Register of children not in school moves a step closer

The government has confirmed it will go ahead with the creation of a register for children not in school ‘at the earliest available legislative opportunity’, but key details of the plans remain unclear.

The proposal comes in the delayed response to the 2019 consultation on children not in school. The government will place a duty on local authorities (LAs) to maintain a register of children who are not being educated in school – this will include some children who are being educated in pupil referral units or flexi-schooled. LAs would be able to share data from their register in certain circumstances, for example with specific agencies where there were safeguarding concerns. As hosts of the register, they would also be subject to inspection by agencies such as Ofsted. There will also be a parallel duty on parents and guardians to supply information to LAs where their child is not in school.

However, when the government will actually legislate to create these duties is unclear. Indeed the consultation states that the whole proposal is ‘subject to securing the necessary resources….and completion of the new burdens process’. Additionally, at this stage there is no detail on what information parents/guardians will need to provide for the register, or what the consequences would be for those who do not supply the relevant information.

Elsewhere in the proposals there are plans for proprietors of certain educational settings to be required to supply information to the register, and a requirement for LAs to provide support on request to parents/guardians who educate their children at home. The coronavirus pandemic has coincided with an increase in the number of children electively home educated (EHE), with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services estimating that 115,542 pupils were EHE at some point during the 2020/21 academic year, an increase  from 86,335 in 2019/20.

In a statement the Department for Education said: ‘The vast majority of home education is already done well, but particularly in light of the pandemic contributing to a rise in children not being educated in school, the government will support local authorities to make sure they know where every child is being educated, that it is of the right quality, and that support is offered to home educating families.’

Commenting on the proposals, children’s commissioner Rachel D’Souza said: ‘The register of children not in school is vital in making sure that we are able to keep children safe and engaged, wherever they are learning. The reason I’ve pressed for the roll-out of a national register is that it is all about ensuring children are safe, that they get the best education they can, helping to unlock doors to their future, and that those dedicated parents who choose to educate their children at home feel supported in doing so.?’

Also responding to the plans, general secretary of the NAHT Geoff Barton said ‘The government’s proposal to introduce a register of children not in school is long overdue and something that the education sector will welcome. We recognise that many parents successfully and safely educate their children at home, but this is a huge undertaking, and the number of home-educated children has increased during the pandemic in families where there are health concerns. It does not seem unreasonable then to at least have a national register of children who are out of school so that children do not simply disappear from the system.’

Full consultation response: https://tinyurl.com/ha3rct39