Home education

Elective Home Education is when parents/carers decide to provide education for their child/ren at home instead of sending them to school.

All parents of compulsory school age children are required to ensure they receive an efficient full-time education, suitable to the child’s age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs they may have.

If a parent/carer decides to EHE their child/ren then they must ensure they are meeting this legal requirement.

This is our noticeboard specifically for parents who home educate. If we have any general information which would usually be sent home to children via school, we will let you know about it here. We will also post details of any equipment, books etc which schools may have spare, should you be interested.

You do not need to be a qualified teacher to educate your child at home, but you must provide a suitable education.

This does not have to have the same kind of ‘lessons’ or structure that schools provide and parents/carers may wish to consider things like educational visits, projects, internet research, and activities with other children, as well as more formal learning.

You do not need permission to educate your child at home, however, if your child/ren is already enrolled at a school, you must notify the head teacher, in writing, of your intention to take the child out of school and educate them at home.

If your child attends a special school, you will also need to notify the Local Authority, if you are removing your child from formal education.

The Local Authority has a duty to try and identify all children who are not receiving a suitable education and to act accordingly if this appears to be the case. However, our main role is to provide support and guidance to families and young people, and do this mainly through face-to-face meetings.

Although the Local Authority provide support and guidance to parents who are home educating their children, there is no funding available to help towards the cost of tutors, examinations, books or other materials.  

Parents who home educate, take on the full responsibility for their child’s education, including any financial costs linked to this. 

Where it is not clear that parents are providing suitable education, the Local Authority will work with parents to try to address the situation informally – initially by making informal contact and enquiries to offer support, advice and guidance around how the level of education may be improved.

If it is found that a child is not receiving a suitable education, the Local Authority will serve a notice on the parent/carer requiring them to satisfy the Local Authority that a suitable education is being provided. Following this notice, the Local Authority may then serve a School Attendance Order.

A School Attendance Order will name a specific school which the parent must register their child at. Non-compliance with such an order is a criminal offence and may be dealt with via prosecution, an application for an Education Supervision Order at the family court, or both.

Local authority duties in relation to safeguarding are the same for all children, however they are educated - this includes ensuring children are seen regularly by an appropriate professional in order to satisfy our safeguarding obligations. If the Local Authority is not satisfied that a child is receiving adequate, safe or appropriate/suitable education at home, and where this is likely to impair

the child’s intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development statutory powers may well be required to address the situation, which may result in a referral to North Tyneside Council’s MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub) team.