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Meeting the LA Education Department

Guidance on improving LEAs

EHE Consultation

Elective Home Education

Response to consultation from Reading Borough Council

1.         Do you agree that it is helpful for the DfES to issue guidelines to local authorities?

Yes

2.         Do you agree that the description of the law (paragraphs 2.1-2.3) relating to elective home education is accurate and clear?

Yes

3.         Do you agree that the description of local authorities’ responsibilities (paragraphs 2.5-2.11) is accurate and helpful?

The duty of LAs to satisfy themselves that appropriate education is being provided (as specified in law) is unclear.  Paragraph 2.7 states the LAs have power to intervene “if they have good reason to believe that parents are not providing a suitable education”.  However, in paragraph 3.10, the inference is that after de-registration from school, parents make proposals regarding the home education and “a reasonable timescale should be agreed for the parents to submit their proposals”. 

4.         Do you agree that the section on contact with the local authority (paragraphs 3.4-3.7) is accurate and helpful?

There is helpful information in this section.  However, the duty of the LA to satisfy itself that appropriate home education is being provided, particularly on first contact with the LA, is still unclear. (see 3. above).

5.         Do you agree that the section on providing a full-time education (paragraphs 3.11-3.14) – and in particular, the characteristics of provision (paragraph 3.13) – is accurate and helpful?

Yes – very helpful.

6.         Do you agree that the section on developing relationships (section 4) is useful?

Yes

7a.       Are the suggested resources in section 5 and appendix 2 useful?

Yes - very helpful.

7b.             Should any other contacts be included?

8. Please use this space for any other comments you wish to make about the guidance

The guidance is a helpful document for both parents and Local Authorities.  However, it raises many concerns regarding safe-guarding of children.  For example, if the LA has no right to meet with children who are being home educated, how can child protection issues that might exist be identified? In addition, as the current legal position does not require parents to inform LAs about their intention to home educate, there is a potential issue regarding children not receiving their educational entitlement, because concerns about their education are never raised. 

The monitoring of home education is also of concern.  Whilst it is understood that regular monitoring by the LA could be viewed as intrusive, more clarification is needed regarding how the LA can fulfil its duty to satisfy itself that efficient and suitable education is being provided in all known cases.  In particular, how can this duty be fulfilled in cases where the LA has no evidence to suggest that parents are failing to provide a suitable education? The lack of such evidence may not automatically imply that the education provided fulfils statutory requirements.

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