Home Education

[Detomah]

The education of children during their early years is almost entirely in the hands of their parents, who usually are very effective teachers. Some parents feel that when their child starts school, professionals take over and that they are not themselves competent partners in their child's education. But parents who educate their child at home do not have to be teachers or employ a qualified tutor for their child.

What does the law say?

The law is found in the Education Act 1996. Section 7 states that the parent of a child who is of compulsory school age has a legal duty to see that their child receives:

'efficient full-time education, suitable to his age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.'

The last two words are crucial. Parents are free to choose whether or not their child goes to school; they can choose education 'otherwise' than at school. This usually means education based at home. It is important to note that the education provided must be 'suitable' for the particular child.

What is a 'suitable' education?
Some legal guidance on the meaning of a 'suitable' education is given by one court case in which it was held that a suitable education:

1. prepares the child for life in modern civilised society, and
2. enables the child to achieve his or her full potential.

Some education authorities seek to impose their own views of what is a suitable education and have a rigid view of this, often assuming that professionals know best and that education at home must necessarily be organised like education at school.

Children who are home educated:

1. do not have to follow the National Curriculum
2. do not have to take tests or exams
3. do not have to have a timetable
4. do not have to have a qualified tutor to teach them
5. do not have to work during the usual school hours
6. do not have to work any particular number of hours a week.

Others arrange for home educating families to be visited by an education welfare officer, and ask these officers, who are usually trained as social workers and not as teachers, to make their own judgements about the suitability of the child's education. Judgements reached in this way are open to question. Sometimes they are imposed by LEAs as if they were law, which they are not.

Parents need to know how to respond to this kind of intervention. There is no legal duty to prepare a detailed scheme of work, to divide the work to be done into subjects, to have a structured curriculum, a structured timetable or a list of books. Some parents may like to have these things, but it is for you to decide. You should, however, take reasonable steps to satisfy the education authority that proper arrangements have been made for your child.

Do I need permission to home educate?
You do not have to ask permission to home educate unless you live in Scotland. Strictly speaking, you do not have to inform the education authority of your decision to home educate, but it is advisable to do so. In Scotland, however, the situation is different and parents must obtain the consent of the education authority before a child can be withdrawn from state school.

If your child has not yet begun to attend school, there is no need to inform the LEA that your child is going to be home educated. You simply get on with it.

If your child is already at school you must write to the headteacher stating that you are withdrawing your child from school. The school must delete the pupil's name from the register and inform the local education authority that this has been done. However, when a child has a statement of special educational needs which names a special school, the child's name may not be removed from the register of that school without the consent of the education authority.

This information was provided by the Advisory Centre for Education, an independent national charity offering advice to parents on their children's education.

Help and info

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organisations
Advisory Centre for Education
1C Aberdeen Studios
22 Highbury Grove
London N5 2DQ
Tel: 020 7354 8318
Advice line: 0808 800 5793 (Mon-Fri 2-5pm)
E-mail: enquiries@ace.dialnet.com
Website: www.ace-ed.org.uk
Provides independent advice to parents on their legal rights in relation to education. It produces a Home Education Pack that includes a guide to the law and a book describing parents' experiences of home educating as well as other helpful literature for parents who are teaching their own children by choice or due to exclusion.

Education Otherwise
PO Box 325
Kings Lynn PE34 3XW
Helpline: 0870 730 0074 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
E-mail: enquiries@education-otherwise.org
Website: www.education-otherwise.org
A UK-based self-help organisation that offers support, advice and information to families who are practising – or contemplating practising – home-based education as an alternative to schooling.

Home Education Advisory Service
PO Box 98
Welwyn Garden City
Hertfordshire AL8 6AN
Tel: 01707 371854 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
E-mail: enquiries@heas.org.uk
Website: www.heas.org.uk
A UK-based national home education charity dedicated to the provision of advice and practical support of families who wish to educate their children at home in preference to sending them to school.

Choice in Education
PO Box 20284
London NW1 3AA
Tel: 020 8969 0893
Website: www.choiceineducation.org.uk
An online magazine for people involved in home education. Choice in Education produces information on home education and the law and discusses alternatives to school-based education. The website features a regular online newsletter, an archive of relevant articles and details of regional events.

Worldwide Education Service (WES)
East Devon Business Centre
Heathpark Way
Heathpark
Honiton
Devon EX14 1SF
Tel: 01404 47301
E-mail: wes@wesworldwide.com
Website: www.wesworldwide.com
WES Home School Service is designed to create a school in the home in which groups of parents can teach their own children, both in the UK and overseas. It provides teacher support and assessment through its team of WES personal tutors who are qualified and experienced UK teachers. The WES also supplies courses for primary school-aged children which are based on the National Curriculum of England and Wales and offers Standard Assessment Testing Service (SATs).

Websites

Educate Online
www.educate.co.uk
Features information and resources for families about LEAs and home education, and information for LEAs about home education and the law.

Home Education UK
www.home-education.org.uk
Extensive website seeking to provide support to people home educating or intending to home educate in the UK. Provides information and resources, including information on legal rights and responsibilities.

Learning at Home and Outside School
www.dfes.gov.uk/parents/learning/home.cfm
Part of the Department for Education and Skills, this site features guidelines for parents considering educating their children at home. It also contains help and advice about revision techniques and homework, plus information on study support and other aspects of learning at home.

Open Education – A campaign for change
www.open-education.org.uk
Still being developed, this site aims to provide a forum to develop and circulate ideas that challenge the mainstream education system. Features articles, legal guidelines and a discussion forum.

In Scotland, the legal situation differs slightly:

Schoolhouse
www.schoolhouse.org.uk
Provides information and support to parents/carers throughout Scotland who seek to take personal responsibility for the education of their children, and families who have chosen or are contemplating home-based education.

Parents Zone
www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/parentzone
Set up by the Scottish Executive Education Department, this website contains information and resources for parents and others responsible for school aged children. Covers a range of education issues, including home education.

Reading

Educating Children at Home by Alan Thomas (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000) The author examines issues involved in home education and challenges basic assumptions about the nature of teaching and learning.

Free Range Education: How home education works by Terri Dowty (editor) (Hawthorn Press, 2000) For parents considering home education, or those getting started. Featuring the stories of home educating families, this text contains answers to frequently asked questions, and is full of information, resources and practical advice.

Teach Your Own by John Holt (Lighthouse Books,1997) A how-to guide for parents considering teaching children at home. Includes the law for the UK and US and has advice from parents with experience of home education.