Rise in number of children being home-schooled

The number of registered home-educated children in Lincolnshire has nearly doubled since the 2020-21 school year

The number of children being home-schooled in Lincolnshire has almost doubled in the past four years, the county council has said.

A total of 2,314 were being educated at home in the 2023-24 academic year, up from 1,262 in 2020-21.

Officials blamed the increase on children "struggling" emotionally or academically and parents' dissatisfaction with school policies on issues such as homework or uniforms.

Lincolnshire County Council said it was working to make the school system "inclusive for all needs".

The executive director of children's services, Heather Sandy, addressed the latest figures at a meeting of the council's children's committee on Friday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'That's a worry'

"There tends to be dissatisfaction with schools – we've heard about children struggling with the academic rigour, large class sizes, or their emotional mental health," she told the meeting.

"We've seen an escalation in that area, until the child feels they're unable to be in school.

"Perhaps the parent doesn't like the school's approach to uniform or homework."

She said many families who opted for home education were "well organised" but "others are doing it out of desperation because their children aren't thriving, and that's a worry for us".

"Then you have a very small cohort removing the children so they're not visible to services," Ms Sandy added.

She said it was difficult to say whether this last group was a concern, as parents had a legal right to do so.

Some councillors expressed concern that children withdrawn from education could become more vulnerable, referencing the death of Sara Sharif whose father and stepmother were convicted of her murder.

Dr Emile van der Zee, who sits on the committee as a school governor, said: "I'm concerned by the large increase – there are no Ofsted inspectors going to these homes.

"We've seen in the case of Sara Sharif that reasons for home-schooling can also be sinister."

Councillor Tom Smith (Conservative) argued: "Parents must be allowed to say how they educate their children.

"We should give them support where they ask for it, and we shouldn't be intrusive where we don't need to be."

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