By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
Figures show an increase in the number of children being home schooled in Nottinghamshire following the pandemic.
As of August 2021, 1,079 children were registered as home educated in Nottinghamshire, an increase of 298 since August 2020.
And the data shows 127 parents cited Covid-19 as a factor in their decision to home educate, which is in line with national trends as a result of the pandemic.
Parents of 312 children declined Local Authority involvement – and the report described a “concern” over the level of need for some children who were home educated in the county.
Data shows 71 per cent of home schooled children in Nottinghamshire were White British, six per cent were of Gypsy, Roma or Traveller ethnicity and six per cent were from other ethnic groups. The remainder were parents who chose not to respond to this question.
More than £250,000 is dedicated to the home schooling service provided by the council for 2021/22.
The authority’s latest six-monthly paper, which will be discussed by councillors on November 1, states: “Comparing the dashboard data for August 2020 and August 2021, a significant increase in the number of registrations can still be seen at year 10 (+53), but also at year seven (+45) and year eight (+43) and for primary at year 1 (+36).
“There does appear to have been an impact from Covid on parental confidence in transition.
“It is, however, difficult to draw meaningful conclusions when nearly half of the cohort have chosen not to provide a reason for their decision.”
Reasons given by parents for home schooling children in Nottinghamshire
15 – school phobic or refuser
11 – response to legal attendance proceedings or prosecution
25 – bullying at or around school
65 – dissatisfaction or conflict with school
39 – emotional reasons, e.g. anxiety and mental health issues
386 – preferred method – i.e. parental choice
538 – not disclosed
