Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what new oversight measures she plans to introduce in relation to home schooling as referenced in the Statement of 9 March 2026; whether local authorities will be granted additional statutory powers to register or inspect home-educated children; what safeguards she will put in place to ensure that families who home educate are not subject to disproportionate regulation; and what assessment she has made of the potential resource implications for local authorities.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will require local authorities to maintain registers of children who are not in school, including home-educated children, and require parents of eligible children to give information for these registers. This will support authorities to identify children who are not receiving a safe, suitable education so they can take action.

The Bill also requires some parents to seek permission from the local authority before children can be withdrawn for home education, such as children who are subject to section 47 enquiries, are on a child protection plan (or were previously in the last five years), or who attend a special school. This additional check will ensure these children receive a suitable education that is in their best interests.

When carrying out their duties, local authorities must act reasonably and we will provide additional training and statutory guidance to support with this. We will also conduct a New Burdens Assessment to establish the amount of additional funding required by local authorities to fulfil their duties. Evidence for this assessment will be gathered through a public consultation ahead of implementation of the measures.