The Government has announced it is planning to ‘strengthen guidance’ on home education so that parents and local authorities understand their rights and responsibilities.
The new guidance will set out the processes by which local authorities should identify children who are being educated at home and how best to intervene if they are not receiving a suitable education.
Currently, councils have the powers to serve School Attendance Orders if they suspect a child is not receiving a high enough standard of education. The new guidance will build on this.
It will also offer support and advice to parents on whether home education is the right decision for their child.
In order to inform the new guidance, the department for education has launched a Call for Evidence asking parents and councils their views on how to ensure the 45,500 children who are educated at home receive the expected standard of education.
Councils will be asked how they can best monitor the quality of home education to make sure children are taught the knowledge and skills they need.
The Call for Evidence will also ask how effective registration schemes are for children who are educated at home and how the Government can better support those families who choose to go down this road.
‘Across the country there are thousands of dedicated parents who are doing an excellent job of educating their children at home, and many selfless volunteers working for clubs and organisations that help to enrich children’s education outside of school,’ said the minister for school systems Lord Agnew.
‘It is right that we should build on the high standards we’ve set in our schools so that every child receives a suitable and safe education — no matter where they are being taught — and that we can act quickly in the rare instances when this is not the case.
‘This support for families and local communities will help ensure all children get the education they deserve.’
The education minister also announced a £3m fund to support the joint working of local authorities, the police, Ofsted, the Government and other agencies in addressing safeguarding and welfare concerns.
