A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) reveals that around 300,000 children in England are missing out on education entirely. The EPI has urged the government to enhance its plans for a children-not-in-school register, which should be maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This register would gather data from education, health, and other sectors. Humanists UK has supported this recommendation, noting that such a register would close a loophole used by operators of illegal faith schools.
The report, titled *Children Missing Education*, highlights the issue of unregistered or illegal schools that do not have to provide attendance information to the Department for Education (DfE) because no legal obligation exists. The EPI calls for a register that includes pupil-level data from all schools, including state, independent, and unregistered schools, as well as home-educated children, to ensure an accurate record of all children’s education.
Humanists UK has long campaigned against illegal faith schools. They argue that such schools, often operating in unsafe, unsanitary conditions, claim to offer home education or supplementary religious education. Without a register, these claims go unchecked. At least 6,000 children are thought to be missing from mainstream education, and many are trapped in these unregulated environments.
The government has signaled its intention to address this issue in the upcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill, which was mentioned in the 2024 King’s Speech. The bill aims to close the legal loopholes exploited by illegal school proprietors, including the introduction of a children-not-in-school register.
The call for such a register has gained momentum in recent months. In October, the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, published a report showing that local authorities lack consistent access to information to track children missing education. She called on the DfE to establish a central database. Similarly, the counter-extremism think tank Nahamu has recently published research supporting the need for legislative action.
In November, during a debate on the Home Education Register and Support Bill in the House of Lords, members discussed the importance of a register to close the loopholes used by illegal faith schools. A follow-up question to Education Minister Baroness Smith revealed that the DfE does not have data on the number of unregistered schools in operation, strengthening the case for a national register to ensure that all children are accounted for and properly educated.
Lewis Young, Education Campaigns Manager at Humanists UK, welcomed the EPI’s report, saying, “We support the EPI’s call for legislation to close loopholes used by illegal schools and ensure every child is kept safe and receives a balanced education. We look forward to working with the government to develop proposals for a children-not-in-school register and strengthening Ofsted’s investigatory powers as outlined in the Children’s Wellbeing Bill.”
Related topics: