Page contents:
- Step 1 - Withdraw your child from school for home education
- If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)
- Step 2 - Meeting with Inclusion Officer and School
- Step 3 - Elective Home Education Officer makes contact
Step 1: Withdraw your child from school for home education
We are happy to talk to you if you are considering home education, however, you are not obliged to tell the Local Authority if you decide to home educate. Once you are happy with your decision to home educate, you are required to write to the headteacher of your child's school, requesting his/her name is removed from the register as you intend to take responsibility for your child's education. If your son or daughter has never attended school, no notification is required.
If your child has an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)
Families can opt to Electively Home Educate (EHE) their children if they are on the roll of a mainstream school or at a specialist provision. The difference is that for children coming off roll from a specialist provision, the Local Authority must agree to this.
This is not intended to hinder you from home educating your child, but to ensure continuity of education.
First you must notify your SEND Case Officer that you intend to home educate your child. Following the notification to the Case Officer, a meeting will take place at school or home with the Case Officer, School and Inclusion Officer to discuss the expectations and repercussions of home educating.
Following this meeting, the parent will need to complete an EHE plan evidencing how they are planning to educate the child, and how they are going to meet the requirements on the EHCP. The plan will need to be submitted to the Case Officer in order for it to be taken to the Education Governance Board (EGB), the child cannot be removed from the school roll until EHE has been agreed by the EGB. Children who have an EHCP but are coming off roll from a mainstream school will not be required to go through EGB.
If EHE is agreed at EGB, the child should then be removed from school roll. The EHE IO will be notified and will carry out an initial visit to the family within 6-8 weeks to ensure that education has begun and to review the plan.
For the duration of the education, health and care plan, the local authority will continue to hold an annual review, this includes considering whether the wording of the plan is still appropriate and whether the plan needs to remain in place.
Please note that EHE is not the same as Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS). Children who are on an EOTAS package remain the responsibility of the Local Authority and we are responsible for the funding of the provision. Families who opt for EHE remove all financial ties from the Local Authority (LA).
Step 2: Meeting with Inclusion Officer and school
When the school has received your request in writing, the school will notify the Inclusion Service of your decision and an Inclusion Officer will be in touch with you to offer a meeting in school or at home. This meeting will enable us to ensure you are fully informed about your choice and confirm that this is still the option you wish to take for your child's education.
Following the meeting, the headteacher will remove your child's name from the admissions register and will notify the Local Authority.
Step 3: Elective Home Education Inclusion Officer makes contact
The Elective Home Education Inclusion Officers can give advice on home education. When you start to home educate we will write to you within 6 to 8 weeks suggesting an informal meeting at your home to discuss your plans.
Most people find the visit helpful, but you might prefer to meet at another venue, with or without your child.
After this initial informal contact, our aim is to contact you once a year for up-to-date information about the education your child is receiving.
What should I expect from the visit?
The visit will be conducted in your child's home or a mutually agreed venue, such as a library or children's centre, with the EHE Inclusion Officer, yourself and your child. The visit will last approximately 45 minutes. The EHE Inclusion Officer will discuss your child's education, give you an opportunity to share samples of work completed, provide advice in relation to resources available and will consider your child's opinions of their home education experience.
Files available to download
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Elective Home Education - policy and procedure, September 2022 (PDF)
Our recently reviewed policy and procedures that is published for parents, schools and other agencies with an interest in Elective Home Education.
