Rising number of children are being home-schooled

MENTAL HEALTH THE MAIN REASON FOR ABSENCE

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

A RISING number of parents are taking pupils out of schools - mainly because of mental health - with 470 children being home-schooled in Stockton.

Stockton Council’s children and young people select committee heard of school absence in the town and the variety of reasons why children are not in school. Stockton has an absence figure of 4.4% for primary schoolchildren, slightly below the national figure, and 7.3% for secondary students, slightly over the national average, with illness the main reason for absence.

Sharon Stevens, team manager for inclusion and vulnerable learners, told of the number of parents who had chosen to educate their children outside the school system and take full responsibility for sourcing and funding the education.

She said: “Each year the number rises, and that’s not just in Stockton, that’s nationally. Yesterday when I looked there were 470 children in Stockton registered as electively home-educated. That number can change on a daily and weekly basis.

“The main reason last academic year that was given for removing their children from school was their child's mental health... Predominantly, they are secondary”