Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative assessment they have made of the incidence of neglect of children (1) in mainstream schools, and (2) who are home-schooled.

The duty on local authorities under the Children Act 1989 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need, including where children are at risk of or experiencing neglect, applies regardless of where children are educated.

Data on children educated at home is not collected on a national basis, and therefore no assessment has been made of the incidence of neglect of these children compared to those educated in mainstream schools. Data and analysis from the attached ‘Children in Need’ review, published in March 2018, shows that for all children, 17.6% of assessments made following a referral to children’s social care identify neglect as a factor; this has not been broken down by educational setting. The most recent triennial analysis of serious case reviews, published by the NSPCC in 2016, references four cases where children who were abused and neglected had been educated at home.

On 10 April 2018, the department launched a call for evidence on home education, which covers the issues of registration, monitoring and support for families which educate their children at home. Additionally, we are consulting on revised guidance for local authorities and parents, and the draft guidance addresses the interface between home education and safeguarding issues. The consultation is attached.