The number of home-schooled children in North Tyneside increased almost fourfold from 41 in 2017 to 155 in late 2022.
Almost a third - 28% of parents or carers surveyed said they chose to home-school their children for health or emotional health reasons. 21% chose to home-school as a "lifestyle choice".
A total of 12% said Covid concerns were the main factor in choosing home education with only four per cent home-schooling because of dissatisfaction with schools.
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Coun Steven Phillips, cabinet member for children, young people and learning at North Tyneside Council, said: “Ensuring children receive the best possible education is extremely important to us, and whether their learning takes place in school or in other settings, we have support in place to help children in our borough thrive.
“Every parent has the right to choose how to educate their child, and over recent years we have seen an increase in the number of parents who are choosing to educate their children from home.
“It’s undeniable that the education landscape has changed in the last few years, and this is reflected in these figures. We’ve always had a small number of children who were educated from home for a range of reasons, and the pandemic created a move to online and virtual learning which has made home education more accessible for many families.
“As an authority, we work with these families to ensure the children are receiving the education their parents want them to have.”
The council now operates an Attendance and Placement Team to help parents who are struggling to provide a suitable education for their children. If parents or carers are unwilling or unable to improve, a 'School Attendance Order' may be issued.
To date, there have been six orders issued. Five cases are recorded as showing signs of improvement, with some children going back to school.
One case is, however, expected to end up in the courts.
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