Who Can Home Educate?
Quite literally….anyone. You do not need to be a teacher, you do not need any qualifications, as a parent you have been helping your child learn since the day they were born and there is no reason you cannot continue to do that now. Home educators come from all walks of life, two parent families, single parent families, low income families, both parents working, disabled parents and any other type of family you can think of.
Is home education legal?
Perhaps the most common question, and the short answer is yes. The slightly longer answer is in England and Wales… it’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure every child of compulsory school age receives ‘efficient full-time education’, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise (1996 Education Act, Section 7). This means that Home Education is legal, as it falls under the heading of ‘otherwise’. In Scotland the law is slightly different and you need to get in touch with an organisiation like Schoolhouse to get current up to date information.
Who do I have to inform I intend to Home Educate?
If your child has never been to school you do not have to inform anyone about your intention to home educate. You can simply carry on as before. If you move to another are served by a different Local Authority you do not have to inform the new Local Authority. There may be advantages in informing the Local Authority such as access to the Schools Library service but there is no legal obligation.
If your child is currently in a mainstream state school you need to send a letter of deregistration to the headteacher of the child’s school as soon as you remove your child.
The letter should contain the following information: “….as from the (insert date), (child’s name) will be educated at home, in accordance with Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act. I would be grateful therefore if you would remove his/her name from the register of (School Name)……” It is usally a good idea to ask for a receipt or if that is not possible to send the letter recorded delivery. If yur child has a statement of special educational needs, you can still deregister from a mainstream school in the same way. If your child is at a special school you will need to ask permission but this cannot be refused without good reason.
What do the LA (Local Authority) provide?
The LA don’t have to provide anything. However North Yorkshire LA allow home educators access to the schools library service and access to an exam centre for those who want it. Our LA has also organised work experience for some young adults.
You do not have to follow the National Curriculum. If you do wish to follow the National Curriculum you can find details online at www.nc.uk.net
Isn’t Home Education Very Costly?
Home education can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you make it. It depends on what kinds of materials and resources you choose to use, how many children you will be home educating , and whether or not you will be giving up work to home educate your children. There is no financial support available from the Local Authority and any expenses are borne by parents. You can easily spend a small fortune on all the wonderful learning materials and books available. On the other hand, you can home educate using free resources found in place like the library, learning opportunities found in your community, such as museums and trips to interesting places or on the internet. If you decide to use real life experiences, library, car boot sales, and charity shops and freecycle for your materials and resources you can spend very little. If you buy purpose built curriculums, software and distance learning courses it can work out very expensive. If you have older children that want to do exams you will have the cost of paying for examinations also.
My child has a statement of special educational needs, can I still home educate?
If your child is in a mainstream setting there is no difference, you can deregister your child in the same way as a child without a statement by sending a letter to the school, you do not have to inform the LA.
If your child is in a special school, you will need to ask permission from the LA but they cannot withold this unreasonably.
If your child has never been to school, you do not need to inform anyone. although it is possible that the statementing procedure may begin if the LA or Health Authority are aware of your childs SENs
Once you have dergistered, the statement of special educational needs becomes a legally unenforceable document and you do not have a statutory duty to provide anything in it although you do have a duty to provide for your childs educational needs under section 7 of the education act. The LA has a duty to maintain a statement and have a review annually or you could ask that they cease to maintain it.
What about GCSE’s?
There are various way to take GCSEs if you wish your child to go down that route. Many home educated go straight to A level or college without taking GCSEs. Your child could do a correspondence course, and these could be spread out over a longer time period. You could seek to employ a home tutor. Your child can study using the curriculum as a guide.
Also in North Yorkshire, the County Council wishes to work cooperatively with parents who decide to home educate their children and it is now possible for any young person registered with the Children and Young Peoples Service to access GCSE examinations in English and Maths.
Socialisation when you are home educating isn’t really the problem it’s perceived to be and you will find that socialisation becomes different. Home educated children socialise with people of all ages and tend not to stick to children of the same age.
There are many home education groups in North Yorkshire, some meet once a month and others once a week. You can possibly still use after school clubs or things like cubs and brownies. Your child may have friends locally to you or you may find you have to be prepared to travel.
