by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Almost a thousand children in the county being educated at home may eventually lose that right – potentially adding extra costs for Dorset Council.
Although most are expected to be able to continue as they are – the right to home educate is likely to be withdrawn from parents in future through the proposed Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently making its way through the House of Lords.
A report to councillors suggests extra costs are likely to fall on Dorset – also arising from expected changes for children who are not permanently in school for other reasons.
A report to Dorset Council’s People and Health Scrutiny Committee next week (April 16) says the county is currently responsible for 978 children who are electively home educated, a figure that has risen every year since 2022. Mental health has now become the most common reason families give for choosing home education.
The report also highlights 58 children currently classed as Children Missing Education (CME) – those of compulsory school age who are not registered at a school and are not receiving suitable education elsewhere. While most are not known to social care, around a third have had previous contact with social services and 34% have identified special educational needs, including some children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Since September 2025, 93 children have been identified as missing education, with almost nine in 10 placed into a suitable place within seven weeks, a rate lower than both national and South West averages.
Overall Dorset records lower-than-average rates of children missing education and elective home education, alongside falling numbers of permanent exclusions and fixed-term suspensions.
A report to councillors says that potential changes under the proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, is expected to require councils to keep compulsory registers of children not in school and remove the automatic right of parents to home educate. Officers warn these changes are likely to place additional demands on already stretched services.
Background –
The proposed Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill does not retrospectively remove the legal right for parents to home educate their children. The default position under the Education Act remains that parents are responsible for their child’s education, which can be provided at school or “otherwise” (at home).
The Bill is expected to introduce a significant shift to a more formal, state-monitored framework. While the right to home educate remains, it will now come with mandatory registration and, for some, a requirement for local authority (LA) consent.
The Bill’s primary focus for home education is increasing visibility through a “Children Not in School” (CNIS) register with every local authority in England having to maintain a register of all children of compulsory school age not in school. Parents will be legally required to provide basic details to their local authority and keep them updated.
