Hey there! If you’re looking into home education in England, you may have come across the term Children Not in School register, often shortened to CNIS. It’s a newer concept that’s been talked about a lot recently, so let’s break down what it means in simple, practical terms.
Understanding the Children Not in School (CNIS) Register
The Children Not in School (CNIS) register is a proposed system where local authorities keep a record of children of compulsory school age who are not attending school full-time.
See also: Childrens Wellbeing & Schools Bill
In practice, this is likely to include many home educated children, as well as some children who are partly educated outside school. The idea behind the register is to give local authorities a clearer picture of children who are not in school, and to help them understand what education those children are receiving.
- It’s about visibility: the CNIS register is designed to help councils know which children are not in school.
- It includes home education: many home educated children are likely to fall within its scope.
- It involves sharing information: parents may be asked to provide details about their child and their education.
For many families, the biggest change is not the idea of home education itself, that remains legal, but the expectation that there may be a more formal relationship with the local authority, including providing information when requested.
It’s important to understand that this does not automatically mean you need to follow a school-style curriculum or produce formal reports. What matters is still whether your child is receiving a suitable education. However, being able to explain what you’re doing clearly is likely to become more important.
If you want to understand how this fits into the current legal position, you can read our guide to Home Education Law in the UK / England. And if you’re thinking about how to show learning clearly, our page on Evidence of Learning is a helpful next step.
So, in short: the Children Not in School (CNIS) register is a proposed system to track children not in school and gather basic information about their education. It does not make home education illegal, but it does signal a move toward more structured information-sharing between families and local authorities.
What does Children Not in School (CNIS) register mean to you?
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