Education campaigners demanded government action Friday after new figures revealed that the number of children in England being homeschooled jumped more than 13 percent in one term last year.

The spike -- from an estimated 86,200 in homeschooling at the start of 2023 to 97,600 in the April to July summer term -- emerged from data provided by local councils to the Department for Education (DfE).

It showed a 20 percent rise during the last full school year from September to July. 

Nearly a quarter of parents involved said they were keeping children at home primarily as a "lifestyle choice" or for "philosophical or preferential reasons".

These were by far the most commonly given main reasons, ahead of mental health factors (eight percent) and general dissatisfaction with the school (six percent).

The homeschooling trend, which has intensified since Covid prompted many parents to teach their children for prolonged periods, has heightened fears that increasing numbers are missing out on professional education and socialisation. 

"I think it is a surge -- these numbers have skyrocketed over the last seven or eight years," former children's commissioner Anne Longfield, who now chairs the Centre for Young Lives think tank, told BBC radio.

'Not a choice'

"We need to take this much more seriously," Longfield said, urging the government and local authorities to "really help schools provide the kind of support they know these children need to stay in school".

Only four percent of parents said health concerns over Covid were the main factor behind their decision, suggesting the pandemic-associated increase could be morphing into a long-term trend.

Although some parents were choosing to homeschool, Longfield argued that for many more, "it's not a choice".

She said a range of factors -- from kids feeling unhappy in school and not getting the support they need to a lack of state-funded resources -- were contributing to the decisions to homeschool. 

"It can just be a desperate choice, and those are the families we really need to focus on, to understand what's needed to help those children remain in school and flourish," she said.

Separate DfE figures published Thursday for the current school year that started in September showed that 20 percent of children in England are persistently absent from school while not being taught elsewhere.

That was down on the previous academic year but still above pre-pandemic rates.  

The UK government in London, which looks after schools in England, has for several years pledged to create a compulsory national register of homeschooled children.

'Boots on the ground'

But to do this the Conservative government is relying on a bill initiated by one of its lawmakers last December. Such legislation often fails to get enacted.

A DfE spokeswoman said it would help progress the bill "when the parliamentary timetable allows".

"We are committed to ensuring that all children, especially the most vulnerable in our society, are safe and have access to an excellent education," she added.

The main opposition Labour party, riding high in opinion polls, has vowed to press ahead with the register and empower schools' watchdog Ofsted to play a bigger oversight role. 

It also wants to incentivise attendance through funding for other measures like school breakfast clubs.

Longfield said England faced "a particular problem" with finances for schools and associated services, with headteachers telling her of the need for more social workers and related support staff. 

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman agreed that "children's social care and mental health support have suffered cuts or failed to keep up with demand over the last decade".

"Crucial local authority roles like education welfare officers have been decimated," he told The Guardian.

"We need to see more boots on the ground, with visits to families to get to the bottom of issues with children's attendance."