Councillor calls for more action on home education

In his letter, Coun Philip Owen also pressed Damian Hinds MP for the urgent mandatory registration of all home educated pupils.

Coun Owen said: “It appears to be far too easy for academies to advise parents to home educate children and young people whose needs should quite clearly be met in publicly funded academies.

“It concerns us greatly that those parents who have always elected to home educate and have never enrolled their children on the school roll are unknown to us.

“In the majority of cases, where parents and carers choose to school their child at home, the education is suitable and the children and young people are safe.

“There are, however, a small, but growing number of cases where we consider this not to be the case.”

In terms of safeguarding, the council has identified a significant number of pupils over the last two years who have been withdrawn from school for a range of inappropriate reasons which include persistent low attendance, unresolved bullying, and social, emotional, mental health or special educational needs which are not met.

Coun Owen continued: “Where we are aware that children have become home educated for inappropriate reasons, we do everything in our power to ensure they are readmitted to the school they previously attended.”