More than 70 MPs have handed in petitions from opponents of plans for the compulsory registration of families who educate their children at home.

The law is that children should receive a "suitable education" for their age and aptitude.

Commons petitions from more than 120 constituencies were presented – a record on one subject in one day.

They call on England's ministers not to go ahead with plans for a register or with proposals for council officials to be given new powers to enter homes.

Ministers say the reforms will check children are "safe and learning".

The plans came from a review into home education carried out by Graham Badman, which reported in June.

Kent's former head of education had been asked to check if local authorities were monitoring and supporting home educating families properly.

The presentation was led by Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart.

The petition for his constituency said: "Petitioners believe the recommendations are based on a review that was extremely rushed, failed to give due consideration to the evidence, failed to ensure that the data it collected were sufficiently robust, and failed to take proper account of the existing legislative framework".

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