Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to provide...
Conclusion
Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to provide children with suitable full-time education. However, there is no Departmental guidance outlining how this responsibility should be implemented, and no clear consequences for non-compliance. Given that Ofsted has identified that 9% of a sample of 2,600 children in children’s homes are attending unregulated ‘education’ provision, and a further 6% are not in education, employment or training, it is clear that the law is not being complied with. (Paragraph 72) 48 Educational poverty: how children in residential care have been let down and what to do about it
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Accept in principle. The department recognises the need for local authorities to be fully discharging their duties in terms of providing suitable full-time education for children in care, including robust guidance to support them in doing so. This will be considered as part of our wider work to develop an implementation strategy to the care review.