There are around 50,000-80,000 home educated children in the UK. Home education can be highly fulfilling for children and can lead to children achieving better than average qualifications. Having been home educated does not prevent a young person from going on to university and having fulfilling careers. Indeed in the US, where home education is more commonplace, many universities and employers seek out home educated young people in their recruitment efforts.
There are a number of reasons why a parent might want to educate their child at home. Some parents opt to home-school because of lifestyle or family reasons, while others do so because of negative school experiences like Bullying, Expulsion, difficulty getting a child into the school of choice, or some problem specific to an individual school.
Socialisation
The main question raised about home education relates to socialisation. With so many home-educated young people in the UK there are now many local support groups all over the UK. These groups often hold regular meetings and are frequently networked with each other through the internet. Home-educated students rarely find socialisation to be an issue.
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Under Section 7 of the 1996 education act, parents are responsible for ensuring that their children receive an education suitable to their age ability and aptitude, as well as any special needs he or she may have. The following home-schooling rules apply in England and Wales:
- You do not need the permission of an LEA to home educate a child (unless the child attends a special needs school)
- You do not have to hold any particular qualifications to home educate your child
- There are no predetermined hours or times that you must tutor your child at home
- You do not have to conform to the National Curriculum
- You can home educate a child with special needs
- Home educated children are not required to undertake examinations or SATs
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Your Local Education Authority
When considering home education it is wise to consider all of your options carefully and discuss the idea with your child. If you have specific issues with the school, you should consider discussing these with the school and possibly with the Local Children's Services (LEA).
If your child is currently in school, you are required to inform your child's head teacher in writing before you withdraw your child. The head teacher will then inform the (LEA) and remove your child from the school's register. There is no legal requirement for you to allow the local authority access to either your home or child.
The Education Welfare Service (EWS) will almost certainly make contact with you to ensure that you are meeting your duty to provide an education to your child. However, you should be allowed some short period to settle in to your new routine before having to supply detailed information on your provision.
If they are unhappy about your provision, they will write to you to explain their concerns and ask for further information. In rare cases, if the local authority remains unsatisfied with your provision, they can issue a School Attendance Order which requires you to either provide further evidence of education or enrol your child at a school named in the order within 15 days. Such an order can be challenged in court. In all the actions they take the Local Authority must act in the best interests of the child.
What are the actual laws regarding socialisation of her own age as she learns and interacts etc with plenty of lroffessionals and adults. She is non verbal but talks more when she is alone than in company or big groups her limited speech turned into shrieks. Surely the impact of such violent muscle spasms etc wont assist her with kearning to communicate.
Any info would be greatly appreciated
I am enjoying home schooling her and she is doing so well too.
I would like her to go to school so my question is how do apply to a different primary school for her?
Do I need to go to back to her first school and ask them to apply for a transfer or do I go I just approach the local authority?
many thanks
I have always been opposed to home education however I am now conscious that I am about to start paying child maintenance to my ex to support my son in continuing to Xbox all day. Is there anyway I can force her into doing some educating by saying I won’t pay child mainentance anymore as he isn’t in full time education (I know FT education can be counted as home schooling, but playing Xbox is NOT home schooling). Advice?
"Hi I am seeking some advice as I separated from my child's father when was newborn duento domestic abuse." I am in a similar situation, except that I am now in court proceedings (yet again). Cafcass are to be involved due to the animosity and the HE question. There are many useful sites out there that inform you of the law. Some barristers are not knowledgeable enough and I have found myself educating both mediators and legal parties so I have been studying this. My one piece of advice is to ensure that you have a case for it to be best for the child - not for the parent to HE but the benefits it will give to the child. Be positive - I disagree with the way that the current education system is run, but will promote the positives in HE - one to one tuition, at their own pace, keeping them enthused, and promoting outdoor learning in ANY subject. Flexible learning that can occur at any time and about anything.
I don't know if this will work but I do feel that this is the best way to go.
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