Mental health concerns spark home education rise

Since the 2019/20 academic year the number of children being electively home educated has increased by more than a third, research has found.

Two out of three of the most common reasons for choosing elective home education (EHE) relate to health concerns, it adds.

The most common reason given to councils by parents for home schooling is health concerns relating specifically to the pandemic.

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"Health and emotional health" is the third most common reason and philosophical or lifestyle choice is cited as another common reason for home-schooling.

The findings have emerged in an Association of Directors of Children Services report into EHE, based on responses from more than eight out of ten councils.

The report warns that health and emotional health is being cited “far more often than previous years” in EHE.

“Respondents commonly noted the prevalence of anxiety and mental health issues experienced by children and young people during the pandemic as a factor,” it said.

The start of the autumn school term in 2020, following a period of lockdowns, saw a marked increase in home schooling requests. These have escalated further in 2021.

The cumulative increase over the 2020 and 2021 academic years so far has been 115,542 -  an increase of 34 per cent since the 2019/20 school year.

Of the 126 councils that responded, a total of 81,196 children were being electively home educations as of 7 October 2021, an increase of seven per cent on the same day the previous year.

It is estimated that almost half of these children became home-schooled during the 2020/21 academic year, adding further evidence to the impact of the pandemic on families’ decisions to home educate their children.

One council representative warned that “worryingly, many of the notifications (for home schooling) received since September 2021 have been for families with multiple layers of vulnerability where EHE does not seem the most appropriate route for the children concern.”

The report also found that 95 per cent of councils reported that up to five per cent of children were currently known to children social services, but one council reported as many as a quarter were known to social workers.

Councils are also reporting a “noticeable increase” in home-schooling among children with an education, health and care (EHC) plan or requiring special educational needs support.

Some 78 per cent of councils reported that up to five per cent of home-schooled children locally had an EHC plan. Just under a quarter said as many as one in ten have a plan in place.

“For six years now, we have seen year on year increases in the number of children being educated at home,” said ADCS educational achievement policy committee chair Gail Tolley.

“This report highlights just how much of an impact the pandemic and the closure of some schools has had on this number, with parental concern about the pandemic cited as the most common reason why children became electively home educated in 2020/21.”

She called for councils to be given greater powers to monitor the quality of education home-schooled children are receiving. This includes establishing a mandatory register of electively home educated children and a “fully funded” duty on councils to visit children annually.

“We can only support children’s education and safeguard children who are known to us,” she added.