Plan to register children not in school takes shape

A register to identify children who are not in school in England will be part of a bill introduced to Parliament on Tuesday.

The Department for Education says knowledge of where children are will enable councils to ensure a high-quality education is being provided and deliver the necessary support.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it would be a “seminal moment for child protection”.

The register, part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, is expected to come into force in 2025.

The Labour government says the bill will also make sure that teachers and schools are always involved in decisions around safeguarding children in their area, and that if a child’s home environment is assessed as unsuitable or unsafe, local authorities have the power to intervene.

A unique identifier number will be given to children across services, similar to an adult’s national insurance number.

“In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state,” Phillipson said.

“No more words, no more lessons learnt. This government will put children first at every turn.”

Sara Sarif, 10, was removed from school to be home-educated by her father and stepmother four months before she died.

Under the government’s plans, parents will no longer have an automatic right to educate their children at home if their child is under a child protection plan and will have to get the local council’s permission.

The previous, Conservative government had also proposed a register of children not in school.

The number of children being home-educated in England has risen by 20% this year according to the most recent government figures.

The Education Policy Institute warned that up to 300,000 children may be missing from education entirely.

“I have called on successive governments to introduce a unique identifying number for children and a register of all children not in school,” Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza says.

“Writing these two landmark measures into law will be of huge significance for any child currently at risk of harm in this country – it must now be supported by proper data-sharing between organisations so no child can become invisible in the system.”

The general secretary at the school leaders’ union NAHT, Paul Whiteman, also welcomed the bill, saying they had “long called for a register of pupils who are not in school” and “it is very positive to see that this important safeguarding measure is finally being taken after years of delay”.

The government says protecting children at risk of abuse and stopping vulnerable children falling through the cracks is at the heart of the bill.

First unveiled in the King’s Speech, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is wide ranging, also including free breakfast clubs in all primary schools and legislation to limit branded uniform items.