The government is consulting on plans to launch a new register of children in England who are being educated at home.
Under the plan, it would be parents' responsibility to register their child if they were not attending a state school or registered private school.
Ministers say a register would help councils intervene when standards were poor or if children were at risk. The education department estimates the number of children being home educated in England has risen to 60,000. The government is also consulting on proposals that would require local authorities to provide support for home-educating families, such as teaching resources or financial contributions towards exam fees. At present, there is no mandatory registration system for families who choose to educate their children at home, although some local authorities run voluntary registration schemes.
This means that the number of home-schooled children remains uncertain.
This latest call for a register is likely to anger some home-educating parents - but Education Secretary Damian Hinds said the government had a duty to make sure children were safe and receiving a good education.
He said it would also help the authorities spot young people who may be:
- receiving a solely religious education
- attending an unregistered school
- not receiving an education at all
Mr Hinds said the term "home education" had acquired a much broader meaning than it used to have and was now a catch-all phrase to refer to all children not in a registered school.
"So whilst this does include those actually getting a really good education at home, it also includes children who are not getting an education at all or being educated in illegal schools where they are vulnerable to dangerous influences," he said. "The truth is, we just don't know.
"As a government, we have a duty to protect our young people and do our utmost to make sure they are prepared for life in modern Britain.
"That's why this register of children not in school is so important - not to crack down on those dedicated parents doing an admirable job of educating their children in their own homes but to prevent vulnerable young people from vanishing under the radar."
