Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations in the Office of the Schools Adjudicator's annual report 2017-18 on (a) the prevalence of off-rolling and (b) home-educating parents registering with their local authority.

The Department will give careful consideration to the findings within the Chief Adjudicator’s annual report as it endeavours to ensure that the admissions system continues to work effectively for parents, pupils and schools.

Pupils leave school rolls for many reasons including: permanent exclusion, moving to another school, or changes of circumstances (as when a pupil moves to a new area). All schools must notify the local authority when a pupil’s name is to be deleted from the admission register.

Statutory guidance on exclusions is also clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded.

A consultation and call for evidence on elective home education was held by the Department between April and July 2018. This included the issue of registration of children by local authorities. The responses received are still being considered, and a government response document outlining next steps will be published in due course.