Elective Home Education is where parents or carers of a child decide to educate their child at home instead of sending them to a school.
Elective Home Education FAQ
What is Elective Home Education?
What are my legal requirements?
s.7 of the Education Act 1996 states that the parent of a child who is of compulsory school age has a legal duty to see that their child receives:
“an efficient full-time education suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs she/he may have, either at school or otherwise”.
Parents can therefore make the decision to educate their child at home. The education provided must be ‘efficient and suitable for the particular child’.
What do I need to do?
If your child has never been to school, there is no action for you to take prior to starting home education.
If your child is at school then you need to formally deregister him/her from school, by writing to school and informing them that you are going to educate your child at home.
If your child is at school and has special education needs then you will need the consent from us to deregister your child for home education.
Upon receipt of the deregistration letter your child will be taken of the school roll. The school are then legally required to inform us.
Do I need to teach the National Curriculum?
No this only applies to state schools. You should however consider the effect this will have on your child regarding future study and qualifications.
Do I need to teach my child during school hours?
No. You can teach your child on any day of the week and choose the hours that you feel are suitable. You should consider that children in school receive around 25 hours of education per week over 39 weeks per year.
Do I receive any financial assistance?
No. Parents who elect to educate their child at home have to bear the cost of that education. In limited circumstances, where resources permit, we may be able to offer some assistance.
What if the education I provide is not satisfactory?
If it appears that you are not providing a suitable education, we could issue a School Attendance Order which would require your child to be placed on a school roll.
We would of course seek to avoid this process and encourage all parents to communicate with us, however you do not have to, but it would be sensible to do so.
Can I change my mind to home educate?
Yes. Parents may approach a local school to see if a place is available or contact our Admissions Service for information about available places.
Can I speak to someone about Elective Home Education?
Yes, we have dedicated members of staff who you can contact on the number below. In addition to this we have substantive guidelines on our website.
Please address any queries to:
School Attendance Service
Floor 2, Core 1
Civic Offices
Portsmouth
PO1 2EA
Telephone: 023 9284 1419
Fax: 023 9284 1725