Queen’s Speech: Ofsted powers to crack down on unregistered schools expected
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, May 5, 2022
New powers for Ofsted to crack down on unregistered schools and the creation of an elective home education register are expected to be announced in this year’s Queen’s Speech.
The speech, which is expected to centre around the current cost of living crisis and easing the burden for families, will lay out legislation that the government intends to pass during the next parliamentary year.
The government’s Schools Bill is among legislation expected to feature in tomorrow’s (10 May) speech.
Early details of the bill, based on the schools white paper, have been revealed in consultation responses released by the Department for Education ahead of the speech.
The government’s response to a public consultation on unregistered schools notes that the Schools Bill will “improve the ability of Ofsted to investigate, and therefore support prosecutions of, illegal unregistered full-time settings”.
A separate response to a public consultation on improving school attendance also highlights plans to reduce the number of children missing from education through more stringent school attendance strategies including a new regulatory framework for issuing fixed penalty notices for absence to parents.
Schools minister Robin Walker said: “To help ensure no child falls through the cracks, we will increase the focus on pupils who are severely absent (missing 50 per cent or more of school), expecting schools, trusts, and local authorities to work together to re-engage these pupils.”
The bill will also introduce a compulsory register for children who are electively home educated - the creation of which was confirmed by Ofsted in February.
Other bills expected to feature in the Queen’s Speech which could impact vulnerable children include:
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Justice secretary Dominic Raab’s British Bill of Rights which has been opposed by campaigners who claim it would “significantly weaken children’s human rights and the ability of children to hold the government and public bodies to account in cases where their rights had been infringed”.
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The Draft Mental Health Bill, which will overhaul the Mental Health Act 1983, is also expected to appear in the speech. According to ministers, the bill will limit the extent to which the act can be used to detain autistic people and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
