Labour plans national register to protect absent pupils
Labour is promising to introduce a national register of children not in school as part of a package of measures to tackle absenteeism and improve safeguarding.
Under the plan, parents who wish to teach their children at home would have to register with the local council and could be subject to spot checks to ensure an adequate education is being provided.
Labour is also proposing to use artificial intelligence to connect information on children held by GPs, schools and councils to improve co-ordination between services and identify areas of concern. Ofsted, meanwhile, will be given the power to review school absence rates as part of annual safeguarding spot checks.
The proposals come after government figures showed that more than a fifth of pupils in England
