Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of unregistered schools that have continued to operate during the COVID-19 national lockdown which began on 5 January.
Any education setting which provides full-time provision to 5 or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is looked after or has an education, health, and care plan) is required to register with the Department for Education as a school. It is a criminal offence to conduct an independent school that is not registered. For this reason the Department for Education has not made an estimate of unregistered schools operating through the current lockdown.
The Department for Education and Ofsted are continuing to investigate any settings where intelligence or evidence suggest the operation of an unregistered school.
All settings, whether registered or unregistered, must also comply with relevant regulations relating to COVID-19. Failure to do so will be a breach of legislation and poses a risk to public health.