Number of home-schooled children nearly doubles

There are concerns that the rise in home schooling is a symptom of wider problems

The number of children being home-schooled in Lincolnshire and East Riding has nearly doubled in the past four years.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association show that in Lincolnshire 1582 children were been educated at home in 2023, an increase from 862 in 2019.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire County Council said it equated to about 1% of school-age children.

East Riding has 516 home-schooled children, up from 347 in 2019.

Martin Smith, assistant director for education at Lincolnshire County Council said there could be a variety of reasons that parents chose to home-school their children.

He said: “Although there has been an increase in the number of families choosing home education, this still only equates to around 1% of school-age children.”

“There is a range of advice and guidance on home-schooling your child on the council’s website, including links to support groups,” he added.

Lack of support

Across England, the government estimates that 92,000 children are being educated at home, an increase of about 10,000 from the year before.

There are concerns that the rise in parents who are opting to remove their children from school is due to lack of support for pupils with special educational needs (SEND).

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said he was concerned that the increase was a symptom of wider problems: “such as unmet special education needs, and school anxiety and other mental health issues".

A recent report by the children’s commissioner found that children who left state education to be schooled at home were more likely to have SEND or live in disadvantaged areas.