A rise in the number of children in the UK who are now being home educated hit the national news sites on Monday.
News OnTheWight thought Islanders would be interested to hear about what’s happening on the Isle of Wight. We’re running it now, as we’ve just got the answers back.
The BBC reported that the number of children registering for home education in the UK rose by 75 per cent in the first eight months of the current school year.
Hounslow, a suburb of West London, saw almost five times as many children registered in 20/21 for home education compared to 2018/19.
Higher than average
Isle of Wight has been known in the past for having a higher proportion of children being home educated than anywhere else in the country.
The council say the current figure is 3.1 per cent of the school-age population.
464 pupils being home schooled
As of today (Tuesday), the number of pupils who are ‘electively home educated’ on the Isle of Wight is 464, the same figure as reported in December 2020.
The council say that although the latest number is exactly the same as in December 2020, “it will be different children”.
The December 2020 figure of 464 had seen a 21 per cent increase on the previous year, which recorded 384 pupils being home educated.
You can read more about the national picture on the BBC News Website.
Image: Annie Spratt under CC BY 2.0
