Home education rises in Devon and Cornwall

Joanna Merrett is a doctoral student in home education at the University of Exeter

The number of families choosing home education in Devon and Cornwall has risen sharply.

The figures have approximately doubled in Cornwall and Devon with the largest increase - of 156% - in Plymouth over the last five academic years.

An expert from the University of Exeter said there were lots of different reasons for people choosing home education but said lockdown had played a part in introducing more parents to the concept.

In response to the BBC investigation of figures across the country the Department for Education said it was introducing a new register to monitor the situation and reforming the special educational needs (SEND) system.

'On the fringes'

Joanna Merrett, a doctoral student in home education at the University of Exeter, said lockdown during the Covid pandemic "gave people an opportunity to try" home education.

She said: "It became something really well known rather than on the fringes of what people were thinking about."

Ms Merrett said research suggested "families of children with special educational needs, school anxiety or medical conditions have found it to be a suitable alternative".

She said anecdotally some families were turning to home education because of a lack of resources and support in schools.

Ms Merrett said while parents were able to find and share good resources for home education there was an issue with families having to pay hundreds of pounds to take exams if their child is not registered at a school.

More people are choosing home education in England

Government data from the education census in Autumn 2023 shows nationally, whilst the biggest known reason for moving to home education remained philosophical (16% of the total), mental health came a close second (13%) and has also seen the second biggest rise as a reason given by families choosing Elective Home Education (EHE) since Autumn 2022.

The new Labour government has committed to introducing registers for children not in school. It is currently not compulsory for parents to notify councils if they decide to home educate.

A Department for Education spokesperson said it wanted to make sure "every child is receiving a suitable education for their age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs whether they are in school or at home".

The spokesperson said: "We are legislating for Children Not in School registers so local authorities can better identify and support all home educated children, and reforming the SEND system so more children receive earlier and better support to thrive in education.”