Parents face asking councils for permission to homeschool at-risk children

New regulations on homeschooling children could have lessened the risks facing 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who was tragically murdered, a member of parliament has suggested.

Described schools as "a key safeguarding partner" where teachers can keep an eye out for signs of abuse.

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informed the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Ms Phillipson also said that town halls will have to set up a register of homeschooled children, whether they are at risk of harm or not, "because if children aren't in school we need to know where they are".

Sarah, whose battered body was discovered at her family home in Woking, Surrey, in August last year, was taken out of school by her family, despite teachers having spotted marks on her face and referred her to social services.

Home schooling allowed the abuse by her father, Urfan Sharif, 43, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, to go unchecked by the authorities, Judge Mr Justice Cavanagh said last month.

At the second reading of the Bill, Ms Wilson said in the Commons: "All the evidence points to education and schools playing a key role in safeguarding, which is why it's included in the Bill. Schools must be a key safeguarding partner when a child is identified as being at risk, so the Bill aims to ensure the child is in school."

“But we starkly saw in the recent tragic case of Sara Sharif, she was removed from school and subsequently subjected to abuse at home, which ultimately led to her tragic death. However, the key point is that this measure is an extra safeguard to ensure her safety.”

At the dispatch box, Ms Phillipson had previously stated: “I have respect for parents' rights to make decisions about their child's education, but children's safety must always be the priority, and under this government, their safety will always be top priority.”

In addition to the broader responsibility to register children not attending school, local authorities will also need parental consent for homeschooling if the child is attending a special school, or if they're on a child protection plan or being investigated under child protection procedures.

Rebecca Smith cautioned that plans for a register are at odds with the principle that "parents – not the state – bear primary responsibility for the education of their children, except, I accept, in the minority of cases where there is harm or neglect".

The Conservative MP for South West Devon said: “Let’s not forget that many parents choose to home-school because the state education system has let their children down.”

Ms Smith said: “There has to be a balanced approach that we could find here. I suggested, didn’t I, that we're employing a hammer to crack open a walnut?”

“These parents are not opposed to the idea of keeping the local authority informed, but to demand detailed, step-by-step explanations from them on the topic feels like an overly harsh stance in most cases, especially given that the relationship between these parents and the authority may already be strained.”

Conservative ex-minister Graham Stuart cautioned against "a mix-up between a policy failure in social services, which needs addressing, and home education, which is a completely separate issue".

The Bill also requires authorities to share information with each other where necessary to help safeguard the welfare of children.

Chris Coghlan, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Dorking and Horley in Surrey, highlighted the cases of two teenagers who took their own lives – Jennifer Chalkley and Oskar Nash.

Coroners who investigated both cases discovered shortcomings with Surrey County Council's special educational needs department.

Intervening, the Liberal Democrat MP for Woking, Will Forster, said: "Will you agree with me that the provisions included in this Bill, which would push local authorities to share data rather than just encouraging it, could have saved Sara from Woking, and could save vulnerable children in the future?"

Mr Coghlan said, "I completely agree with you that sharing public data between public authorities is essential to prevent it from happening again."

“But that's not sufficient, and it will not stop Surrey County Council's widespread and systematic negligence on its own.”

The Member of Parliament accused the authority of "ignoring existing law".

No paraphrasing is required in this case, as the text only contains a single, brief sentence. However, the text does not require a comma after "comment".

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