Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children who are home schooled receive a comparable level of education to that received in a school.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Responsibility for providing a suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who are educated at home rests with the parents. Although local authorities do not have a power to monitor such provision on a routine basis, they are under a duty to identify children who are not receiving a suitable full-time education. As part of that process, they will take appropriate steps to ensure that if a child is not being properly educated at home to serve a school attendance order. The department publishes guidance to local authorities on this matter, which is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288135/guidelines_for_las_on_elective_home_educationsecondrevisev2_0.pdf
Asked by: Mark Pawsey (Conservative - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in each local authority area (a) are being home-schooled and (b) were being home-schooled in each of the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Edward Timpson
This data is not collected centrally. Although some local authorities operate voluntary registration schemes, there is no legal obligation for the registration of home educated children.