Third Report - Strengthening Home Education

Select Committee
Education Committee HC 84 26 July 2021
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 33 items (32 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 33 of 33 classified)
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 3
Deferred 11
Not Addressed 6
Rejected 4
Government response
Strengthening Home Education: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report · published 26 Oct 2021
Read the government response ↗ Response on the tracker

Recommendations & Conclusions

33 results
1 Recommendation Deferred
Para 19
The Committee unanimously supports the right of families to opt for EHE, provided it is...
Recommendation
The Committee unanimously supports the right of families to opt for EHE, provided it is in the best interests of the child and the education provided is of a suitable standard to meet the needs of the child. In the … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agreed with the committee's stance on EHE and the need for better outcome data to assess suitable education, committing to a form of registration for children not in school to improve data and LA assessment abilities, with further details deferred to an upcoming consultation response.
Department for Education
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2 Recommendation Rejected
The next iteration of the Government’s guidance for local authorities and parents must set out...
Recommendation
The next iteration of the Government’s guidance for local authorities and parents must set out a clearer vision for a ‘suitable’ education - including the levels of numeracy and literacy which it would usually expect students to have achieved before … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejects setting out a centralised clearer vision for a 'suitable' education in guidance, stating that local authorities already have the ability to specify literacy and numeracy levels on a case-by-case basis. It suggests this area may be considered in a future guidance review, pending a judicial review outcome.
Department for Education
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3 Recommendation Deferred
Para 38
The Committee heard from home educators that home-educated children are not ‘invisible’, and that safeguarding...
Recommendation
The Committee heard from home educators that home-educated children are not ‘invisible’, and that safeguarding has failed children who were already known to local authorities. However, the relevant authorities cannot begin to reach any children who may be at risk … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government committed to a local authority administered statutory registration to identify children not in school, but deferred further details on its implementation and proposals for supporting home-educated children to its forthcoming consultation response.
Department for Education
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4 Recommendation Deferred
Para 39
The Committee’s view remains that a statutory register, serving to more consistently identify children outside...
Recommendation
The Committee’s view remains that a statutory register, serving to more consistently identify children outside of school, is absolutely necessary. This would aim not to remove freedoms from those who are providing an effective education for their families, but to … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government remains committed to a form of local authority administered statutory registration for children not in school, but further details on its scope and implementation will be provided in a forthcoming consultation response.
Department for Education
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5 Recommendation Accepted in Part
There is no single definitive figure for the number of children and young people being...
Recommendation
There is no single definitive figure for the number of children and young people being educated at home. The numbers that are available are likely to under-report as parents do not have a duty to tell local authorities that they … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government committed to collecting high-level data through a new registration system for children not in school, acknowledging the value of improved EHE data collection and analysis. Further details on data collection and analysis will be considered as part of future steps.
Department for Education
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6 Recommendation Not Addressed
Para 41
Covid-19 appears to have driven a further rise in EHE numbers, the long-term impact of...
Recommendation
Covid-19 appears to have driven a further rise in EHE numbers, the long-term impact of which is not yet known. During the covid-19 pandemic, some may have found that educating at home worked better for them. However, some parents may … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government outlines existing guidance for exclusions that directs parents to free information services and expects a similar approach for EHE. It also mentions a future duty on local authorities to provide support, but does not specifically address the recommendation for independent advocates.
Department for Education
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7 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 42
Once the statutory register of children outside of school is up and running, the Department...
Recommendation
Once the statutory register of children outside of school is up and running, the Department for Education must make use of it to collate, analyse and publish anonymised annual data on the number of children out of school so that … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government is committed to a form of registration for children not in school and anticipates collecting and publishing high-level anonymised data from local authorities, recognizing its value for policy creation, with further details still to be decided.
Department for Education
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8 Recommendation Not Addressed
Para 43
When a pupil is excluded from school for more than five non-consecutive days in a...
Recommendation
When a pupil is excluded from school for more than five non-consecutive days in a school year, the pupil and their parents or carers should be given access to an independent advocate to help them navigate the process. Families considering … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government did not commit to providing independent advocates for excluded pupils or families considering EHE, instead pointing to existing information and advice services. It deferred further details on broader support for home-educating families to a future consultation response.
Department for Education
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9 Recommendation Accepted
Para 54
There is clearly a distinction between those families who make a free choice to EHE,...
Recommendation
There is clearly a distinction between those families who make a free choice to EHE, and those for whom it is not truly ‘elective.’ We understand that many home educators do not see off-rolling, exclusion or illegal schools as a … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government remains committed to statutory registration for children not in school, including electively home educated children, with further details expected in a forthcoming consultation response.
Department for Education
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10 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 55
Schools should publish their permanent and fixed term exclusion rates by year group every term,...
Recommendation
Schools should publish their permanent and fixed term exclusion rates by year group every term, including providing information about pupils with SEND and looked- after children. Schools should also publish data on the number of pupils who have left the … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Department collects and publishes suspension and exclusion data annually, including termly rates and SEND breakdowns, and intends to continue this. However, it rejects school-level publication for looked-after children and does not commit to schools publishing data on pupils who have left, citing data limitations.
Department for Education
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11 Recommendation Deferred
Some children in those illegal schools prosecuted so far have been nominally home educated, with...
Recommendation
Some children in those illegal schools prosecuted so far have been nominally home educated, with families misled by providers. Without the consistent and robust data on children outside school that a register could provide, we cannot know the true impact … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government committed to a local authority administered statutory registration system to identify children not in school, including those electively home educated, but stated further details would be provided in the upcoming Children Not In School consultation response.
Department for Education
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12 Recommendation Rejected
Para 57
Many children with SEND may be happiest educated at home, but this should absolutely not...
Recommendation
Many children with SEND may be happiest educated at home, but this should absolutely not be a choice that parents are forced to make for lack of the right support. We accept that what begins as a negative choice can … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to create an independent, neutral role for SEND support, stating that existing SEND support mechanisms and local information, advice, and support services (SENDIASS) already provide sufficient access to support.
Department for Education
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13 Recommendation Rejected
Para 58
In light of the evidence we heard on children with SEND, the Department must reconsider...
Recommendation
In light of the evidence we heard on children with SEND, the Department must reconsider the potential for creating an independent, neutral role, allocated to every parent or carer with a child when a request is made for a needs … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the creation of a new independent, neutral role for parents of children with SEND, stating that existing SENDIASS services and statutory duties already provide sufficient support.
Department for Education
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14 Recommendation Acknowledged
Para 59
We urge the Government to publish its SEND Review without further delay, and will look...
Recommendation
We urge the Government to publish its SEND Review without further delay, and will look forward to scrutinising any proposals it makes.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the SEND Review is underway, aiming to improve the SEND system, and states it will make recommendations 'in due course' without committing to a specific publication timeline.
Department for Education
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15 Recommendation Acknowledged
The SEND Review must address the need for consistent and sufficient support for children with...
Recommendation
The SEND Review must address the need for consistent and sufficient support for children with SEND, no matter how they are educated. Access to Education, Health and Care Plans and the support they offer should not depend on being on … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the ongoing SEND Review, stating it aims to ensure a consistent, high-quality, and integrated SEND system and will make recommendations in due course, without directly confirming it will address support for SEND children regardless of education setting.
Department for Education
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16 Recommendation Not Addressed
Para 71
Local authorities told us that they lack sufficient powers.
Recommendation
Local authorities told us that they lack sufficient powers. It seems to us that the grey area in the Departmental guidance—where there is no legal duty for parents to respond to enquiries about EHE, but the local authority is entitled … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government stated that the issues of local authority powers regarding EHE and the 'grey area' in guidance were not within the scope of the Children Not In School consultation and therefore would not be addressed in its response.
Department for Education
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17 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 72
Without a clearer definition of what a ‘suitable’ education is and what the threshold might...
Recommendation
Without a clearer definition of what a ‘suitable’ education is and what the threshold might be for intervention, local authorities have to rely on their safeguarding powers. We understand that, where powers are seen to be used inappropriately, there is … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government stated that existing guidance sufficiently defines 'suitable education' for local authorities. Regarding School Attendance Orders (SAOs), it committed to working with local authorities to understand current data holdings and to consider further data collection and analysis in due course.
Department for Education
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18 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 73
When the Department responds to the 2019 consultation, it must clearly set out the expectations...
Recommendation
When the Department responds to the 2019 consultation, it must clearly set out the expectations on LAs, other parts of the public sector (including health and social care) and parents with regards to EHE. It should supply case study examples … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that setting out EHE expectations was outside the consultation's scope and that existing guidance is sufficient. However, it will work with local authorities to understand and consider further data collection on School Attendance Orders.
Department for Education
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19 Recommendation Deferred
Para 75
Although we were pleased to see that Keeping Children Safe in Education was updated during...
Recommendation
Although we were pleased to see that Keeping Children Safe in Education was updated during the inquiry, we heard that key guidance documents on safeguarding did not recognise EHE. It is therefore hardly surprising that that local authorities and others … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in the 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance at its next review point, without providing a specific timeline for this.
Department for Education
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20 Recommendation Deferred
Para 76
The Department must revisit and revise key statutory guidance such as Working Together to Safeguard...
Recommendation
The Department must revisit and revise key statutory guidance such as Working Together to Safeguard Children as soon as possible, so that they explicitly contain EHE within their scope, and contain clear and consistent messages for families, local authorities and … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance at its next regular review point.
Department for Education
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21 Conclusion Not Addressed
Para 87
We heard that there is a lack of consistency in the approach local authorities take...
Conclusion
We heard that there is a lack of consistency in the approach local authorities take to support EHE. Departmental guidance is ambiguous and does not provide the necessary clarity on what is expected of them. Ofsted told us that for … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government reiterates that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' EHE work during Children’s Social Care inspections, but does not address the conclusion's points about lack of consistency, ambiguous guidance, or Ofsted considering new oversight methods.
Department for Education
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22 Recommendation Accepted
Para 88
The Department must assign Ofsted a role in quality assuring the delivery of local authority...
Recommendation
The Department must assign Ofsted a role in quality assuring the delivery of local authority support for EHE and adherence to EHE guidance. This will require the creation of an inspection framework, based on the clarified guidance for local authorities … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' Elective Home Education (EHE) work as part of normal inspections of Children’s Social Care services, covering welfare monitoring and policies.
Department for Education
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23 Recommendation Not Addressed
Para 89
On the whole, local authorities did not see themselves as potential ‘inspectors’ in the Ofsted...
Recommendation
On the whole, local authorities did not see themselves as potential ‘inspectors’ in the Ofsted mould—even though the former Children’s Commissioner called for “at least a once a year, if not once a term” inspection. However, some local authorities would … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' EHE work as part of Children’s Social Care inspections, but this does not address the recommendation for local authorities to have clear abilities to seek reassurance that EHE is suitable.
Department for Education
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24 Recommendation Deferred
Para 90
HMCI Amanda Spielman told us it was “very un-joined up” that children who were on...
Recommendation
HMCI Amanda Spielman told us it was “very un-joined up” that children who were on a child protection plan and experiencing harm could be withdrawn into home education. We share HMCI’s concerns and call on the Department to ensure that … Read more
Government Response Summary
The Department states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in its "Working Together to Safeguard Children" statutory guidance at the next review point.
Department for Education
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25 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Para 91
The Department must clarify and strengthen the expectation in its 2019 guidance that local authorities...
Recommendation
The Department must clarify and strengthen the expectation in its 2019 guidance that local authorities make contact with parents on at least an annual basis, so that local authorities have the ability to see a child in person (at a … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government will review its 2019 EHE guidance for local authorities and parents in due course, pending a judicial review. However, it explicitly rejects stipulating specific methods for local authorities to assess the suitability of home education or mandating the requirement to see children's work or assess progress.
Department for Education
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26 Recommendation Accepted
Para 92
The Department should provide local authorities with a set of clear criteria against which suitability...
Recommendation
The Department should provide local authorities with a set of clear criteria against which suitability of education can be assessed, taking into account the full range of pedagogical approaches taken in EHE, as well as the age, ability and aptitude … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states that its existing Elective Home Education (EHE) guidance for local authorities already details eight factors for assessing the suitability of education.
Department for Education
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27 Recommendation Acknowledged
We heard that parents receive more support from networks than they do from local authorities,...
Recommendation
We heard that parents receive more support from networks than they do from local authorities, but without the robust data that a register would provide we cannot know for certain whether everyone who needs support is able to access it. … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government refers to its commitment to a registration system for children not in school, noting that decisions on its implementation may include training packages for local authority officers, without making a firm commitment to provide such training.
Department for Education
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28 Recommendation Not Addressed
Given the rise in EHE numbers and lack of consistent support from local authorities, the...
Recommendation
Given the rise in EHE numbers and lack of consistent support from local authorities, the Department should commission and roll out a national training package for all local authority officers with responsibility for EHE—developed with a wide range of stakeholders—so … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government stated that while it is committed to a registration system for children not in school, decisions on local authority implementation are yet to be made and may or may not include the recommended national training package for EHE officers.
Department for Education
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29 Recommendation Deferred
Para 110
Without large-scale, objective data, our understanding of the attainment and outcomes achieved by EHE children...
Recommendation
Without large-scale, objective data, our understanding of the attainment and outcomes achieved by EHE children remains largely anecdotal. Despite assurances from the EHE community, we therefore cannot be sure that all EHE children get an education ‘suitable’ to prepare them … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the value and challenges of researching EHE outcomes due to data limitations. It commits to reviewing potential research approaches after the Children Not In School consultation response, but does not directly address equity of access to exams or future education for EHE children.
Department for Education
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30 Recommendation Deferred
Para 111
The Department must urgently commission and publish longitudinal research examining the life chances and social...
Recommendation
The Department must urgently commission and publish longitudinal research examining the life chances and social outcomes of EHE children in England (as a short-, medium- or long-term intervention), compared with those who have received a formal schooled education. This will … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the value of the recommended longitudinal research but defers reviewing potential approaches until after the Children Not In School consultation response is published, citing challenges with data availability.
Department for Education
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31 Recommendation Deferred
The Government needs to act on the longstanding issue of inequitable access to exams for...
Recommendation
The Government needs to act on the longstanding issue of inequitable access to exams for those children receiving EHE. The cancellation of exams in 2020 has had a massive impact on all students, but a particularly acute impact on those … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government describes existing arrangements for private exam candidates and past exceptional grants, stating that parents are generally financially responsible. It notes a consultation proposed local authority support, but details will be deferred until the consultation response is published.
Department for Education
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32 Recommendation Deferred
Para 123
For that reason, we repeat our predecessor Committee’s recommendations with regards to public examinations.
Recommendation
For that reason, we repeat our predecessor Committee’s recommendations with regards to public examinations. This seems reasonable in order to help EHE children gain the qualifications needed for future education, training and employment.
Government Response Summary
The government reiterated that access to public examinations for private candidates is at the discretion of individual centres and parents are financially responsible. It deferred details of potential future examination support for home-educating families to the upcoming Children Not In School consultation response.
Department for Education
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33 Recommendation Rejected
The Government must place a duty on every local authority to ensure that home- educated...
Recommendation
The Government must place a duty on every local authority to ensure that home- educated children and young people have fair access to centres where they can sit accredited public examinations, with the Government meeting the entry costs for those … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government states parents are financially responsible for exam costs and does not commit to meeting them. While a consultation proposed a duty on local authorities to provide support, details will be published later and remain subject to further discussion.
Department for Education
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