Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a statutory registration system for children not in school on home educators.

The Department completed all relevant and required impact assessments when the Children Not in School measures were part of the Schools Bill.

The Children Not in School measures were subject to a thorough equalities impact assessment, which considered the impact on families with different protected characteristics, and a regulatory impact assessment which looked at the impact measures will have on businesses and charities. A summary of these impact assessments have been published online as part of the Schools Bill impact assessment document, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-bill-impact-assessment.

The Department also conducted a Local Authority new burdens assessment in relation to the implementation and maintenance of the register, and the Department is in the process of finalising our data protection impact assessment with the Information Commissioner’s Office prior to the Schools Bill being discontinued. This remains with the Information Commissioner’s Office for consideration.

When a suitable legislative opportunity arises to take forward the Children Not in School measures, all necessary assessments will be reviewed.