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LEA Draft Guidance
13-1-10
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LEA Draft Guidance 13-1-10 >Menu>LEA-guidelines> |
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| This is a draft guidelines produced by the DfE for LEA's in England and Wales. It was released by accident before it was checked by their lawyers. Still it makes interesting reading as it represents I think how the DfES would like LEA's respond to home educators. There is also a draft advice leaflet for parents at the end. GUIDANCE FOR LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES ON PARENTAL HOME-EDUCATION Introduction Home-educated children are those who for any reason, are being educated at home by parents, guardians or tutors, and are not receiving any other form of education. “Other form” would include mainstream schools, Special Schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), colleges, children’s homes with education facilities or education facilities provided by independent fostering agencies. Schooling is often used mistakenly as a term to refer more broadly to education. Because of this, people may be unaware that children do not have to go school to be educated. Parents may decide to exercise their right to home-educate their child from birth and therefore, the child does not need to be enrolled at school. When parents choose to home-educate, they assume financial responsibility for their child’s education, including the cost of examinations. The child must continue to receive education until the last Friday in June in the (school) year in which they reach age 16. Reasons Parents may opt for home education for various reasons. These might include: · Distance or access to local school; · Religious beliefs; · Philosophical or ideological views; · Dissatisfaction with the system; or · A child’s unwillingness or inability to go to school. Therefore, it might be useful to think of home-educated children in two groups: · “home is best” – because home education is viewed as “better” ( this group may include religious grounds), · “circumstantial” – as a response to circumstances such as bullying, medical reasons where parents feel it might be appropriate to educate their children at home e.g. school phobia, ME/non-specific illness or dissatisfaction with school. Legislative position on home education Where a child is educated at home: · The parental responsibility for children’s education, coupled with · Local Education Authorities’ responsibility to make sure that there is adequate provision for education in their areas, puts LEAs and parents in a relationship. One way to improve the relationship is to treat it as a partnership. Parental Responsibilities: · Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 gives parents the right to educate their children at home: “The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance or otherwise”. There is no statutory requirement for home-educating parents to register their child with LEAs. LEAs’ Responsibilities: Under Section 437(1) of the Education Act 1996 LEAs can intervene if they have reason to believe that parents are not providing a suitable education. Children and young people with statements of special educational needs can also be home-educated. Section 324 of the Education Act 1996, sub-sections 4 (c) and 5 (a) (ii) state that ensuring the suitability of the education remains the authority’s responsibility. Procedures for home education Nil registration Parents who opt to home educate their child right from the start of compulsory schooling are not required to inform the LEA about their intention. De-registration De-registration of a child from a school register is covered by section 9 of the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations 1995. Parents who wish to home-educate their child who is registered at a maintained or non-maintained school, must inform the school formally and in writing of their intention to de-register. There is no requirement for the school to consult with the LEA before deleting the child’s name from the school roll. The school shall delete the child’s name from their register upon receipt of written notification from the parents/guardian or legal carer, and make a return (giving the child’s name and address) to the LEA within 10 school days of removal. Considering parents’ proposals The Department would expect the school or Educational Welfare Officer (EWO), to request a meeting with the parents to discuss: · Reasons for the decision to de-register; · Implications of the child’s de-registration; · Plans for the child’s future education; · Scope of support the LEA can provide; · Flexi-schooling option. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Children with statements, or those with SEN but without statements, may be educated otherwise than at school because (a) the LEA has made other arrangements, or (b) parents have made suitable arrangements of their own The LEA can arrange for some or all of a statemented child’s special educational provision to be made otherwise than at school. Such arrangements would include education in a pupil referral unit, home tuition or education that reflected national Curriculum key stage 4 flexibilities. Where a child has a statement of special educational needs and is home-educated, it remains the LEA’s duty to ensure that the child’s needs are met. The statement must remain in force and the LEA must ensure that parents can make suitable provision, including provision for the child’s SEN. If the parent’s arrangements are suitable, the LEA are relieved of their duty to arrange the provision specified in the statement. If, however, the parents’ attempt to educate the child at home results in provision that falls short of meeting the child’s needs, then the parents are not making ‘suitable arrangements’ and the LEA could not conclude that they were absolved of their responsibility to arrange the provision in the statement. Even if the LEA is satisfied, it remains under a duty to maintain the statement and review it annually, following procedures set out in chapter nine of the SEN Code of Practice. Where the LEA is satisfied that the child’s parents have made suitable arrangements it does not have to name a school in part 4 of the child’s statement though it should state the type of school it considers appropriate and go on to state that “parents have made their own arrangements under section 7 of the Education Act 1996”. The statement can also specify any provision that the LEA has agreed to make under section 319 to help parents to provide suitable education for their child at home. If the child to be de-registered is a pupil at a special school, the school must inform the LEA before the child’s name can be deleted from the school roll. and the LEA will need to consider whether the home education is suitable before amending part 4 of the child’s statement. A parent who is educating their child at home may ask the LEA to carry out a statutory assessment of their child’s special educational needs and the LEA must consider the request within the same statutory timescales and in the same way as for all other requests., The views of the designated medical officer for SEN should be sought by the LEA where a child with a statement is educated at home because of difficulties related to health needs or a disability. Practical Support for home educators Advice On request the Department provides a fact sheet on home education, available from the Department’s website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/parents/learning/home. Support from LEAs varies from one area to the other, however, all LEAs should: · Publish clear information about their approach to home education, positive relationship needs to be based on reliable information; · Good practice should be provided on demand; · Ensure that information and advice are impartial and based on understanding of home education methods; · Make sure that contact names, telephones and address are clearly stated; · Include details of complaint procedures; · Record and follow up dissatisfaction related to home education; · Review procedures regularly in order to improve their service for the children’s benefit. Training LEAs should organise training on the law and home education methods for all Education Officers monitoring home education provision. Additional Support LEAs may be able to offer additional support to home educating parents; this may take various forms including: · Provision of a reading or lending library with resources for use with the children, on home schooling and related topics; · Free or discounted admission in to community programmes; · Access to resource centres; · National Curriculum materials and curricula offered by other educational institutions. LEAs can also support education in work experiences (ANNEX A). Connexions can help children age 13 to 19 who are home educated (ANNEX A). Financial support The department does not allocate funding specifically for home education. There is no duty either on LEAs to offer financial support to home-educating parents. Funding for supporting and monitoring home education are not allocated specifically for that purpose, however, it remains one of the LEAs’ duties to do so. Authorities have the discretion to provide support through local initiative projects should they wish to do so. Monitoring Agreement LEAs must investigate the nature of the education being provided for a child when they become aware that the child: · Has been de-registered from mainstream school; · Is not in school; · Is not registered as being home-educated, and · Is not registered as being home educated and has a statement of SEN. The Department expects LEAs to: · Make initial contact with the home educating parents; · Review the education being provided; · Identify support required. The initial contact should be supportive of parents who have made the decision to educate their children at home, guidance should for instance emphasise that: “the Authority will be pleased to support parents who opt for home education once it is satisfied that adequate provision is being made.” Access to home There is no obligation for parents to give the LEA access to their home and parents may choose to meet an LEA officer at home or a neutral location (e.g. a library), Frequency After 1st contact, when LEAs are satisfied with the education being provided for the child, they will then decide on the frequency of follow-up visits, most likely on an annual basis. However, LEAs may increase the frequency of their visits if not fully assured of the appropriateness of the education being provided. LEAs should inform the parent of a home-educated child of a visit well in advance, and in writing. The Authority will also inform parents of the monitoring procedures and provide guidance on their strategy. Procedures The LEA must satisfy itself that the child is receiving suitable education and parents should provide sufficient information to allow an opinion to be formed. Although the form that evidence can take is not well defined, case law can provide some clarification with advice from the LEA legal teams (Appendix 1). The following should be included in any discussion between parents and the LEA: · Teaching methods; · Samples of the child’s work; · Advice on recording educational progress within a set period; · Written records of plans of work; · Educational objectives; · Scope of any support from the Local Education Authority. If parents are unwilling to meet with Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) they should, as a minimum provide examples of the child’s work; and LEAs should be willing to accept evidence that is creative and flexible. Curriculum, timetable Home educating parents are not required to: · Teach the National Curriculum; · Have a timetable; · Mark work done by their child; · Set hours during which education will take place; however, LEAs should offer advice and support to parents on these matters. Dissatisfaction Should first contact fail, LEAs should “… serve a notice in writing on the parent requiring him to satisfy them within the period specified in the notice that the child is receiving such education.” This course of action should only be pursued when all other possibilities have been explored. Should LEAs remain unsatisfied with (a) the work that a child has been doing or (b) the parents’ response they can as a last resort, apply for an Education Supervision Order or a School Attendance Order. Parents should have access to complaint procedures and LEAs should record all complaints seriously to improve their services and partnerships with parents. Registration of home-educated children It is not compulsory for home-educating parents to register their child with LEAs. Registration of home-educated children might enable them to be provided with some means of identification from LEAs that could confirm their educational status during local Truancy Sweeps and other such initiatives. NB. The Home Education Advisory Service (Bulletin May 2002), are offering cards that can be shown to officials if children are stopped during a truancy sweep. They ask for an SAE to be sent plus a small donation if possible, to help cover administrative costs, (details of the Home Education Advisory Service can be found in the useful Contacts section of Annex C). There is no statutory requirement for LEAs to allocate a Unique Pupil Numbers (UPN) to home-educated children, but they are encouraged to do so where possible as these children are still effectively within their sphere of responsibility. LEAs can either allocate UPNs using a spreadsheet provided by the Department that runs in Excel, or by using the ‘dummy’ DfES school numbers (between 3950-3999). Other Issues Dual registration, in certain circumstances the law allows for a child to be simultaneously on-roll at two institutions for example a Pupil Referral Unit and mainstream school, or a mainstream and a special school. However, dual registration does not apply to home-educated children in England. Truancy sweep teams (including any police officers involved), should be made aware during briefing, that some children they encounter may be educated at home by their parents. Flexi-schooling, refers to children who are educated partly at school and partly at home by their parents/guardians. Child Protection and Child Safety LEAs need to be aware of the new requirement to take account of children’s safety, Authorities may become accountable. LEAs may need to liaise with Social Services at an early stage if communication with parents has failed and all attempts to reach agreement have been rejected. Children educated as a group Any parent or group of parents home-educating a group of 5 or more children of compulsory school age are required to seek registration with DfES as an independent school. Failure to do so is an offence. LEAs should check with the DfES whether any group of five or more children being educated at home are registered, if not the Department will investigate the matter. The address to contact is: The Independent Schools Registration Team, Mowden Hall, Staindrop Road, Darlington, Co Durham, DL3 9BG or telephone: 01325 392150. Reintegration in to school - if at any time, parents/guardians decide that they wish to have their child educated at school, they should inform the LEA or education welfare service. ANNEX A LEAs’ role in supporting work experience Legislation places the responsibility for approving work experience on LEAs and school governors. Participation in work experience is not a statutory obligation, and therefore home-educating parents have no entitlement as such. The government’s objective is that all Key Stage 4 pupils receive work experience placements however; participation is not compulsory for children either in schools or being home-educated. Only LEAs are legally entitled to arrange work experience. It might therefore be argued that home-educating parents should request that the LEA arrange for their child to be involved in work experience if they wish to avoid the restrictions on children working Schools and LEAs have the prime responsibility for ensuring pupils are placed in a safe environment for their work experience. Employers are responsible for carrying out risk assessments for their staff including young people on placements. If parents arrange a placement directly with an employer, the enactments restricting the employment of children would still apply and the LEA would not be liable for any injury the child might suffer during work experience. LEAs would need to carefully consider whether by giving advice to home educators about arranging work experience, it might be considered by the courts to be bringing those children within the scope of the LEA scheme. The role of The Connexions Service The Connexions Service is for children, and young people aged 13-19 years, living in England, its services and responsibilities cover children and young people who are being educated at home. The LEA is a key partner in a local Connexions Partnership and each must review how it will bring coherence to the different services and agencies within the area. The Connexions Service needs to maintain an overview of the learning/work status of all young people of a relevant age and ensure that individuals do not slip between the cracks of different agencies and thus become marginalized. LEAs may be asked (as partners of Connexions) to provide the lists they have of children and young people being home educated and the Learning and Skills Act, 2000 gives powers for various partners to share information with Connexions, all subject to normal data protection principles of informing subjects what will happen to the data. ANNEX B LEGISLATION Local Education Authority Responsibilities · Section 9 of the Education Act 1996 “… the Secretary of State, local education authorities and the funding authorities shall have regard to the general wishes of the parents, so far as it is compatible with the provision of efficient instruction and training and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure.” · Section 324 (4) of the Education Act 1996 “…the statement [of special educational needs] shall specify any provision for the child for which they make arrangements under section 319 and which they consider should be specified in the statement. · Section 324(4A) of the Education Act 1996 “does not require the name of a school or institution to be specified [in a child’s statement] if the child’ s parent has made suitable arrangements” · Section 324(5)(a) of the Education Act 1996 …”Where a local education authority maintain a statement …then, unless the child’s parent has made suitable arrangements, the authority (i) shall arrange that the special educational provision specified in the statement is made for the child, and (ii) may arrange that any non-educational provision specified in the statement is made for him in such a manner as they consider appropriate…” · Section 437(1) of the Education Act 1996 “If it appears to a local education authority that a child of compulsory school age in their area is not receiving suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise, they shall serve a notice in writing on the parent requiring him to satisfy them within the period specified in the notice that the child is receiving such education.” · Section 437 (2) “That period shall not be less than 15 days beginning with the day on which the notice is served.” · Section 437 (3) “If- (a) a parent on whom a notice has been served under subsection (1) fails to satisfy the local education authority, within the period specified in the notice, that the child is receiving suitable education, and (b) in the opinion of the authority it is expedient that the child should attend school, the authority shall serve on the parent an order (referred to in this Act as a "school attendance order"), in such form as may be prescribed, requiring him to cause the child to become a registered pupil at a school named in the order.” Relevant Case Law · Bevan v Shears (1911) It was held that “The education being provided does not have to conform to any hypothetical standard set by a school or Local Education Authority.” By extension this may be interpreted to include the requirements of the National Curriculum. · In Phillips v Brown (1980) it was held that “… the Local Education Authority is entitled to ask parents for information as a basis for making the decision as to whether the education they are providing is efficient, etc. If the parent fails to provide information it could be concluded prima facie that the parents are in breach of their duty.” · In Harrison v Stevenson (1981), the judge gave the following definitions: Education = “The development of mental powers and character and the acquisition of knowledge through the imparting of skills and learning by systematic instruction.” Efficient = “Achievement of that which it sets out to achieve.” Suitable = “It prepares children for life in a modern civilised society and enables them to achieve their full potential.” · In R v Secretary of State for Education and Science, ex parte Talmud Torah Machzikei Hadass School Trust (1985), it was held that “education is ‘suitable’ if it primarily equips a child for life within the community of which Home Educators is a member, rather than the way of life in the country as a whole, as long as it does not foreclose the child’s options in the later years to adopt some other form of life if Home Educators wishes to do so.” The National Curriculum · The National Curriculum tests and assessment arrangements are developed and administered by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), on behalf of the Secretary of State. · Information to support these arrangements is provided both electronically and in hard copy through the QCA’s website at: http//www.qca.org.uk or by telephoning their publications office on 01787 884 444 · The Department’s website at: http//www.dfes.gov.uk will allow access to the National Curriculum and associated schemes of work, aimed at setting standards across all schools. · Some documents are also distributed by the Department publications which can be accessed through links on The Stationary Office site at: http//www.the-stationary-office.co.uk or by telephoning Prolog on 0845 602 2260. ANNEX C The following information sets out some of the options available to home educating families who wish to provide opportunities for their children to study for recognised qualifications outside school. This is not an exhaustive list, but sets out the main options available and provides contact details for relevant organisations. STUDY OPTIONS FOR STANDARD QUALIFICATIONS Enrolment at a Further Education College When students under 16 years of age enrol at a FE college, their parents will be liable to pay all of the course fees themselves unless the education authority is willing to provide funding. Self-Study Families who study for qualifications from home will need to: · Contact the relevant examination board to find out about their requirements; · Register with an approved centre for their child to sit the examinations; and · Pay a registration fee for each subject their child will take. Correspondence Courses Correspondence courses can be an option for students who prefer to work independently, though they will be required in most cases to follow a structured curriculum and programme of work. Correspondence courses offer a wide range of qualifications at different levels and the organisations offering these courses will advise about arrangements which need to be made for registering with an examination centre and for marking and authenticating coursework. The cost of this option varies depending on the organisation and the qualification chosen, but can prove expensive. There are an increasing number of organisations offering open and distance learning courses. The following contacts provide a useful start in finding a suitable course and organisation: · The Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC) is an independent body that accredits open and distance learning courses. The ODLQC produces a free information leaflet that lists all approved organisations and their courses. Contact: Westminster Central Hall, Storey’s Gate, London SW1 9NH Tel: 020 7233 3466 Website: www.odlqc.org.uk/odlqc E -mail: odlqc@dial.pipex.com · The Association of British Correspondence Colleges (ABCC) is a voluntary association of colleges which comply with a code of ethics. Contact: PO Box 17926, London SW19 3WB Tel: 020 8544 9559 Fax: 020 8540 7657 Website: www.nationline.co.uk/abcc Email: abcc@msn.com · The British Association for Opening Learning (BAOL) promotes quality and best practice in open, flexible and distance forms of learning. BAOL members work to a code of practice for open learning and are listed on the BAOL website. Contact: Suite 6, Pixmore House, Pixmore Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 1JG Tel: 01462 485 588 Fax 01462 485 633 Website: www.baol.co.uk Email: baol@midnet.com The National Extension College is a non-profit making trust providing approved distance learning courses linked to EDEXCEL and other accredited examination boards for GCSE and GCE specifications. Contact: 18, Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 2HN Tel: 01223 450 500 Fax: 01223 400 399 Website: www.nec.ac.uk Email: info@nec.ac.uk ALTERNATIVE QUALIFICATIONS The internal assessment component of many standard qualification courses such as Standard Grades, National Qualifications and GCSEs can restrict the choice available to home educated students. The following qualifications have, however, been identified as particularly suited to home study students as they are not dependent on internal assessment and moderation. International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) The IGCSE is a 2-year curriculum programme leading to a certificate that is internationally recognised as equivalent in standard to the British GCSE and the International GCE O Level examinations. Coursework assessment is not available to external candidates, but is only compulsory in Agriculture, Child Development, Computer Studies, Design and Technology, Food Science and Music. All other syllabuses offer an alternative to coursework in the form of a further written examination paper. The IGCSE is administered by Cambridge International Examinations that is part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Contact: Customer Services, Cambridge International Examinations, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU Tel: 01223 553 554 Fax: 01223 553 558 Website: www.ice.org.uk Email: international@ucles.org.uk Advanced international Certificate of Education (AICE) Like GCE A-Levels, the AICE has been designed as a pre-university course of study, progressing from IGCSE. AICE and IGCSE together constitute a fully integrated curriculum for students in their last three or four years of secondary education. Contact: Customer Services, Cambridge International Examinations, 1 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EU Tel: 01223 553 554 Fax: 01223 553 558 Website: www.cie.org.uk Email: international@ucles.org.uk National Christian Schools Certificate (NCSE) The NCSC gives students a diploma equivalent to 5 GCSEs after sufficient study at the correct level, and offers the opportunity to progress to a diploma equivalent to 3 A-Levels in addition to 8 GCSEs. There are tests at home rather than formal examinations, but the course is highly structured which may not appeal to everyone. Contact: The European Academy for Christian Homeschooling Marantha House, Unit 1, Northford Close, Shrivenham, Swindon Wiltshire, SN6 8HL Tel/Fax: 01793 783783 Website: www.christian-education.org Email: CEEurope@cs.cm REGIONAL EXAMINING BOARDS The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) The AQA is one of three unitary examining bodies in England incorporating the now merged Associated Examining Board and the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board. The AQA also has responsibility for the City and Guilds’ GNVQ qualification. Contact: Devas Street, Manchester, M15 6EX Tel: 0161 953 1180 Fax: 0161 273 7572 Website: http://www.aqa.org.uk Email: Postmaster@aqa.org.uk Oxford Cambridge & RSA (OCR) OCR is one of three unitary examining bodies in England incorporating the RSA (Royal Society of Arts), UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate), and MEG (Midland Examining Group). Contact: 1 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1GG Website: http://www.meg.org.uk OCR Information Bureau, General Qualifications: Tel: 01223 553998 Fax: 01223 552627 Email: helpdesk@ocr.org.uk OCR Information Bureau, Vocational Qualifications: Tel: 024 7647 0033 Fax: 024 7642 1944 Email: cib@ocr.org.uk EDEXCEL EDEXCEL was formed in 1996 by the merger of BTEC and The University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC). EDEXCEL is one of the main examination boards for England and Wales. Contact: Tel: 0870 240 9800 Fax: 020 7758 6960 Website: http://www.edexcel.org.uk/ Email: enquiries@edexcel.org.uk USEFUL CONTACTS Education Otherwise PO Box 7420 London N9 9SG Telephone:01283 532 547 Website: www.education-otherwise.org.uk Home Education Advisory Service PO Box 98 Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL8 6AN Telephone: 01707 371 854 Website: www.heas.org.uk Free Range Education Website: www.free-range-education.co.uk Home Educators Special UK Website: www.he-special.org.uk The Connexions Service: contact your Local Partnership or Connexions Service, National Unit, Department for Education and Skills, Moorfoot, Sheffield, S1 4PQ Website: www.connexions.gov.uk Email: info@dfes.gsi.gov.uk INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARENTS HOME-EDUCATION INTRODUCTION Home-educated
children are those who for any reason, are being educated at home by a parent,
guardian or tutor and are not receiving any other form of education. "Other
form" would include mainstream schools, special schools, Pupil Referral Units
(PRUs) or colleges. Parents may decide to exercise their right to home-educate
their child from When parents choose to home-educate, they assume financial responsibility for their child's education, including the cost of examinations. Children educated at home must continue to receive education until the last Friday in June in the (school) year in which they reach age 16. Where a child is educated at home: · the parental responsibility for children's education, coupled with Local Education Authorities' (LEAs) responsibility to make sure that there is adequate provision for education in their areas, puts LEAs and parents in a relationship. One way to view this relationship is to treat it as a partnership where each partner has responsibilities towards the child concerned. Parental Responsibilities: · Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 gives parents the right to educate their children at home: "The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable (a)
to his age, ability and aptitude, and LEAs' Responsibilities: Under
Section 437(1) of the Education Act 1996 LEAs Statemented children can also be home-educated. Section 324 of the Education Act 1996, sub-sections 4 (c) and 5 (a) (ii) state that specificity and suitability of the education remain the authority's responsibility. Educational provision There
is a legal requirement for LEAs to investigate the nature and suitability of the
education being provided for a child when they become aware that the child: The
Department expects LEAs to: The
LEA or in most cases, an Educational Welfare Officer (EWO), will request a meeting
with you to discuss: Other
topics to be discussed may also include: Home visits You are not obliged to give the LEA access to your home, however you may choose to meet an LEA officer either at home or a neutral location (e.g. a library). When the LEA is satisfied with the education being provided for your child, they will then decide on the frequency of follow-up visits, most likely on an annual basis. However, LEAs may increase the frequency of their visits if not fully assured of the appropriateness of the education being provided. The LEA should inform you of a visit well in advance, and in writing. PROCEDURES FOR HOME EDUCATION Registration If your child has never been registered at school i.e. they are at the beginning of compulsory schooling, you are not legally required to inform the LEA of your intention. However, the Department would strongly recommend any parent to register as a home-educator with their local LEA. There is no statutory requirement for home-educating parents to register their child with LEAs. However, registration is strongly recommended, as your LEA will be able to provide support and guidance as you home-educate. Support
may vary from one LEA to the next, and De-registration Having decided to home-educate a child who is already registered at a maintained or non-maintained school, you must inform the school formally and in writing of your intention to de-register. Once the school has received the written confirmation, they will then delete your child's name from the school register and make a return to the LEA within 10 school days of removal. Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
If your child is a pupil at a special school, the school must inform the LEA before
their name can be deleted from the school roll. The provision to be made and considered
appropriate for your child should be written in part 4 of their statement by the
LEA. When a statemented child is educated at home, the general timetable and arrangements
for the annual review of the statement remain the same as for children in schools.
The LEA will agree the review meeting (parents must be Curriculum & timetable Home
educating parents are not required to:
however, LEAs should be able to offer advice and support to parents on OTHER
ISSUES Children
educated as a group Reintegration
into school - if at any time, parents/guardians decide that Work experience Legislation places the responsibility for approving work experience on LEAs and school governors (Independent Schools), and are therefore the only bodies legally entitled to arrange placements. These bodies also have the prime responsibility for ensuring pupils are placed in a safe environment for their work experience. Employers are responsible for carrying out risk assessments for their staff including young people on placements. Participation in work experience is not a statutory obligation, and therefore home-educating parents have no entitlement as such. If
you arrange a placement for your child directly with an employer, the The National Curriculum · The National Curriculum tests and assessment arrangements are developed and administered by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), on behalf of the Secretary of State. · Information to support these arrangements is provided both electronically and in hard copy through the QCA's website at: http//www.qca.org.uk or by telephoning their publications office on 01787 884 444 ·
The Department's website at: ·
Some documents are also distributed by the The Connexions Service
Connexions can help children age 13 to 19 who are home educated. The Service enables
young people to make a smooth transition to adult working life by providing integrated
advice, guidance and access to ANNEX A The following information sets out some of the options available to home educating families who wish to provide opportunities for their children to study for recognised qualifications outside school. This is not an exhaustive list, but sets out the main options available and provides contact details for relevant organisations. STUDY
OPTIONS FOR STANDARD QUALIFICATIONS When students under 16 years of age enrol at a FE college, their parents will be liable to pay all of the course fees themselves unless the education authority is willing to provide funding. Self-Study ·
contact the relevant examination board to find out about their requirements; Correspondence
Courses There
are an increasing number of organisations offering open and distance learning
courses. The following contacts provide a useful start in finding a suitable course
and organisation: ·
The Open and
Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC) is an independent
body, which accredits open and distance learning ·
The Association of British Correspondence Colleges (ABCC) is
a voluntary association of colleges that comply with a code of ethics. ·
The British
Association for Opening Learning (BAOL) promotes quality
and best practice in open, flexible and distance forms of learning. BAOL The
National Extension College is a non-profit making trust
providing ALTERNATIVE QUALIFICATIONS National
Christian Schools Certificate (NCSE) The NCSC gives students
a diploma equivalent to 5 GCSEs after sufficient study at the correct level, and
offers the opportunity to progress to a diploma equivalent to 3 A-Levels in addition
to 8 GCSEs. There are tests at home rather than formal examinations, but the course
is highly structured which may not appeal to everyone. Contact: The European Academy
for Christian REGIONAL EXAMINING BOARDS The
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) Oxford Cambridge & RSA (OCR) OCR
is one of three unitary examining bodies in England incorporating the RSA (Royal
Society of Arts), UCLES (University of Cambridge Local OCR Information Bureau, General Qualifications: Tel: 01223 553998 Fax: 01223 552627 Email: helpdesk@ocr.org.uk OCR
Information Bureau, Vocational Qualifications: EDEXCEL EDEXCEL was formed in 1996 by the merger of BTEC and The University of London Examinations and Assessment Council (ULEAC). EDEXCEL is one of the main examination boards for England and Wales. Contact: Tel: 0870 240 9800 Fax: 020 7758 6960 Website: http://www.edexcel.org.uk/ Email: enquiries@edexcel.org.uk USEFUL CONTACTS Education
Otherwise Home
Education Advisory Service Free
Range Education The
DfES has a fact sheet available from its website The
Connexions Service: contact your Local DfES
contact: School Inclusion Division |