THERE are around 150 children educated at home in one part of Gwent but council officials don’t have powers to insist on home visits.

Concerns over the safety of some children educated at home were raised in December following the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, in Surrey, prompting the UK Government to say “stronger safeguards” needed to be introduced.

Monmouthshire council education officer Jacquelyn Elias said at present councils can’t insist on visiting children who are home educated, though the council does contact all parents withdrawing their children from school to discuss the decision and support available.

Ms Elias told the council’s people scrutiny committee: “Parents have the choice to say they don’t want to have any visits from the local authority or any organisation, they can opt out of that.

“Obviously that’s something we don’t encourage and our officer builds relationships with parents.”

Ms Elias said any safeguarding concerns would be raised through the council’s systems but there is no obligation on parents to agree to a visit from the council’s educational welfare officer when they choose home education.

“If a parent says no, we have no legal redress to actually do anything about that unless they are facing significant safeguarding concerns. That is something we, at the moment, can’t do anything about until the law changes to make that a mandatory visit.”

Dr Morwenna Wagstaff, the head of the council’s inclusion unit, said she is aware of a review following Sara Sharif’s murder but told councillors: “That is in England, I don’t know how that will play out in Wales but I believe there will be a review of that.”

Dr Wagstaff said the “majority” of parents homeschooling “do so absolutely in good will with good provision”.

Director of education Will McLean said around 150 children are home educated in Monmouthshire, which has said has increased in recent years for “complex” reasons. He said the council has a detailed figure on the number who are homeschooled which he would provide to the committee.

Conservative member Maureen Powell said she thought schools provide children with the best all round education.

The Abergavenny councillor said: “The trouble is these children probably have a very good education but are missing out on mixing with other children and the social side of it. Going into life I should think, I hope not, they’ll find it’s not so easy to mix in with people. School is not just about the academic education it is the socialising with other children of all different natures.”

Dr Wagstaff said parents in home education often have networks and meet together for events such as trips to museums “when everybody else is in school”

She added: “From our point of view we would love them to be in our schools as part of the community they live in but that is the right of parents to educate them at home.”

Mr McLean will raise the committee’s concerns over regulation relating to homeschooled children with the Welsh Government.