Children being home schooled must now be listed on a new register by councils to stop pupils ‘falling through the cracks’ amid attendance concerns after lockdowns
- Pupils will be listed on new register to ensure they are not ‘falling through cracks’
- The Covid pandemic has led to rise in children not being educated in school
- More than 500,000 children are now missing from at least 10 per cent of lessons
- Education Secretary has also issued new guidance on managing behaviour
Children who are being home schooled must now be listed on a new register by councils to stop pupils from ‘falling through the cracks’ amid attendance concerns following lockdowns.
Ministers are to legally require local authorities to log where each child is being educated and to ensure that support is being offered to home schooling families.
It comes as the Covid pandemic has contributed to a rise in children not being educated at school, while more than 500,000 pupils are now missing from at least 10 per cent of lessons – 60,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In the first eight months of the 2020-21 academic year, the number of children dropping out to be home schooled in the UK rose by 75 per cent, according to a BBC investigation.
More than 40,000 pupils were formally taken out of school between September 2020 and April 2021, compared with an average of 23,000 in that period over the previous two years.
Figures from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) identified 93,514 pupils who were mostly absent between September and December 2020, when schools re-opened after lockdown.
Thousands of others are also thought not to be on school rolls or registered with any authorities, with some cases reported of troubled teenagers being listed as ‘home schooled’ without any provision at home.
Experts have warned it can leave them vulnerable to grooming by gangs if they simply roam the streets all day.
In addition, Ofsted has highlighted the problem of strict Muslim families registering their children as ‘home schooled’ and then sending them to secret backstreet madrassas.
These underground schools often do not teach the curriculum, and have been found to be unsafe by inspectors.
As part of ‘levelling up’ education plans, the Department for Education has said the new register will be introduced at ‘the earliest available legislative opportunity’.
Officials say parents who provide a decent education have nothing to fear.
More than 500,000 children are missing from at least 10 per cent of lessons, too – 60,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels. Pictured: Year 10/11 students at Hailsham Community College in East Sussex last month
England’s children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza (pictured) says she is ‘very concerned’ that some local authorities are not able to account for all children
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi admits there are ‘areas across the country where high standards are not being met’
England’s children’s commissioner said she wants all children to have a unique identification number across the NHS, school and social services to make it easier to find those missing from the system.
Dame Rachel de Souza added: ‘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.’
She said she was also ‘very concerned’ after being shown a spreadsheet of children identified by one police force who were not enrolled and were unknown to authorities during a visit to discuss criminal exploitation, The Times reports.
The children’s commissioner has launched an inquiry to find the missing pupils after data from some local authorities showed found only a small number could account for all the children in their respective area.
Data has now been requested for all 150 education authorities and, together with the Department for Education, live attendance data is being piloted so children at risk of harm can be identified faster.
Current figures show the Government the percentage of children absent from lessons, but specific data on whether the same pupil has missed school is not received until months later.
Children with special needs or mental health issues have been identified as two at-risk groups whose attendance has fallen to fewer than half of lessons.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi admitted there are ‘areas across the country where high standards are not being met’, adding that the register will help authorities spot and support children who may be receiving an unsuitable education.
His department has pledged to rebuild hundreds of schools across the country and issued updated guidance for headteachers on managing the behaviour of pupils.
This includes the use of exclusions and advising heads to decide whether mobile phones should be in classrooms.
Mr Zahawi said: ‘Education is at the heart of this Government’s plans to level up, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed no matter where they grow up or what their background.
‘While the majority of children already learn in a calm and well-maintained classroom, and some learn at home with dedicated parents, there are areas across the country where high standards are not being met.’
However, the general secretary of school leaders’ union the National Association of Head Teachers criticised the new guidance on behaviour as ‘unhelpful’.
Paul Whiteman said: ‘We need to remember that in the vast majority of schools there are no major issues when it comes to behaviour, and that schools already have strong systems in place for supporting good behaviour.
‘The Government’s current obsession with being seen to “talk tough” on behaviour is frankly unhelpful.
‘Instead, what the Government should be focusing on is making sure that vital support services are available to support schools and pupils when they need it.’
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