NAHT comments on Labour plan to legislate for register of children not in school

Commenting as Labour announce they would introduce a national register of children who are not in school, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“NAHT has long called for an official register of home educated children and the sooner this is delivered, the better. All education settings and parents should have a duty to provide information to local authorities, enabling them to maintain an up-to-date register.

“Our members worry about the safeguarding of children not in school. Children at risk could be missed, with neither school nor local authority knowing for certain what has happened to them. Without an officially maintained register, there remains the danger of children becoming lost outside the system."