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
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Recommendations & Conclusions

6 results
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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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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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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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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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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