Elective Home Education
The Law
Under section 7 of the 1996 Education Act, it is the duty of the parent of every child of compulsory school age to cause (the child) to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his (or her) age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he (or she) may have either by regular attendance at school or 'otherwise'.
For most children this means they will attend the school which serves their locality. A small minority of parents do take on the responsibility of educating their children outside the state system. Some send their children to private or independent schools. Others take on the duty to educate their children themselves.
The decision to educate your child at home
Educating your child at home is a major step. It is a great responsibility and requires a considerable commitment of time and energy.
Deciding to educate your child at home may not be in your childs best interest if it is as a result of a disagreement with the school at which your child is currently registered. You are advised to talk to school staff, the Headteacher and the Chair of Governors in an attempt to resolve the problem. If you are still unable to resolve the issue you should contact the Assigned Adviser for the school (details can be provided by contacting our Children and Young People's Services - Strategy, Quality and Improvement unit) or the Education Welfare Service for support.
Educating your child at home also may not necessarily be the best solution if your child is reluctant to attend school. School staff and the Education Welfare Officer are experienced in these problems and will be able to offer help and advice.
If you do decide to proceed, the Local Education Authority (LEA) has a duty to make sure that all children in the authority are receiving a suitable education. The LEA wishes to work co-operatively with parents who choose this route. The administration role of the LEA is undertaken by Children and Young People's Integrated Services, Borough of Poole, and the monitoring role is undertaken by a designated Adviser in Children and Young People's Strategy, Quality and Improvement, Borough of Poole.
Deciding to educate your child at home is a great responsibility and requires a considerable commitment of time and energy. Keep your options open. Your child's needs will change as they grow up, take their opinion into account. Take advice from those who are already following this route and ask them about the problems as well as the pleasures.
Steps you need to take
If your child is of compulsory school age and registered at a school you need to write to the school requesting that your child's name is removed from the school roll, as you intend to withdraw them in order to educate at home. The school then has a duty to inform the LEA of this, although it would be helpful if you sent a copy of the letter to the LEA also.
You will then be asked to complete and return the Elective Home Education form giving the LEA some basic information on how you plan to educate your child at home. For instance, what lessons? How often? Etc. Please note this form is not an application form, you may choose to provide the information in an alternative way.
Steps taken by the Local Education Authority (LEA)
Once the information has been returned the LEA will ask the Monitoring Officer to visit. This will normally happen within the first six weeks. The visits are intended to be supportive and will look at the education that is being provided and how it is progressing. It is up to parents to show that the child is receiving an education with a broad and balanced curriculum. The following questions may form part of the discussion:
- How are you planning to ensure that your child is offered a broad and balance curriculum?
- What are your short and long term plans?
- How is the work to be organised?
- How will you record and assess your childs progress/difficulties?
- How do you intend to provide for your childs physical development?
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The Monitoring Officer will be keen to discuss with you ways in which you feel the education is appropriate for your child, and to understand how you intend to fulfil your duties to provide education for your child under the Education Act.
Safeguarding children
In line with the Safeguarding Children in Education Guidance from the Department for Education & Skills (DfES), the LEA strongly recommends that anyone employed by you as part of your child's educational programme has a current Criminal Records Bureau clearance and can supply satisfactory references and evidence of appropriate qualifications for similar work. Please note the LEA is unable to provide details of private tutors.
Subject areas taught
The National Curriculum does not apply to children educated at home, but you may wish your child to enter or re-enter state education at some point in the future and if this is the case you may wish to follow it as closely as possible.
Because a child's education is so important it will be helpful to have a long term plan rather than trying to manage on a daily basis. You will not be required to present an educational programme in terms of school subjects, and the Monitoring Officer will not necessarily be looking for evidence of learning in each separate subject area. The LEA does not expect every family to be the same. Children learn differently depending on their needs.
Your timetable does not have to be rigid but you will need to show that you are serious and systematic about your intentions. It is your own responsibility to plan and carry out your arrangements. The Monitoring Officer may feel able to offer advice from time to time but cannot undertake to direct your child's learning or to provide books or other equipment.
There are sometimes difficulties when commencing GCSE work. Syllabus requirements have to be matched to particular examination centres. Finding an examination centre can be extremely difficult for non school based students and early efforts need to be made to overcome this potential difficulty.
Think about opportunities for your child to be involved in social activities and contact with other children, and joint activities with other children and groups. These activities may provide a useful social setting and improve your child's motivation to succeed with his or her learning.
Ongoing monitoring by the LEA
Once the Monitoring Officer has visited they will write a report detailing what they have seen. A copy will be sent to you within a month of the visit and you will be invited to make any written comments on its contents.
The Monitoring Officer would then normally aim to visit on a six monthly basis after the initial visit. However, if any doubts are expressed at any stage and the education needs a more frequent review this will need to be undertaken as appropriate. Parents are informed of any issues that are causing concern and time is given for changes to be made before a further visit is made. If for some reason the LEA is still concerned, and parents are making no effort to improve the situation, the LEA may make a School Attendance Order requiring the child to become a pupil at a named school. This is very rare, and it will happen if the LEA is not convinced that your child is receiving an education. It is hoped that this can be overcome as a result of detailed discussions, rather than proceeding through the Courts with the School Attendance Order.
For many parents and children, education outside the school system is not only a challenge but also a constructive experience.
Clarification of terms
'Compulsory school age' means from the beginning of the school term after his or her fifth birthday, until he or she is able to leave school. A child can leave school on the last Friday in June in the school year in which they reach 16.
'Parent' means anyone who has parental responsibility and anyone who has the actual day to day care of the child. (If there is a Care Order, an Education Supervision Order or if the child is a Ward of Court, different rules apply and you should ask for advice. Everyone with parental responsibility has equal right to the child's education, unless a Court Order says differently, where a child is living away from someone who has parental responsibility, careful consultation should take place before taking any major educational decisions.
'Special educational needs' may include a Statement of Special Educational Needs and parents of children with statements should not commit themselves to this route without consulting the LEA.
'Efficient' and 'suitable' education, these words are not defined in the 1996 Education Act. The Courts have suggested education has been held to be 'efficient' if it achieves what it sets out to achieve and 'suitable' only if it prepares the child for life in modern civilised society and enables the child to achieve his/her full potential.
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