Elective Home Education

The Education Act 1996 requires a child to be educated from the age of five to the age of 16 and parents are responsible to see that this happens either in school or 'otherwise'. The Act gives parents the right to educate their child at home.

Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states:

"7. Duty of parents to secure education of children of compulsory school age:

The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full time education suitable:

1. to his age, ability and aptitude, and
2. to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise."

If you are educating your child at home you are not required to follow the National Curriculum, but it provides a useful guide. A copy of the National Curriculum is available from the National Curriculum website.

What are your responsibilities if you wish to home educate your child?

If you decide to home educate and your child is attending a mainstream school, you must tell the Head teacher or Chair of Governors, in writing, that you wish them to remove your child’s name from the school roll because the child is to be educated otherwise than at school. The Head teacher will then notify the Education Welfare Service of your decision.

The Local Authority's responsibility

Our aim is to respect the wishes of home educators, to promote and maintain positive working relationships and to offer as much support and advice as we are able.

The Education Welfare Service, acting on behalf of the Local Authority will make informal enquiries of you to establish, firstly, that you feel certain that this is the best option for you and your child and that there are no educational issues or problems influencing your decision which could easily be resolved with advice and support.

Secondly, if you are sure that elective home education is what you want, that you are able to provide an 'effective' education for your child which takes into account their age, ability, aptitude and any special needs that he or she may have. The Local Authority will then provide you with an Elective Home Education booklet and offer to provide a Home Education Advisor.

The Home Education Advisor (HVA) will make contact with you to arrange a mutually convenient time to make a home visit. You may or may not wish your child to be present at these visits. We also acknowledge that you may, at any stage, not wish to meet the HVA in your home and may prefer to let us know about the education you are providing in other ways. For example, you may wish to meet at another venue, or you may wish to send in a report setting out your educational plans.

If your child is not on roll at a Plymouth school, it would be very much appreciated if you would please write to the Inclusion Manager whose contact details are shown at the top right hand corner of this page. Although there is no legal requirement for you to do so, you may find the support available helpful. If you wish to have the support of a Home Education Advisor then arrangements will be made for a visit and you will have the opportunity to discuss your plans.

Further information

Home education policy [172KB]

You can also contact the Inclusion Manager.

Returning to school

If you wish your child to return to school please contact the Local Authority School Admissions Team on 01752 307469.

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