Education Secretary Bridget Philipson said the move would continue to offer freedom to families who want to home educate while keeping kids safe
Three-quarters of parents back new plans requiring families to notify local councils when choosing to home-school children.
Education Secretary Bridget Philipson said the move would continue to offer freedom to families who want to home educate while keeping kids safe.
The measure, to come in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, would introduce a compulsory register for children not in school for every local council in England.
And parents of children who are subject to protection enquiries, or who attend a special school, will need local authority consent to teach them at home.
“Sunday Mirror readers know every child deserves to be safe, protected and receiving a good education – no matter where they learn,” Ms Philipson told this newspaper.
“Yet, for too long, some of our most vulnerable children have fallen through the cracks.”
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She added: “The days when children could simply disappear from the system are over.
“Parents back our measures that mean local councils will know where every child is being educated – ensuring children can be kept safe, while preserving the freedom that makes England a world-leader in educational choice.”
One in five children (21.5%) in England were persistently absent during the Autumn and Spring terms of 2023 – meaning they missed 10% of their lessons. This is more than double the number who regularly missed class during the same period in 2018/19 (10.5%), according to Department for Education data.
Labour have previously warned the number of children persistently absent from school could rise to more than one in four in 2025/26 unless urgent action is taken.