Children missing education

The Children's Commissioner for England's recent report Skipping School: Invisible Children looks at the growing number of children who are being educated at home, concluding that, while many parents who make a decision to home educate their children provide them with a high-quality education, many other families are home educating for other reasons and are struggling to cope. The children's commissioner has called for a compulsory home education register; stronger measures to tackle "off-rolling"; more support for families who home educate; and a greater oversight of home schooled children.

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on parents to ensure that their child of compulsory school age receives a suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. This can be fulfilled by the child being home educated. A child can be taught at home on a full- or part-time basis at any time, as long as they are not subject to a school attendance order. The agreement of the school or local authority is not needed in order for a child to be home educated, although if they are attending a special school under a statement of special educational needs (SEN) or education health and care plan (EHCP), the local authority must be informed before removing the child from the school roll.