The Number of Children Being Home-Schooled in England Increases by More Than 10,000
The number of children being home-schooled in England has increased by more than 10,000 since last autumn. According to statistics published by the Department for Education, the number of children recorded as being educated at home on a single day in autumn 2022 was 80,000, while this number rose to 92,000 in autumn 2023. The main reason cited by parents for choosing home education was mental health issues. The proportion of families citing mental health issues as the reason for choosing home education increased from 9% in 2022 to 13% in 2023.
While 40% of parents did not specify a reason for choosing home education, 24% mentioned philosophy and lifestyle, 3% cited bullying by peers, and 1% stated religious principles as the reason for their children's home education. Last autumn, councils recorded 33,000 children missing education, compared with 24,000 in autumn 2022.
Labour MP Bridget Phillipson expressed that the Labour Party would introduce a national register for children not in school, while Conservative MP Flick Drummond presented a bill to Parliament requiring local authorities to keep a record of children not enrolled in school.
The Department for Education has released statistics on “Children Missing Education” (CME), covering children of school age who are not enrolled in school and receiving inadequate education, by introducing a new classification. Approximately 20% of children missing education last autumn were due to a child moving abroad or to another local authority, while 23% were children waiting to be enrolled in a school. The data revealed that about 44% of children were not attending school for other reasons, and 6% were participating in inadequate home education.