Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has said that more regulation is needed around children who are home schooled. They are concerned that the number of children being home-schooled in England has risen to in excess of 45,000 and this is making it harder for LA’s to ensure children are receiving a good education.
The government is to consider whether children should be formally registered and the quality of their education officially monitored. Currently parents who home-school children can choose whether to register them and the LA can only carry out informal monitoring.
In consultation documents published this week the government emphasises that it wants to safeguard parents' right to home-school their children.
However, it adds that it is keen to hear more views on:
The document does not put forward any specific government proposals for change and states that they intend to safeguard the primary duty of parents to lead their children's education, including the provision of home education. It does not intend that the state should supplant this parental role.
See the full consultation document