Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unregistered schools there have been in England in each of the last five years.

Any school or college that provides full-time provision to five or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is ‘looked after’ or who has an Education, Health and Care plan) is required to register with the Secretary of State for Education. It is a criminal offence under Section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered.

Ofsted publishes statistics on the number and outcomes of investigations carried out into unregistered schools. Statistics have been published online for the period 1 January 2016 to 31 August 2022 and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unregistered-schools-management-information.