Home education

Services to Home Educators (SHE) supports and monitors the education of pupils whose families have elected to educate them otherwise than at school.

Parents should be encouraged to contact SHE before making the final decision to home educate.

Guidance for schools and services

Please note that all references to schools include any other state education provider for pupils from reception to year 11. All references to parents include carers.

The DfE guidelines for local authorities state that schools must not seek to persuade parents to educate their children at home as a way of avoiding an exclusion, or because the child has a poor attendance record.

In the case of exclusion, they must follow the statutory guidance. If the pupil has a poor attendance record, the school and local authority must address the issues behind the absenteeism and use the other remedies available to them.

De-registration

A child can only be de-registered when the school receives, in writing, the parent's intention to educate their child other than at school. The pupil must be de-registered on receipt of such a letter.

Parents are not legally obliged to notify the local authority if their child is being home educated. The school should inform SHE as soon as the parents have made the decision to home educate.

SHE will work with the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) team to ensure, where applicable, a child's EHCP is maintained. If their child is at a special school, parents must seek permission from the local authority before they can de-register.

SHE has no authority in law to refuse a family the right to home educate. However, SHE has a statutory duty to intervene if there is reason to believe that the parents are failing to provide a full-time, suitable and efficient education.