The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2024-25, introduced to Parliament on 17 December 2024, has ignited significant debate among UK homeschooling families. Having passed its second reading in the House of Commons on 8 January 2025, it now faces further scrutiny in the House of Lords as of July 2025. The legislation seeks to enhance child safety, raise educational standards, and ensure every child receives a suitable education. However, its provisions, particularly those affecting homeschooling, have sparked concerns about increased oversight, administrative burdens and potential curbs on parental freedoms. This guide explores the bill’s key elements, its implications for homeschooling parents, government perspectives, media reactions and practical steps for concerned families.
Overview of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
This wide-ranging legislation focuses on children’s social care and education, aiming to embed children’s best interests into UK law. It addresses safeguarding, school standards and support for vulnerable families, with a particular focus on children not attending school—whether due to homeschooling, exclusion or other reasons. Prompted partly by high-profile cases like the murder of Sara Sharif, where unsupervised homeschooling was cited as a safeguarding concern, the bill seeks to prevent children from “falling through the cracks” through enhanced tracking and support mechanisms. The government has also committed to doubling investment in family help services to £500 million in 2025 to support vulnerable families, which could benefit homeschooling parents facing challenges like mental health or financial pressures.
Key Provisions Impacting Homeschooling
The bill introduces several measures that directly affect the UK’s growing homeschooling community, with 111,700 children homeschooled in autumn 2024—a 21.4% increase from the previous year. These provisions include:
- Mandatory Register for Children Not in School (Clauses 25-26): Local authorities (LAs) must maintain a register of all children of compulsory school age not attending school, including those who are homeschooled. Parents will need to provide detailed information, such as their child’s name, address, learning hours, educational providers, websites used and details of groups or activities attended. This requirement is seen as burdensome, potentially infringing on the flexibility of homeschooling styles like child-led or unstructured learning.
- Increased Oversight and Home Visits: LAs may conduct visits to assess the suitability of the home and learning environment. Refusal could lead to a School Attendance Order (SAO), compelling school attendance. Many families worry that LA officers may lack understanding of diverse homeschooling methods, particularly for children with special educational needs (SEN) or alternative learning styles.
- Restrictions on Deregistration: Parents may be denied the right to homeschool if their child is under a child protection investigation or plan, or if the LA deems school attendance in the child’s “best interests.” This is particularly significant for children in special schools with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), who already require LA consent to deregister. Critics argue this could trap children in unsuitable school settings.
- Information Sharing Requirements: Organisers of homeschooling groups, activities, or online classes must report detailed information about participating children to LAs, with non-compliance potentially leading to fines or imprisonment. This could discourage community groups from serving homeschooled children, limiting social and educational opportunities.
- Single Unique Identifier Number: Each child will receive a unique identifier, similar to a National Insurance number, to track them across services for safeguarding purposes. While intended to improve safety, some parents fear this could lead to excessive surveillance or data misuse.
Government Perspectives
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has positioned the bill as a critical safeguarding measure, stating, “Keeping children safe will always be my first duty as education secretary, but we can only truly do that if we know where our children are. The sad reality is that at the moment there are thousands of children hidden from sight.” Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden, echoes this, emphasising that “children’s welfare, safeguarding, and protecting children’s rights are at the forefront of every decision.” The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, supports the register, noting her long-standing call for such a system to track children not in school. The government cites the 2024 Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel report, which highlighted risks to children not enrolled in school, as a key motivator for these reforms, framing the bill as a balance between oversight and support for families.
Implications for Homeschooling Families
The bill’s provisions could significantly alter the homeschooling landscape. The mandatory register requires extensive reporting, which may be particularly challenging for families using flexible or non-traditional learning approaches. This administrative burden could limit parents’ ability to tailor education to their child’s needs, especially for those with SEN or mental health challenges. Potential LA visits to assess home environments raise concerns about privacy and the risk of unannounced intrusions, particularly if officers lack training in diverse homeschooling methods. The threat of SAOs for refusing visits adds further pressure.
Restrictions on deregistration are a major worry, especially for families who choose homeschooling to escape unsuitable school environments. This is particularly relevant for children with SEND or mental health issues, where homeschooling is often a safer or more effective option. The requirement for community groups to share detailed information may reduce the availability of homeschooling co-ops and extracurricular activities, limiting social opportunities for children. Additionally, the unique identifier number raises fears of surveillance among families valuing privacy. On the positive side, increased funding for family help services could provide resources for homeschooling parents, though implementation details remain unclear.
Media and Community Reactions
Mainstream media outlets, such as The Guardian and BBC News, have largely supported the bill’s safeguarding goals, highlighting its response to the 2024 Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s findings. A government source told the BBC, “This landmark bill is a crucial step forward in our mission to protect all children.” However, homeschooling advocates and social media platforms like X have raised alarms. Organisations like Ed Yourself and Educational Freedom describe the measures as “draconian,” warning of potential fines or imprisonment for non-compliance, though these are not explicitly detailed in the bill yet. Critics argue it undermines parental rights, with sentiments like, “The state is taking over how we educate our kids.” Posts on X reflect particular concern for SEN and clinically vulnerable families, who fear being forced back into unsuitable school settings.
Concerns for Homeschooling Parents
The bill raises several concerns for homeschooling families. The mandatory register and potential home visits could erode the flexibility and privacy that make homeschooling appealing, particularly for those tailoring education to SEN or mental health needs. Critics argue that the bill unfairly scrutinises all homeschooling families, assuming risk where none exists, rather than targeting specific safeguarding issues. The bureaucratic demands of documenting every aspect of a child’s education could be daunting, potentially deterring families from continuing to homeschool. For children with SEND or mental health challenges, restrictions on deregistration risk forcing them into school environments that exacerbate their issues. The burden on community group organisers may also limit access to social and educational opportunities, further isolating homeschooled children.
What Homeschooling Parents Can Do
As the bill progresses through Parliament, with further scrutiny in the House of Lords as of July 2025, there’s still time to influence its outcome. Here are practical steps to navigate this change:
- Stay informed by monitoring the bill’s progress on the UK Parliament website (bills.parliament.uk) and reviewing explanatory notes and policy summaries. The committee stage, ongoing from 21 January 2025, allows public input.
- Contact your Member of Parliament or a member of the House of Lords to share your homeschooling experience and concerns. Suggest amendments, such as ensuring LA staff are trained in diverse homeschooling approaches or that visits require parental consent.
- Join advocacy groups like Education Otherwise or Educational Freedom for support, resources, and collective advocacy. These organisations are actively discussing the bill and offering guidance.
- Maintain a detailed log of your child’s learning activities, resources, and outcomes to demonstrate compliance and ease LA interactions.
- Familiarise yourself with your rights. Under current law, LA visits require your consent, and communication can remain in writing unless you choose otherwise. Use guidance from homeschooling organisations to frame your responses.
- Advocate for amendments to ensure the bill supports, rather than hinders, homeschooling families, such as clear definitions of “suitable education” that respect diverse approaches.
Looking Ahead
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is likely to become law by spring 2025, but its final form will depend on parliamentary debates and amendments. While the government aims to protect children and support families, the proposed measures could make homeschooling more bureaucratic and less flexible, particularly for those with SEND or non-traditional learning styles. The increased oversight and restrictions on deregistration raise valid concerns about parental autonomy, but the additional family support funding offers potential benefits if implemented effectively. By staying informed, engaging with policymakers, and connecting with advocacy groups, homeschooling parents can help shape a balanced outcome that preserves the freedom to educate their children in the way that best suits their needs. For the latest updates, check the UK Parliament website or trusted homeschooling organisations like Educational Freedom.