Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, stated: “While some parents make a conscious and informed decision to homeschool their children, we are concerned that a number of factors are causing parents to withdraw their children from school when this may not be in the best interests of the child. These include unmet special educational needs, mental health issues, and the linked issue of school refusal. The difficulty is that school, local authority and health service budgets are under severe strain and there often isn’t the level of support, particularly early support, needed to address these problems.”