Local councils are seeing large rises in elective home education notifications and fears about Covid-19 was the top reason parents gave.

Since the start of the Autumn term in September 2020, all pupils have been able to return to school rather than just those classed as vulnerable or children of keyworkers. This means that attendance is again now mandatory and the usual rules on attendance apply, including parent’s duty to ensure their child attends school regularly.

However, all parents have the right to remove their child from mainstream schooling in order to home educate. Whether this is for ethical or religious reasons, or they believe that their child will benefit more from home learning than being in a school environment, or due to lack of support for special education or mental health needs.

A recent survey of 151 local councils by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, suggests that the number of home-schooled children in England has risen by 38%. Some councils reported that a lot of parents had made the decision due to the positive effects that Lockdown had on their children being taught at home between the months of March and July 2020.

The number could reduce again however once the pandemic is over or vaccines are widely distributed. Many of the parents that suggested they were home educating due to fears of coronavirus, also stated that they would return their children to mainstream school when their fears are reduced over the virus.

From a welfare standpoint, the rise in home schooled children can cause concerns. Removing a child from school takes them out of sightline of children’s services, leading to a potential safeguarding risk. Unfortunately, some parents use their right to home educate as a way of avoiding their child being noticed as vulnerable.

Whilst this is happening in a small number of cases, managers are calling for further measures to be implemented and further spotlight to be applied to these children to monitor the situation. It has been suggested that further Ofsted input may be an appropriate way forward. In any event, further attention and monitoring needs to be applied to ensure that these children are not sinking ‘under the radar’.

As with most of the challenges that coronavirus has bought us this year, this is yet another barrier for social workers already struggling to meet statutory requirements in the current climate of the pandemic. Another challenge to adapt to.

With all services pulling together, local authorities, schools and children’s services team, we can hopefully all work together to make sure that the ramifications of Coronavirus do not push an already vulnerable generation into even harder times.

From the team here at Select Social Care.