AN increasing number of parents are registering their children for home education to avoid prosecution for poor attendance, an education chief has claimed.
Andrew Powles, director of education for Torfaen Borough Council, said an increase in children being educated at home is placing a strain on its education welfare service.
But he also claimed parents are opting for home education to avoid prosecution, that he referred to as a “formal process”, for failing to ensure their children attend school.
He said: “Rates of elective home education is increasing that is often linked to a formal process, not just fixed penalty notices, as a way of getting out of that.”
Figures presented to the council’s education scrutiny committee show that in 2024/25 the authority brought 10 prosecutions over alleged failures to ensure attendance at school.
Since March 2023 the council has also used fixed penalty notices, a £120 on the spot fine for parents over unauthorised attendances, which are reduced to £60 for parents who can afford to pay within 28 days.
The council also has software connected to school attendance registers that automatically generates the fines, though the council insists fines can be withdrawn if necessary.
Figures show 44 of 235 requests for a fixed penalty were withdrawn in 2023/24 but while the total number of requests increased to 261 in 2024/25 the number withdrawn dropped to just 11.
Mr Powles told the council’s education scrutiny committee home education is creating a demand on the council.
He said: “There is a challenge at the moment about elective home education that are we seeing an increase in learners in elective home education that is creating a specific workload, even just the welfare checks.”
Council figures show in 2024/25 there were 340 Torfaen pupils educated at home, with 116 new requests for pupils to come off the school roll to be educated at home. Of those 340 there were 19 who returned to school in Torfaen.
In the 2023/24 year 349 children were educated at home with 154 new requests though 49 returned to one of the council’s schools.
Those figures compare with 113 educated at home in 2019/20 and just 46 requests to come off the school roll. The figures increased to 182, and 56 new requests, the following year and hit 252, and 107 requests, in 2022/23.
Torfaen’s education service was deemed by inspectors Estyn to require significant improvement in May 2022 and only removed from special measures in September last year.
A designated council officer will conduct an assessment on at least an annual basis to determine if the home education is “suitable, efficient, and full time”.
If the council is unable to conclude a child is receiving a suitable education, or believes their welfare is at risk, it can take legal action including issuing an order for the child to attend school or applying for an education supervision order.
There is also a policy to ensure children missing from education are identified quickly with a tracking system in place.
Mr Powles said in the next month the council could have to move an education welfare officer to support the increased demand for home education.
He was responding after the council’s head of learning and achievement, Andy Rothwell, said officers were confident the education welfare service is “sufficiently resourced”.
Mr Powles said “I do agree with Andy” and said the service is well resourced but he wanted to highlight the pressure around home education.
Reform UK councillor for Llantarnam, David Thomas, had asked if officers are confident the education welfare service is “sufficiently resourced”.
Mr Rothwell replied: “Yes we are. It’s been busy as is every area of local authority work.”
He said the service has managed pressures facing it and said the authority had also made a decision to “place” additional funding, from the Welsh Government, in schools by employing family engagement officers who work closely with the service.
“I’m not saying it’s not a busy place to be as a demand led service there’s lots going on,” added Mr Rothwell.