ELECTIVE HOME EDUCATION
A Guide to Elective Home Education in County Durham
Children and Young People’s Services Durham County Council County Hall Durham DH1 5UJ.
INTRODUCTION
Some parents believe that children can receive the best and the broadest education by going to school. They believe that teachers have the skills to help children make the most of their abilities and interests and to achieve their potential. They also believe that going to school lets a child feel they are part of a social and learning community and that this feeling of belonging helps the child develop resilience and self-esteem. They believe that going to school gives children the opportunity to mix with other children and make friends and to develop their ability to make relationships and find solutions to relationship problems with the support of adults.
Other parents may feel that they are able to provide a similar or better education by educating their child at home (elective home education). Some children may feel strongly that they do not want to be educated at school. It can be challenging to provide a suitable education for a child at any age and some parents may need support to achieve an educational experience for their child that is positive and successful.
The following guidance explains what the Local Authority must do if you chose to home educate your child and what you must do. It also explains how the Local Authority will work in close partnership with you at all stages, should you choose home education.
What kind of education must a young person receive?
The responsibility for a child’s education rests with their parents. In England, education is compulsory, but school is not. It is the law that every child of compulsory school age shall receive an efficient full-time education suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude; and any special educational needs he/she may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
The “or otherwise” includes elective home education. So, where a parent has exercised their right to home educate, it is their responsibility to provide an efficient and suitable education.
What is the definition of an efficient full time education that is suitable for a young person?
An “efficient” or “suitable” education is not defined in any Act. Nowhere does it state what should be taught. It is up to parents to provide a suitable education for their child but it does not have to be the same kind of ‘lessons’ that schools provide. You might want to consider things like educational visits, projects, internet research, and activities with other children, as well as more formal learning. It may be helpful to know that case law has described an efficient education to be one that achieves that which it sets out to achieve and a suitable education to be one that primarily equips a child for life within the community of which he/she is a member, rather than the way of life in the country as a whole, as long as it does not prevent the child from adopting some other way of life subsequently if he/she wishes to do so.
There is no definition of “full time education”. Children in school usually spend between 22 and 25 hours working each week for 38 weeks of the year. Children in home education are taught in very different conditions and there is no direct comparison with school based timetables or educational arrangements.
For what period of time can a young person be home educated?
Home educated children must receive full-time education from the beginning of the school term after their fifth birthday. From 2013 all young people were required to stay in learning or training until the end of the academic year in which they turned 17. From 2015 all young people are required to stay in learning or training until the end of the academic year in which they turn 18 years old. This does not mean that the young person must be at school. They can choose one of the following options:
Full time education, such as school, college or home education, Work-based learning, such as an Apprenticeship, Part-time education or training if they are employed, self employed or volunteering for more than 20 hours a week.
All Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure suitable education and training places for 16 to 17 year-olds and to support young people to participate. You will be contacted in writing by a Personal Adviser from the One Point Service who will ask you what your son/daughter has chosen to do. This is so that any help or assistance that he/she needs can be given. Alternatively, he/she may not need any assistance if they already have suitable provision in place or you are intending to continue with your home education.
Must I notify anyone if I choose to educate my child at home?
Only where a young person is on a school roll (but not a nursery school roll) must parents notify the Head Teacher in writing that they are receiving home education. The school must then remove the young person’s name from the admission register. If the school is a special school, the Local Authority must agree that the young person’s name is removed, but this should not be a lengthy or complex process. Parents may find it helpful to use the form at the back of this guide when communicating with the Local Authority.
Can a young person attend school part time and also be home educated?
There might be some instances where parents would like to enter into flexi-schooling arrangements. This is where a young person attends school for part of the week and their teaching follows the National Curriculum. For the rest of the week the young person is home educated.
Flexi-schooling arrangements are agreed between Head Teachers and parents; the Local Authority is not involved with these arrangements unless the child has a Statement of Special Educational Need or an Education, Health and Care Plan.
What is an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)? If a young person has a significant learning difficulty, they might need a specialist assessment which involves professionals from a range of agencies e.g. school, an Educational Psychologist, a Paediatrician, therapists and, in some cases, a Social Worker. A parent has a right to request an EHC assessment. If the young person undergoes an EHC assessment, parents will be at the centre of that process and involved in making decisions about support. Following the assessment, the Local Authority might decide to issue an EHCP. This would be reviewed each year.
What if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan?
If a young person has a Statement of SEN or an EHCP and their parents are interested in home education, an emergency Statutory Annual Review will be held. Parents will be offered a meeting to discuss the reasons why they are interested in home education and to be given information about what help and support might be available from the Local Authority. Following that meeting, the Local Authority will issue an amended Statement or EHCP.
If everyone agrees that home education is the right provision for a young person, the statement or EHCP must say that he/she will be educated at home. If it does, then the Local Authority will work with parents to arrange the special educational provision set out in the plan.
If the Statement or EHCP gives the name of a school or type of school where the young person will be educated and parents decide to educate at home, the Local Authority does not have to make the special educational provision set out in the plan provided it is satisfied that a parent’s arrangements are suitable.
How often will be the Education, Health and Care Plan be reviewed?
The EHCP must be reviewed every year. The review will allow the Local Authority to be satisfied that the provision set out in the EHCP is still appropriate and that the young person’s special educational needs are still being met. Where the Local Authority has decided that the provision is appropriate, it should amend the plan to name the type of school that would be suitable but also state that parents have made their own arrangements.
What support is available from Durham County Council to help a parent home educate?
A parent can receive help, advice and guidance about home education by contacting the Local Authority. An initial meeting will be offered during which they can explore their plans for home educating. If a young person has a Statement of SEN or an EHCP, a Casework Officer will be available to discuss their special educational needs, any provision required to meet those needs and a parent’s plans to home educate. Some parents will be able to discuss their home education with an Officer from the Equalities and Gypsy Roma Traveller Team.
Following receipt of your notification to home educate, the Local Authority will write to you to invite you to submit your written proposals for educating your child at home. You will be asked to provide this within a reasonable timeframe and a deadline will be established. When received, your written proposals will be considered by an Education at Home Group, which is made up of professionals representing children and young people’s services and health services. The Education at Home Group will determine whether the arrangements you have submitted are satisfactory and are likely to provide an efficient full-time education suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he/she may have. At intervals you will be invited to give information to the Group about the education you are providing. If a young person has a Statement of SEN or an EHCP, this must be reviewed each year. The Local Authority will work in partnership with parents to ensure that this happens and that they are aware of all options available. In Durham, the review of the Statement or EHCP will be undertaken by the Educational Psychologist. Parents and the young person are central to the process and decision making.
Following receipt of your proposals for educating your child at home, in order to determine that parents are providing an efficient and suitable full-time education, the Education at Home Group will request examples of your child’s learning. These may include pictures, paintings, models, diaries of educational activity, projects, assessments, examples of work, books, educational visits etc. Examples of learning will be returned to parents following consideration by the Education at Home Group. If the evidence provided is bulky, or if it might be damaged in the post, parents may be requested to collect the material. Alternatively, parents may prefer to submit a report to the Education at Home Group providing evidence that their child is receiving a suitable education.
What could happen if home education is not meeting my child's needs?
The Local Authority will want to work in partnership with parents to find a way forward. Parents are under no duty to respond to invitations to give information about the education they are providing but if, after receiving a reminder, they do not an Education Welfare Officer will be asked to make contact. If it then appears that parents are not providing an efficient and suitable education the School Attendance Order process will be commenced. This process can result in legal action which will enforce a parent to provide an efficient and suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Issuing an attendance order is a last resort.
Can my child take exams?
There are secondary schools within County Durham which are able to facilitate examinations by external candidates. These are listed at the back of this guide. You may also wish to contact local Further Education (FE) Colleges to enquire as to whether they are willing to allow home educated young people to take exams as external candidates and whether there is any funding available for particular courses of study. The FE colleges are listed at the back of this guide. Unfortunately, there is no funding available from the Local Authority for parents to home educate their children, however, information, advice and guidance about the choices that are available to your child is available through contacting: [email protected]
If you have any comments regarding the information contained within this guide, or have any queries relating to home education in County Durham, please do not hesitate to contact Jane Jack or Genette Lamb, telephone 03000 265896, email [email protected]
Further information
Further information on elective home education is available from a variety of sources. Listed below are some of the organisations which provide advice for parents.
Education Otherwise A UK-based membership organisation that provides support and information for families whose children are being educated outside of school.
Education Otherwise PO Box 3761 Swindon SN2 9GT Telephone 0845 478 6345 www.education-otherwise.net/
Home Education Advisory Service (HEAS) A national home education charity based in the United Kingdom, dedicated to the provision of advice and practical support for families who wish to educate their children at home in preference to sending them to school.
Home Education Advisory Service PO Box 98 Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL8 6AN Telephone 01707 371854 www.heas.org.uk
Home Education in the UK This website offers information and website links for home educators. www.home-education.org.uk
Educational Freedom This website provides information and links for home educators in the UK. www.EducationalFreedom.org.uk
Other useful contacts for home educators
www.gov.uk provides information about education and learning.
Durham Learning Resources is a specialist Durham County Council loans service and discounted bookshop. It offers everything from single titles to specific collections. Pay per box for loans. http://www.durham.gov.uk/dlr
Some documents distributed by the Department for Education can be accessed through The Stationery Office by telephoning 0870 600 5522 or by visiting the website http://www.tso.co.uk/ . Some of these are priced, so parents will need to check the costs before ordering.
Educational websites
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education - BBC Education provides a wide range of useful information www.countryreports.org - information on the countries of the world, with historical, geographical and political information, maps, opportunities to join online discussions www.edhelper.com - American subscription site providing a range of literacy and numeracy worksheets based on themes www.educationguardian.co.uk/primaryresources - range of fun and practical project- based activities www.gcse.com - GCSE revision guides www.learndirect.co.uk - online correspondence courses with advice www.planet-science.com - science website www.student-support.co.uk - student Support Centre offers personalised learning programmes for pupils aged 4-17 in English and Maths www.teachingideas.co.uk - primary phase activities, plus book reviews www.10ticks.co.uk/homelearning - online maths support and resources, including worksheets, animated and spoken guides and tests
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the details above are correct we have reproduced these in good faith and do not guarantee their accuracy. The Local Authority is not responsible for the content of the websites listed above and does not endorse third party websites.
Secondary Schools within Durham County which are able to facilitate examinations for children educated at home as external candidates
Consett Academy, Consett Contact: Joanne Bowman, Sims, Exams and Data Manager, Ashdale Road, Consett, DH8 6LZ, telephone 01207 507001, email [email protected]
Durham Community Business College, Ushaw Moor Contact Donna Steel, Bracken Court, Ushaw Moor, Durham, DH7 7NG, telephone 0191 3730336, email: [email protected]
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School Contact: Linda Gillham, Exams Officer, Crossgate Moor, Durham, DH1 1HN, telephone 0191 3753038
Fyndoune Community College, Sacriston Contact: Donna Steel, Findon Hill, Sacriston, DH7 6LU, telephone 0191 3710277, email: [email protected]
Tanfield School Specialist College of Science and Engineering, Stanley Contact: Exams Officer, Tanfield Lea Road, Stanley, DH9 8AY, telephone 01207 232881
Local Further Education Colleges within County Durham
Bishop Auckland College Main Campus Woodhouse Lane Bishop Auckland County Durham DL14 6JZ
Telephone: 0800 092 6506
Derwentside College Front Street Consett Co Durham DH8 5EE
Telephone: 01207 585900
East Durham College- Peterlee Campus Willerby Grove Peterlee County Durham SR8 2RN
Telephone: 0191 518 2000
East Durham College- Houghall Campus Houghall Durham County Durham DH1 3SG
Telephone: 0191 375 4700
New College Durham Framwellgate Moor Campus Durham DH1 5ES
Telephone: 0191 375 4040
Elective Home Education
1. Name of Child ______2. Male/Female (delete as appropriate)
3. Date of Birth ______4. School Year Group ______
5. Address ______
______
Post Code ______Tel No. ______
6. Current School (if applicable) including address and contact telephone number ______
______
______
7. Previous Schools Attended and Address (please list)
______School From ______To ______
______School From ______To ______
______School From ______To ______
______School From ______To ______
8. Does your child have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan (please delete as appropriate)
YES/NO
9. Reason/s for choosing to educate your child at home (please list)
______
______
10. Signed (parent/carer)______11. Name (parent/carer) ______
12. Date ______
Please return this form to: Durham County Council, Children and Young People’s Services, School Admissions and Transport Team, County Hall, Durham. DH1 5UJ