Information for schools (EHE)

Parents are responsible for ensuring that their child receives an efficient full time education, suitable to age, ability, and aptitude, and any special needs they may have.

Parents of a child registered at a maintained or an independent school must inform the school formally in writing of their intention to de-register. This letter should confirm the parent's understanding that they are taking responsibility for their child's education and include a date in which they want their child to be removed from the school roll. whilst this might be a letter or an email, it must be written by the parent. If the parent's first language is not English it is acceptable to have the letter written in their first language. If the parent requires support to write this letter, schools should encourage the parent to seek help from outside of the school.

How parents must inform the school

Parents can write an email or letter which must:

• indicate clearly that the parents intend to take responsibility for their child’s education and cannot simply be a request to remove from the roll
• be written by the parent themselves

If English is not the parents' first language, a parent can provide this in their first language. It should then be translated to ensure the parent has clearly indicated a wish to educate electively home.

Parents do not have to ask for permission or seek approval to home educate.

It does not make a difference if the child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) unless the child is a registered pupil at a specialist placement, in which case the parent must request the consent of the local authority before the child's name can be deleted from the school roll.

Please contact the EHE team directly for support with specialist placement, consent for removal from roll.

In the case of exclusion, they must follow the statutory guidance. If the pupil has a poor attendance record, the school and local authority must address the issues behind the absenteeism and use the other remedies available to them.

Withdrawal from school to electively home educate

When a school receives written notification from a parent of their intention to home educate their child, it is the responsibility of the school to:

• acknowledge the parents’ letter in writing and to delete the child’s name from the school register. The local authority (LA) requires the school to do this within 5 working days of receiving the parents’ letter.
• inform the LA immediately of the removal of the child’s name from the register (Section 12 (3) of 'The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006'). Schools should inform the LA of the removal of a child’s name from the register via the CME schools portal.
• Complete and send to the EHE team an EHE form 1.

Where a parent does inform a school, they are considering EHE then SCC strongly recommends:

• schools convene a meeting to talk through parents’ reasons to home educate their child/children and resolve any issues about school and the child's needs that might influence the parents’ decision to continue with their attendance at the school. As a result, parents will be fully aware of their responsibilities and if there are any concerns that the school may have regarding their decision to home educate. The meeting could be attended by an EHE officer if this would be supportive to the parent.
• that parents are given contact details and advised to seek advice from SCC’s EHE team before formally asking the school to remove the child from the school roll
• where appropriate both the school and parents should consider support offered through the SCC’s Early Help Team (EHT), where families are considering home education as means of addressing wider unmet needs or unresolved issues.
• If the child/young person is subject to an EHC plan or has additional needs that have previously been supported in school, the school could arrange an early annual review / review of needs and record this request along with any new information in the review. This would be an opportunity to update any unmet needs and consider how provision within school could be adjusted or if further referrals to other services, which would not be available to the child once home educated, could be made to support the child, and perhaps ease any concerns from the parent.

Parental Disputes

This is a private matter between the parents, the local authority or a school cannot take the side of any parent. Where there is a Family Court order the local authority and school must follow this decision.

Schools should strongly urge parents to try to come to some agreement about home education, but where this is not possible advise that independent legal advice is sort. 

We would advise that school also seek legal advice from their trust or local authority around any decision to remove the child from roll and whilst doing this the child should remain on the school roll.

Withdrawal from a special school to electively home educate

Local authorities may encourage parents to inform them directly of the withdrawal of a child from school, but have no legal right to insist that parents do so.

The only exception to this is where the child is attending a special school under arrangements made by the local authority, in which case additional permission is required from the authority before the child's name can be removed from the register.

When a special school receives written notification from a parent of their intention to home educate their child, it is the responsibility of the school to inform the Elective Home Education department and the Family Services coordinator.

The Local Authority will then speak to the parent to make arrangements for them to share information. It is the expectation that this will not be a lengthy process and that the child will continue to attend the school until consent to remove from roll is given.

School Attendance Orders

If a child is registered at a school as a result of a school attendance order the parents must have the order revoked by the local authority on the ground that arrangements have been made for the child to receive suitable education otherwise than at school, before the child can be deleted from the school's register and educated at home.

Flexi-schooling

Part time attendance is an arrangement (between the parent and the school) by which the child is registered at school but attends part time; the rest of the time the child is electively home educated. Part time attendance is a legal option, but it depends on the agreement of the head teacher and governing body. The child will be required to follow the National Curriculum whilst at school but not whilst he or she is being electively home educated.

Schools may enter into flexi-schooling arrangements if the parent request it, provided they correctly mark children as absent (Code C) in attendance registers when they are being educated at home.

The GOV.UK web page containing the home education guidelines says "Pupils who are being flexi-schooled should be marked as absent from school during the periods when they are receiving home education."

The GOV.UK home education web page also says "Write to the headteacher if you plan to take your child out of school. They must accept if you’re taking your child out completely. They can refuse if you want to send your child to school some of the time.”

Elective Home Education

Elective Home Education
Children and Young People's Services
Suffolk County Council
Endeavour House
8 Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 2BX

Telephone: 01473 265139
Email: EHE@suffolk.gov.uk