Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on reports the Department for Education is going to conduct a review of home schooling, said:

“This is a worrying weak spot for government. It is vital that action is taken to ensure that all children, whether in school or taught at home, are given the knowledge and skills to succeed, not taught a narrow curriculum of hate and bigotry. Yet, just last week it was revealed that the government had let children remain in illegal, unregistered schools for weeks, where they were exposed to narrow curriculums, misogynist, homophobic and anti-Semitic material. This is completely unacceptable.

"The reality is that there is a dangerous void in the local oversight of our schools system, created by this Government’s education policy, and this is allowing children to drop off the radar, where they could be exposed to harm, exploitation or the influence of extremist ideologies. We urgently need robust local oversight and accountability of all local schooling, regardless of type, so that communities can work together to improve standards and stop children from ending up in harm’s way.”