Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many school age children were home-schooled in 2015 and how many are home-schooled according to their latest figures; what information they havwe about the reasons for any increase in the numbers of parents home-schooling their children; whether their projections indicate that the number of home-schooled children will rise; and what action they are taking to ensure the quality of the education such children receive, as well as child safeguarding.

Data on numbers of children being educated at home are not collected on a national basis and consequently it is not possible to state such numbers - either at specific dates or as projections for the future. For the same reason, no national data are available on reasons why children are educated at home.

However, in the autumn of 2017 the Association of Directors of Children’s Services estimated, on the basis of a survey of local authorities, that the total number in England was 45,500, an increase of 21% on the position eighteen months previously. This was one of the reasons leading to the government’s consultation and call for evidence published on 10 April, which is likely to produce more information on these points.

The government response document, to be published after the close of the consultation, will set out the government’s intentions on home education.