Number of Northampton homeschooled children tops 400 since lockdown

A councillor has shared her concerns over the volume of children in Northampton who are now being taught from home.

Since Boris Johnson announced the country was going into lockdown in March, 89 primary and secondary school-aged children have been taken out of school.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Northamptonshire County Council has revealed that the total of children now home-educated in the town is 422.

Leader of Northampton Labour Party councillor Danielle Stone said: "It is a high number and it worries me. We have had to fight for free universal education and we need schools that can meet every child’s needs. Parents choose to home school for a variety of reasons and obviously sometimes that is the best option. But we need to know why more and more parents are choosing to do this.

"If it is a lack of confidence in our schools, then that needs to be addressed. If it's because some children are anxious because of Covid that needs to be addressed. Children need to be with their peers. They need to socialise and they need to play. How to provide safe opportunities in this time of crisis is a real challenge.

"There is no inspection or monitoring regime for home educated children and this is a worry. Many will be thriving but some will not."

No parents during the pandemic (from March 23 to date) have been given fines where as during the same time frame last year 769 parents were fined for their children missing primary and seconday school.

Alan Hackett, NASUWT teachers' union national executive member and teacher since 1986, said he believes parents are keeping their children at home over fears for coronavirus arrangements in schools if they believe they can provide a better learning environment at home they will.

He said: "This year we saw that homeschooled children had problems gaining any recognition for their exams and had no social interaction with peers.

"This is an area that has been largely ignored by most people. What stimulation, challenge and diet are the parents providing, how did they cope in lockdown?

"The NASUWT accepts the right of people to choose homeschooling but urges parents to trust in the education system whether free school, independant, academy or local authority and trust in the professional expertise and care that is provided in a school environment.

"Homeschooling will not necessarily produce a well-rounded citizen of the future."