Hull and East Riding see sharp rise in home schooling amid safety concerns
Parents are looking for alternatives with increasing SEND diagnoses
Hull and East Riding are experiencing an unprecedented increase in homeschooling, with over 1,000 children now educated at home for the first time.
This trend is driven by various factors, including a belief among parents that mainstream education is failing to meet children's needs, especially for neurodivergent and SEND children.
Education expert Charlotte Dean, from Rewilding Youth, noted that homeschooling is evolving from being viewed as an 'alternative' choice to becoming a more mainstream option for families.
Dean said, “Years and years ago home education was seen as a hippy or alternative choice. But that’s not the case anymore. It's what is happening outside of school too. Now parents have the feeling that mainstream schools are not meeting their children’s needs.”
The surge is also leading to increased demand for alternative educational provisions like forest schools, which can offer flexible learning environments for SEND children.
Hull City Council reports that the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns led many families to feel confident about homeschooling, causing a rise that has continued.
Cllr Victoria Aitken from East Riding Council acknowledges the growing trend and highlights new legislative powers coming into effect under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, providing councils with greater oversight of elective home education (EHE).
The legislation will introduce compulsory registers for home-educated children and equip councils with monitoring and intervention powers to ensure educational standards and safety.
Local initiatives such as Rewilding Youth at East Hull Community Farm are stepping up to meet demand, incorporating outdoor and nature-based learning to support SEND children and provide alternatives to traditional schooling.
The flexibility of homeschooling, combined with forest schooling, is especially beneficial for parents of SEND children, according to youth environment educator Jaz Hancox from Aldbrough.
Hancox said, “Demand is skyrocketing. Two-years-ago we were struggling to get three or four people in our sessions. Now we are fully-booked with 20 families and we have more turning up each time.”
As families across Hull and East Riding increasingly opt to educate at home, local authorities and education providers are committed to offering support and safeguarding measures to ensure all children receive a beneficial learning experience.