Mental health concerns and dissatisfaction with school and SEND support is driving more pupils into home education, new government data shows.
Annual figures published by the Department for Education shows there were 126,000 children in elective home education on October census date last year, up almost 13 per cent from 111,700 in autumn 2024.
Overall, 175,900 children were in home education at some point in the 2024-25 academic year, up almost 15 per cent on the 153,300 in 2023-24.
The data also records families’ primary reason for withdrawing their children for home education.
Last autumn, 16 per cent cited mental health as their primary reason, up from 14 per cent the year before. There were also increases in those citing general school dissatisfaction (from 7 to 8 per cent) and dissatisfaction over SEND (from 3 to 4 per cent).
The proportion citing philosophical or preferential reasons dropped from 14 to 12 per cent over the same period.
It comes as the government prepares to introduce mandatory registers of children not in school, as well as requirements for families to get council permission to home educate some groups of children.
The DfE has also published data on children missing education – those out of school but not learning at home.
It shows 34,700 children missed education on census day in autumn 2025, down from 39,200 the previous autumn. The number missing education at some point in the academic year also fell slightly from 149,900 in 2023-24 to 143,500 in 2024-25.
However, the DfE said that “as a relatively new data collection, changes over time are likely to be in part due to improvements in data quality and recording practices”.
Mental health impact ‘striking’
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the “increasing use of home education and worrying number of children still missing education…highlight the importance of the government’s plans for a register of children not in school and a single unique identifier for each child.
“After years of underfunding under previous governments, more investment is needed in vital community services, including children’s social care and mental health, and as part of the government’s promised SEND reforms – to ensure families get the help they need, including support to ensure their children can engage in education and learn in the right setting.”
He added that it was “striking how mental health remains the reason most frequently identified, and the increase in the proportion of pupils being educated at home for this reason highlights the need for further investment in community mental health services.
“It is vital to ensure that families have made the choice to home educate for the right reasons, have the right support they need to provide a great education for their child, and know where to go for help if they need it.”
The DfE’s data shows that “school application awaiting outcome” is the most reported reason for children missing education. The proportion of cases citing this has increased from 8 per cent in 2023 to 13 per cent last autumn.
The cases for which the primary reason was where councils believe a child is not receiving suitable elective home education rose from 6 to 9 per cent over the same period.
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