Large increase in home-schooled children in Northumberland

A new study looking into the growth of home education in England has revealed a 361 per cent increase in the number of children being taught at home over the last 10 years.

The research, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Oxford Home Schooling, part of Oxford Open Learning Trust, reveals the number of children registered as home-educated between 2006 and 2016 increased from 8,361 to 38,573 children.

Over the last 10 years, Northumberland is not among the top-ten councils which have seen the biggest increases in home education, but when you look at the figures for the past five years, Northumberland comes in at seventh.

The only councils to respond to the request which reported a decrease in the number of home-educated children between 2011 and 2016 were Rutland County Council, London Borough of Wandsworth and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The growth of home education in England reflects the country’s changing educational needs.

“One school structure doesn’t fit all and online home-education providers like Oxford Home Schooling enable people to access alternatives much more easily.”

You can find a data visualisation showing the growth of home education in England over the last 10 years here.