More families being 'forced' into home education

The children’s commissioner for England believes some families are being "forced" to educate their children at home after a BBC investigation found the number making the switch has doubled in five years.

UK councils received more than 66,000 notifications of children being moved to home education in 2023-2024 - up from 28,000 in 2019-2020, figures from freedom of information (FOI) requests show.

Dame Rachel de Souza said she was “deeply concerned” by the figures, adding that home education was a last resort for children whose needs were not met by schools.

The government said it was reforming the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system so more children received earlier support.

It has also pledged to introduce registers for children not in school so local authorities can “better identify and support all home educated children”.

Elective home education rose sharply during the pandemic and official figures will be released in December.

But ahead of that, figures obtained by the BBC through FOI requests reveal that:

• at least 66,496 children moved to home education in 2023-2024. In 2019-20 the figure was 28,558
• the North and Midlands saw the biggest percentage rises in England. At least 10,453 children moved to home education in 2019-20, compared to 27,502 in 2023-24
• children moving to home education doubled in most regions, but more than tripled in the North East, and rose by 85% in the East of England

Dame Rachel, whose role exists to protect and promote the rights of children, said many families were turning to home education out of desperation, not choice.

"I think it’s shocking to see how many children have been home educated because I know so many of them are not doing it because they want to,” she said.

"I'm deeply, deeply concerned. I think this is forced home education."

She added it was often children with special educational needs, children in the poorest areas and children at risk of exclusion who were being taught at home.

"They're becoming electively home educated as a last resort,” said Dame Rachel. “They're not getting what they need in school. I don't think it is a positive choice for many young people.

“Many of these children are the lockdown generation who actually were at home and have found it difficult to get back."

Daisy, seven, from Somerset, has visual difficulties and struggled to see the text on worksheets and the board at school. She has a prescription of plus nine in one eye and has previously worn an eye patch to help save her sight in it.

In May 2024 her mum Sarah felt forced to home educate. “She was really struggling," said Sarah. "She was refusing to go to school. She was unhappy, withdrawn and wasn’t succeeding.”

Sarah said Daisy was falling behind in reading and maths, and that her special educational needs were not recognised.

“She knows that her learning level is so far behind that most of the schools around here just don’t have the funding or resources to be able to support Daisy," she added.

Daisy said she likes her mum helping her at home, but wants to go back to school one day. “When Mummy drives past my old school, I feel sad, because I miss my friends," she said.

However, Daisy said she feels happier and more confident since moving to home education, and enjoys seeing friends through play dates and activity groups.

According to government data, there were an estimated 92,000 children in home education in England when figures were collected in autumn 2023. This was the total number of children being home educated on that day, not just those new to it, and up by about 11,000 on 2022.

That rise was largely fuelled by families citing worries about their children’s mental health. However, those citing dissatisfaction with SEND provision increased at the highest rate - 71% - from 1,618 in 2022 to 2,760 last year.

The Department for Education (DfE) began collecting home education data in Autumn 2022. From October 2024, it became a mandatory requirement for local authorities to share their figures.

“Our mission is to break down the barriers to opportunity, so every pupil has the best life chances,” said a DfE spokesperson.

“That includes making sure every child is receiving a suitable education for their age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs whether they are in school or at home.

“We are legislating for Children Not in School registers so local authorities can better identify and support all home educated children, and reforming the SEND system so more children receive earlier and better support to thrive in education.”

The Welsh government said while most children were best served in school, it recognised the right to home educate. It said home education should be a positive choice, and where families choose it, local authorities have a legal duty to ensure all children receive a suitable education.

The Scottish government said since the pandemic there had been challenges for some returning school so it has invested in a network of virtual head teachers to support vulnerable young people returning.

An Education Authority Northern Ireland spokesperson said: “Many factors may contribute to a parent’s decision to electively home educate their child.”