Many parents in Wokingham were relieved to see schools reopen during the third Covid-19 lockdown, but a growing number of families want to continue home schooling. 

There are now 221 Wokingham children who are classed as electively home educated and, according to the council, that number has increased by 23 per cent over the last academic year.

Across the country, it has risen by 25 per cent.

A council report states: “There are a variety of reasons for these parental choices that are not only around Covid-19 anxiety, but also include families that found they were able to electively home educate well during lockdown and want to continue with this as a lifestyle choice.”

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The council’s education welfare service has “assessed the suitability” of the home schooling offered by 164 of the families in Wokingham.

It plans to visit the other 57 families during this academic year or talk to them on a video call.

The report states: “The education welfare service has continued to offer home visits, video calls, telephone calls, reports with photographic evidence to ensure the education in place is suitable and effective.

“Support is offered immediately to all new electively home educating families and an initial visit offered within the first few weeks.

“If there are concerns raised from the school at point of removal, these are

addressed with the family.”

According to the council, there are “a high number of pupils” withdrawn from Bohunt and Bearwood Primary and “some of this could be attributed to the high levels of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller” families in the area.

The report states: “They tend to require extra support to ensure education is in place.

“Half termly visits are offered for the most vulnerable and we also provide correct materials where appropriate.

“Schools are supported to promote education to the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community by offering financial support to promote positive outcomes through 1:1 teacher support or behaviour focused interventions to keep them in school.”

Before March 8, only the children of key workers and vulnerable children were allowed to attend schools in Wokingham.

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But last month, the council revealed that almost 60 per cent of the vulnerable children in Wokingham were not attending schools.

Around 12 per cent of the 27,000 Wokingham schoolchildren were still going in before March 8, but the council does not know how many of them have key worker parents.

The increase in home schooling will be discussed by the council’s Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a meeting on March 22.