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Comment: Register of children not educated at school

Rachel Dickinson, ADCS President, said:

“We welcome the proposals outlined today for a register of all children not educated at a registered school. Education is a fundamental right for all children and we absolutely recognise that parents have the right to educate their children at home. Where they opt to do this, we want it to be a positive experience for both children and their parents, yet for too long we have had no way of assuring ourselves of whether a growing number of children are receiving a suitable education or that they are safe – last year we calculated nearly 80,000 children were educated at home at some point across the 2017/18 academic year. Whilst a register in and of itself will not keep children safe, it will help to establish exactly how many children are being educated other than at school and assist with the identification of children who are vulnerable to harm. We look forward to reading the new guidance, which hopefully includes a clearer articulation of what a suitable education looks like as well as more detail on this proposal. This is a positive step in the right direction but it is crucial that any new responsibilities for local authorities are fully funded if these plans are to have the desired impact. ADCS will be formally responding to the consultation in due course.”

ENDS



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