Home schooling numbers have nearly trebled since Covid

More research is needed to understand why more Powys parents are choosing to homeschool their children, after it is believed that the number has tripled in four years.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Health and Care Scrutiny Committee, councillors brought up the issue as part of a broader discussion on a report following an assurance review into children’s social services.

The review that had been conducted into children’s services earlier this year.

The work was commissioned by the council’s chief executive, Emma Palmer, and was carried out by Stephen Walker the Director of Relational Children’s Social Work Services at Leeds City Council.

He was also the Head of Children’s Services at Swansea City Council between 2008 and 2011.

Committee chair, Cllr Amanda Jenner (Conservative), pointed out that a part of the report said that one of the “challenges” faced by Powys social workers since the Covid-19 pandemic is the increasing number of families who are home educating their children.

Cllr Jenner asked: “I wonder from what you have seen elsewhere and from your perspective, why this poses a challenge to children’s services?”

Mr Walker said that that from a social work point of view, it’s “not about” the right or wrong of children being educated at home, but whether children’s services are in a position to provide help if needed.

Mr Walker said: “There are national issues because we have no right to access as children’s services to see children being educated at home.”

He went on to consider the broader issues adding that in “some cases” the parents believe they are able to “better meet and understand” their child’s needs and provide that support.

“If they need anything from children’s services, they will come to you, and that’s absolutely fine,” said Mr Walker.

Mr Walker said that other parents may have been “persuaded” to take their child out of school because of difficult behaviour.

This could be because thay are “reducing the overall achievement” of a class or school.

And educating them at home “is better” than for the child to be excluded, which would go on their official school record.

Mr Walker said: “Sometimes parents don’t understand the effect of children not being around other children or seen in school.”

Cllr Jenner said: “I think this is something we need to think about and potentially pick up with the education scrutiny committee as this ties in with the fact that school attendance since Covid-19 is a lot lower."

The figures for elective home educated children in Powys is monitored regularly in reports produced by the corporate safeguarding board.

Figures reported by the board in June show that 409 children and young people are being home schooled in the county.

This figure has risen from June 2023 when the board would only say that the figure was “more than” 300.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic the figure was 154.

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporting Service