This page looks at the amendments to introduce a PILOT SCHEME for a compulsory meeting with the LA before deregistering. Page updated January 13th. On January 7th 2026 the government tabled amendments to the Children Not In School clauses of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The next stage of the bill in parliament is Report in the Lords which starts on January 14th. Children Not In School is likely to be debated on day 3 ie Wednesday January 21st. Regardless of any disagreement or reservations expressed during debate, governments usually win the vote on their own amendments.
Mandatory Meeting With Local Authority
A new section is to be added to the Wellbeing Bill at the end of clause 31. After the bill receives royal assent (currently estimated to be Easter 2026) there will be a period of up to 2 years to draw up regulations for “a pilot scheme” involving up to 30% (could be less, can’t be more) of local authorities in England and Wales.
In pilot areas, parents will have to have a meeting with the LA before the child’s name can be taken off the school roll for home education ie making deregistration CONDITIONAL on a meeting.
Up till now clause 31 has been specifically about “Local authority consent for withdrawal of certain children from school” and all the conditions were about “a relevant child” ie a child falling into one of the two categories for consent for withdrawal that is to say subject to a child protection plan or registered pupil at a special school.
However, this new government amendment says “child” not “relevant child” and therefore 434B WILL APPLY TO ANY CHILD, AND IS NOT RESTRICTED TO CHILDREN IN THE CONSENT CATEGORIES.
What Is A Pilot Scheme
A pilot scheme is a way of testing a new system within a smaller group before making changes that will apply to everyone. In theory pilots can be used to see whether there are problems with a scheme, but problems can also be minimised or ignored, depending on how the pilot is evaluated. There is nothing about whether meetings would be in person or virtual, or how the pilot LAs would be funded.
Pilot What And When
Under the pilot scheme, once these regulations are in place (ie up to 2 years AFTER the bill comes into force, so likely 2028) parents in the pilot local authorities wishing to home educate will have to have a meeting with the LA before the child can be taken off the school roll. The child will also have to attend this meeting.
We will probably learn the identities of local authorities in the pilot BEFORE the pilot starts, but because this is new LAW not just new guidance it can’t actually start until the regulations are fully completed. The usual system is for LAs to put themselves forward (or not) for the pilot, rather than being nominated by the government.
The minimum time for the pilot scheme is 2 years, which takes us to 2030, although the pilot could in theory go on for up to 5 years. At the end of the pilot, the English and Welsh governments will separately decide whether to extend the scheme across the whole country. Details of any national scheme would require further new regulations to be drawn up and agreed at a later date.
What Government Has Said
On January 12th 2026 the government published a document titled European Convention On Human Rights [ECHR] Supplementary Memorandum [LINK] dealing with government amendments tabled on January 7th. The memorandum says:
- “The Department is proposing an amendment to Clause 31, which will enable the Secretary of State (and Welsh Ministers) to pilot mandatory meetings in certain Local Authorities (to be determined by regulations). The school would not be allowed to delete the name of any child of compulsory school age from the admissions register, where the parent wanted to remove that child for education otherwise than at school (i.e. for home education), until after a meeting between the Local Authority and parent had taken place.
- Further to consultation, the Secretary of State will be empowered after at least two years of the pilot, to (through affirmative regulations) cease the pilot and roll out the scheme to all Local Authorities in England or just cease the scheme. Welsh Ministers will have the same powers in relation to Wales.
- These measures are likely to lead to a slight delay in a child’s name being removed from the school admissions register, during which time the child must continue to regularly attend school. If the Local Authority becomes concerned during the meeting about the likely suitability of home education but the parent still pursues home education, it will prioritise this family for follow up and consider use of the school attendance order process which could require the child to again be registered at a school.”
The Amendments
“434B Mandatory local authority meetings prior to withdrawal of child from school
(1) The appropriate national authority must, by regulations made before the end of the relevant period, make a scheme (“a pilot scheme”) to provide- (a) that the parent of a child must attend and participate in a meeting with the local authority responsible for the child if the parent intends – (i) that the child should cease to attend the school at which the child is a registered pupil, and (ii) to withdraw the child from school for the purpose of causing the child to receive education otherwise than at a school, (b) that the local authority must ensure that the following matters are discussed with the parent during the meeting. (i) the duty of parents under section 7 and how the parent plans to meet this duty; (ii) the duties of the local authority, including the support duty under section 436G; (iii) the parent’s reasons for considering that the child should receive education otherwise than at a school; (iv) any support needs that the child may have and how those needs could be met; (v) the safeguarding and welfare of the child; (vi) anything else relevant to the decision to withdraw the child from school, (c) that the child must attend the meeting unless exceptional circumstances apply, (d) that a representative of the school at which the child is a registered pupil must attend the meeting if the parent consents to the representative’s attendance, (e) that the proprietor of a school must not allow the deletion from the school’s register of the name of the child unless the proprietor receives notice from the local authority that the meeting has taken place in respect of the child, and (f) that the local authority must record the outcome of the meeting or whether the meeting was refused.”
(2) The “relevant period” is the period of two years beginning with the day on which section 31 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 comes fully into force.
(3) The regulations must also specify (a) the local authorities in respect of which the pilot scheme will operate, and (b) the period for which the scheme has effect.
(4) The number of local authorities specified under subsection (3)(a) must not exceed 30 per cent of all local authorities in England or 30 per cent of all local authorities in Wales as the case may be.
(5) The period specified under subsection (3)(b) must not be less than two years and must not exceed five years.
(6) The regulations may provide for exemptions from the pilot scheme in respect of descriptions of children as specified in the regulations.
(7) The regulations may make provision for, or in connection with, any arrangements that the appropriate national authority considers are required to ensure that the pilot scheme can operate.
(8) The provision that may be made by virtue of subsection (7) includes – (a) provision modifying or amending the pilot scheme for the purpose of ensuring that the scheme can operate in relation to children falling within section 434A; (b) provision modifying or amending section 434A for the purpose of ensuring that the pilot scheme can operate in relation to children falling within that section.
(9) Subject to subsection (10), the appropriate national authority may by regulations – (a) make provision to end the pilot scheme; (b) provide that the provisions mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (f) of subsection (1) have effect, after the expiry of the pilot scheme, in relation to all local authorities, subject to any exemptions for descriptions of children as specified in the regulations; (c) amend section 434A for the purpose of ensuring that the grant of local authority consent to withdraw a child from school under that section is conditional on the parent of that child attending and participating in a meeting with the local authority responsible for the child, as described in paragraphs (a) to (f) of subsection (1), subject to any exemptions for descriptions of children as specified in the regulations; (d) make provision for, or in connection with, any arrangements that the appropriate national authority considers are required to ensure that any provision made under paragraphs (a) to (c) can operate.
(10) Regulations under subsection (9) may be made only after the pilot scheme has operated for a period of no less than 2 years.