Elective home education - about elective home education

Initial contact
Ongoing monitoring
Assessing the efficiency and suitability of education provided
Children with additional learning needs
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
Providing information and support

Initial contact

On receipt of notification that a child is to be home-educated, the LA will seek to make contact with the parents / guardian to discuss their provision.

This meeting should be held within four school weeks of notification. The meeting should take place at a mutually acceptable location. The child should be given the opportunity to attend the meeting, or otherwise to express his or her views. During the meeting, the parents and the LA representative should agree the pattern of future contact between them.

The initial meeting will clarify the local authority's role in monitoring the provision as well as making it clear to parents that if they wish to home-educate, they assume financial responsibility for their child's education, including the cost of any public examinations, and that the child must continue to receive suitable education until the end of 'compulsory education' (the last Friday in June in the academic year in which they reach age 16).

Ongoing monitoring

The LA has a statutory obligation to ensure that all children of school age in the LA receive a suitable education at school or otherwise and that they are not a child missing education (CME).

An initial meeting with a member of the EHE Team to discuss the plan of education and any advice or support needed will be offered within 4 weeks of the child being de-registered from school.

The parent will be contacted by email / phone to arrange a meeting for this purpose. Meetings will take place at mutually agreed locations. Thereafter the LA EHE Advisor will contact home-educating families at least once a year. This will provide an opportunity to offer information, support and advice, as well as listen and respond to the views of the child and family.

The LA has a duty to make arrangements to identify children of compulsory school age who are not receiving a suitable education. Parents educating their children otherwise than at school will be asked to provide information about the education their child is receiving.

When assessing the efficiency and suitability of education provided through home education, the local authority will take into account that parents' educational provision will reflect a diversity of approaches and interests. Some parents may wish to provide education in a formal and structured manner, while others may decide to make more informal provisions that are responsive to the developing interests of the child.

In line with Welsh Government guidelines, the LA request that parents electively home educating their children respond to contact. If parents choose not to provide the LA with information about the education provided at home then the LA will have to consider whether it appears that the parents are fulfilling their duties.

Under Section 437(1) of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a duty to take action if it appears that parents are not providing a suitable education.

If it appears that a child of compulsory school age is not receiving a suitable education, the LA is able to serve a notice in writing requiring the parent to provide evidence that the child is receiving a suitable education. If no response is received within 15 days, the LA is able to issue a school attendance order to ensure a suitable education is provided.

If at any stage the parents provide information which satisfies the LA that a suitable education is being provided then no further action would be taken.

Parents may need some help and support and the LA will give parents the opportunity to present evidence of the learning experience which a child is receiving.

To achieve the aim of ensuring that every electively home educated child of compulsory school age receives an efficient and suitable education the LA encourages working together and communication on a reasonably regular basis.

The LA's first objective is to help parents to succeed in what they are setting out to do.

Assessing the efficiency and suitability of education provided

The local authority's position on EHE is in line with that of the Welsh Government and UNCRC in that a suitable education aims to ensure that the child is able to develop the skills to participate and function in society.

In considering the parents' provision of education the local authority may reasonably expect the provision to include the following characteristics:

• broad - it should introduce the pupils to a wide range of knowledge, understanding and skills.
• balanced - each part should be allotted sufficient time to make its special contribution but not such that it pushes out other essential parts of the learning.
• relevant - subjects should be taught so as to bring out their application to the pupil's own experience and to adult life and to give due emphasis to practical aspects.
• differentiated - what is taught, and how it is taught needs to be matched to the child's abilities and aptitude and any additional learning needs the child may have.

Some possible characteristics that a suitable education may provide, develop or include:

• Language, literacy and numeracy skills.
• Consistent involvement of parents or other significant carers.
• Responding to the needs and the best interest of the child, taking into account areas of learning that interest the child, and should enhance the child's potential. Ensuring the child has opportunities to engage in a reasonably broad range of learning experiences.
• Providing opportunities to develop personal and social skills to help prepare them for later life and become engaged citizens.
• Ensuring the child has opportunities to develop basic skills (taking into consideration any SEN / ALN they have).
• A philosophy or ethos with parents showing commitment, enthusiasm, and recognition of the child's needs, attitudes and aspirations.
• Opportunities for the child to be stimulated by their learning experiences.
• Involvement in a broad spectrum of learning opportunities and activities appropriate to the child's stage of development.
• Access to appropriate resources and materials.
• Opportunities to develop digital literacy.
• Opportunities for an appropriate level of physical activity and play.
• Opportunities to interact with other children and adults.

There is no expectation that home educators will:

• Teach according to the Curriculum for Wales.
• Have a timetable.
• Have premises equipped to a particular standard.
• Mark work done by their child.
• Set hours during which education will take place.
• Have any specific qualifications.
• Cover the same syllabus as any school.
• Make detailed plans in advance.
• Observe school hours, days or terms.
• Have formal lessons.
• Reproduce school type peer group socialisation.
• Match school age specific standards.

Children with additional learning needs

The same procedure applies if a child has a statement of SEN or an Individual Development Plan and goes to a mainstream school.

However, if a child goes to a special school, under arrangements made by a local authority, and a parent wishes to home educate, they should write to the school stating their wish to educate their child otherwise than at school. The school will inform the LA of this but will not remove the child's name from the admissions register until agreement is received from the local authority.

It is important that parents write into the local authority, making them aware of your decision to home educate. This will enable them to offer advice in meeting the objectives of the IDP.

In either case, the education provided must meet the aims of the Statement of SEN or the objectives of the IDP. The local authority will continue to carry out a review each year for the length of time for which the statement / IDP applies. This will include whether the wording of the Statement / IDP is still appropriate and whether it needs to stay in place and whether the Additional Learning Provision (ALP) is meeting the child's needs. The LA will need to satisfy itself that the ALP is being delivered. Where parents are not able to provide all of the ALP called for by the child's needs, the LA will need to consider how the ALP can be secured. In some instances, it could be through extra provision arranged by the LA to supplement the education being provided by parent at home, or it could be the provision of training to help the parent deliver the required ALP at home. In other cases, the LA may need to exercise its education functions to secure education for the child at a particular school.

Parents still have a right to appeal to The Education Tribunal for Wales (ETW).

Where it is brought to its attention or otherwise appears to a LA that a home educated child (other than a looked after child) for whom it is responsible, may have additional learning needs (ALN), the LA must decide whether, or not, the child has ALN, if it decides that the child has ALN, it must prepare and maintain an IDP. The LA preparing or reviewing the IDP should work with the child and child's parent to identify the appropriate ALP and then secure it. This involves identifying the type of ALP called for by the child's needs and whether the parent will be able to deliver it (either directly or by arranging for someone else to deliver it).

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child

The local authority has a duty under Section 175(1) of the Education Act 2002 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Parents electing to educate their child(ren) at home does not mitigate the responsibility of the LA to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children.

The welfare and protection of all children, both those who attend school and those who are educated by other means, are a paramount concern and are the responsibility of the whole community. As with school educated children, child protection issues may arise in relation to home educated children. If any child protection concerns come to light in the course of engagement with children and families, these concerns will be referred to the appropriate services using established protocols.

Our partner agencies, including Health, Education, Child and Family Services, Housing, Careers Wales and Police, may be notified that you are educating your child(ren) outside the school system.

Swansea Council have adopted and embedded the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as the basis for all its work for children and young people.

Providing information and support

The local authority is not legally obliged to provide any resources for children and young people educated at home.

However, we shall:

• provide advice and support on curriculum matters;
• provide information on organisations which support home educators;
• provide information to access to Careers Wales;
• provide information on how to access support services.

An EHE child is still able to access universal services such as Careers Wales, Youth services, Counselling and Health Immunisation and Screening.

If a parent contacts the EHE email electivehomeeducation@swansea.gov.uk they can be signposted on how to access information and support on the above and other support services specific to the needs of the family.