The law on home schooling must be tightened after the murder of Sara Sharif | Child protection

Measures to tighten home schooling in England in the wake of 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s murder at the hands of her father and stepmother are to be unveiled in a bill before parliament on Tuesday.

The Child Wellbeing and Schools Bill will enable the Government to introduce registers to identify and keep track of children who do not attend school, while parents seeking to educate their child at home will face greater scrutiny.

Under the new legislation, parents will no longer have an automatic right to educate their children at home if their child is subject to a child protection investigation or under a child protection plan.

If a child’s home environment is judged to be unsuitable or unsafe, councils will also have new powers to intervene in home education arrangements and require school attendance for any child.

The Bill was welcomed by the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, who said: “The urgency with which this legislation is being introduced to Parliament shows the importance of these issues.

“It lays a foundation for change in the lives of many children – many of whom have been neglected or hidden by services that work in silos. For these children, this legislation cannot come soon enough.”

Sara Sharif was found dead in her bunk bed at the family home in Surrey on 10 August 2023, four months after being taken out of school to be taught at home, despite recent referrals from social services after teachers noticed bruises in her face.

Last week, her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and her stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of her murder. Her uncle Faisal Malik, 29, who lived with them, was convicted of causing or allowing her death.

The new bill will also pave the way for the introduction of a unique identification number for children across services – similar to an adult’s National Insurance Number – to help collect relevant data and prevent children from falling through the cracks.

New rules for schools in England, meanwhile, indicate a slight shift away from the predominance of the academy program. Under the proposals, failing schools run by local authorities will not automatically be forced to become an academy and councils “will be able to accept proposals for all types of schools, not just academies”.

The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “In recent years, too many children have been let down by their last line of defence: the state. This Bill will be a defining moment for protecting children. No more words, no more experience. This Government will put children first at every turn.”