Thousands of Yorkshire children do not go to school

More than 10,000 Yorkshire children are being educated at home, according to the latest Government figures. Department for Education data shows approximately 11,170 children were receiving home schooling in Yorkshire and The Humber during the most recent school term. According to the data, 1,710 were being homeschooled for mental health reasons.

The second most popular reason, accounting for 1,310 children, was for philosophical reasons. There is nothing in the Government's data to suggest these children are at risk. Data collection on homeschooling has seen improvements in recent years, making previous years' data potentially incomparable for Yorkshire and The Humber.



Current figures indicate that at least 8,210 local children were homeschooled during the same period in the previous academic year. Here are the statistics for every local authority area in Yorkshire. Kirklees Home-schooled children last term: 750 Philosophical reasons: 280 Mental health reasons: 110 Home-schooled autumn term 2023: Calderdale Home-schooled children last term: 620 Philosophical reasons: 300 Mental health reasons: 80 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 450 Leeds Homeschooled children last term: 1,350 Philosophical reasons: 120 Mental health reasons: 90 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 1,050 Bradford Homeschooled children last term: 1,100 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 790 Sheffield Homeschooled children last term: 770 Mental health reasons: 120 Philosophical reasons: 60 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 530 Rotherham Homeschooled children last term: 560 Mental health reasons: 90 Dissatisfaction with school reasons: 90 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 410 Barnsley Homeschooled children last term: 710 Lifestyle reasons: 160 Mental health reasons: 130 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 530 Doncaster Homeschooled children last term: 870 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 590 North Yorkshire Homeschooled children last term: 1,210 Mental health reasons: 380 Philosophical reasons: 180 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 780 York Homeschooled children last term: 240 Mental health reasons: 80 Philosophical reasons: 60 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 200 East Yorkshire Homeschooled children last term: 600 Homeschooled autumn term 2023: 610 Hull Homeschooled children last term: 750 The national picture The data also reveals that there were 111,700 children homeschooled across England this autumn term, which, according to the DfE, may represent a significant increase from an estimated 92,000 a year earlier.

It comes as the Government announces plans to enhance protection for homeschooled children following the murder of Sara Sharif. The 10-year-old's father and stepmother, who had removed her from school for home education, have been found guilty of her murder. Sara was beaten to death four years after taxi driver Urfan Sharif, 42, was awarded custody, despite allegations of abuse against him, according to court reports.

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Read our privacy notice here . House of Commons leader Lucy Powell stated that the Government will "imminently" announce details of "stronger safeguards for children being taken into home education", following public outrage over the death of Sara. Maria Neophytou, acting chief executive of the NSPCC, described it as an "absolutely shocking case" that raises "crucial questions" about child protection.

Number 10 has unveiled plans to introduce a child identifier, akin to an NHS number, mandating every council to establish multi-agency child safeguarding teams. The government also detailed plans to require parents to obtain local authority consent for home-schooling their children, with further details to be outlined in forthcoming legislation. This would apply specifically to cases where a "child is subject to a child protection plan," according to the spokesperson.

The Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza, has also urged for measures to prevent at-risk children from being homeschooled. Speaking to BBC Newsnight, she labelled it as "madness" for children at risk of abuse at home to be removed from school, which should serve as a "safeguard". She suggested that effective data sharing between schools and councils could help prevent harm.

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