|
|
|
| home | your council |
business | community | education | environment & waste |
leisure & tourism |
roads & transport |
social care |
|
Frequently Asked Questions
 feedback on this page
|
Yes, Home Education is legal in all parts of the UK. You do not need to be a teacher or have any other special qualifications. You will need, however, to provide your child with efficient full time education suitable to his or her age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs he or she may have.
To be considered efficient and suitable, an education provision must enable children to fulfil their potential and for adult life in their community.
Elective Home Education is when a family decides to take on the full responsibility for a child’s education.
Some parents teach their children themselves, some make arrangements to plan and teach in small groups with other local families who are involved in home education. Alternatively, the family may choose to pay for a tutor for certain parts of the curriculum.
However the education is provided, it is up to the family to demonstrate that the programme of work is helping the child to learn and that the child is developing according to his or her age, aptitude and ability.
Before taking any steps, think very hard about what education you plan to put in place. What aspirations do you hold for your child? What qualifications do you hope he or she will take? It is possible for students to take GCSEs as private candidates, but it is expensive, and it is not always easy to fond a local centre at which to sit the exams. What resources will you use and how will you plan your days? Every home educating family runs their educational provision differently, but it can be helpful to contact your local Education Otherwise group.
If your child has never been to school, there is no action for you to take prior to starting home education. However, if your child is in school you should formally deregister by writing to the head teacher and say that your child is receiving education otherwise than in school. The school will contact the Access and Welfare Department of Leicestershire County Council and the Home Education Officer will contact you and arrange a meeting to discuss the education you intend to provide.
If it is brought to the attention of the LA that a child does not appear to be receiving education then the LA has a duty to investigate whether that child is receiving an efficient, full time education.
How often will Leicestershire Local Authority review my child’s education and what will happen during the meeting?The initial meeting will usually happen within eight weeks of the family informing Access and Welfare of their intention to home educate. The family will discuss their education plans, what work they intend to do, visits they wish to make, how they intend to record the child’s progress and what ambitions they have for their child. There may be a follow up meeting a month afterwards to confirm that all is going well. After that, meetings between the family and the LA are annual unless either side asks for more frequent meetings.
Evidence of educational provision can be gleaned in writing, orally, electronically or graphically. The information could include a written programme of experience and learning and include samples of work. The evidence should convince a reasonable person that the child is receiving efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. You should consider carefully what best demonstrates your child’s progress and achievements.
Children with special needs can be educated otherwise than in school. The LA's statutory duty to undertake an annual review of Special Educational Needs continues for those who are home educated
All children learn in different ways. The goal should be for a child to encounter a deeper knowledge base which is an essential part of an older child’s educational programme. This can be achieved, for example, through individual subject study, integrated topic work or following unspecified interests. When a child is educated at home it is the family’s decision what to teach and what to leave out and how the child will learn it.
You do not have to follow a ‘school’ timetable, but rather to plan the day to suit the learning style of the child.
Families find it helpful to keep some records of what is done and how the child found it, what visits were undertaken and what was learned from them as well as what subject areas were covered. This is useful for the Home Education Officer but also in the event of the family wishing to return to mainstream school or college and wishing to provide evidence of what has been achieved.
As a parent/carer, you must provide an education for your child during "compulsory school age.” The law says that this can be at home. A child is of compulsory school age on the 1st January, 1st April or 1st September following their 5th birthday. A person ceases to be of compulsory school age on the last Friday of June during the year that s/he becomes 16
The National Curriculum tests (commonly known as SATs) are only a requirement at state schools and are therefore not relevant to home-education. Your child will not be tested by the LA.
The National Curriculum only applies to state schools as do literacy and numeracy hours. As a home educator it is up to you and your child what, how and when you study.
Yes, you can arrange for children to take exams as external candidates at various exam centres such as colleges of further education. You will need to contact colleges and make enquiries and talk to other home educators in your area. However, there are no grants available to cover the costs.
If the LA is concerned about any aspects of the provision for your child, an Adviser will discuss their concerns with you. A reasonable period of time will then be given for you to improve the provision. If the LA continues to be dissatisfied, or if access has not been given to assess the provision, a referral will be made to the Education Welfare Service who will contact you to discuss returning the child to school.
Children are educated at home for varying lengths of time: sometimes for the whole of their compulsory school age, sometimes for a few weeks until a place in the preferred school can be found. If you take your child out of one school for a period of time, you can re-apply for admission. You must bear in mind that you may not get a place in the school of your choice when you re-apply: it depends on school numbers.
|
||
|
