandy said the rise in children being home educated highlighted the need for a register to help councils establish how many children are being educated outside of school and to help identify children who are “vulnerable to harm”.

Proposals to legislate for a new national register of children not in school were once part of the Government’s now-scrapped Schools Bill.

Last month, Labour said it would introduce a national register of children who are not in school if the party wins power at the next general election.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said it is “working closely” with Flick Drummond, Tory MP for Meon Valley, on The Children Not in School Bill - which is currently progressing through Parliament and will “aim to create legal duties on local authorities to maintain such registers”.

A DfE spokeswoman said: “Parents have the right to educate their children at home, but all children should receive a suitable education regardless of where they are educated.

“We are continuing to work with local authorities to improve their non-statutory registers as well as supporting schools, trusts, governing bodies and local authorities to identify pupils who are at risk of becoming - or who are - persistently absent so they can receive regular and consistent education whether that be in school or at home.”