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Educating your child at home (elective home education)

The following information has been prepared to give advice about the legal position and the procedures to follow if you wish to be registered by Coventry Local Education Authority (LEA) as a 'home learning' family.

We seek to work in co-operation with you as a parent wanting to home educate your children.

Information about home education

In this section you can find all the information you require on home education  including:

The legal position

Duty of the parent / carer:

As a parent you have the legal right to choose to educate your children other than by attendance at school, usually by providing education at home.

Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states that:

'The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him/her to receive full time education suitable –
(a) to his/her age, ability and aptitude, and;
(b) to any special educational needs he/she may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise."

The phrase ''or otherwise'' allows education outside of formal schooling, providing that the parent / carer can meet the child's needs, as stated above.

Duty of the Local Education Authority (LEA):

The LEA has a duty in law to monitor that children who are ''educated otherwise than at school'' receive suitable education. If the LEA is not satisfied with the arrangements made by any parent for their child's education, there are legal requirements on both the authority and the parent.

Section 437 of the 1996 Education Act states that:

''If it appears to a local education authority that a child of compulsory school age in their area is not receiving suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise, they shall serve a notice in writing, on the parent requiring him/her to satisfy them within the period specified in the notice, not being less than 15 days, that the child is receiving such education."

If the LEA is unable to satisfy itself that the child is receiving suitable education, then a school attendance order may be issued to the parents, which will require them to register the child at a named school within a certain period of time.'

What should I consider before I decide to home educate?

Before making the decision to home educate, you may wish to speak to an education officer at the LEA for advice.

From the start be sure you are doing what is right for your child. Discuss it with him/her and with the school. If appropriate speak to one of the home education support agencies.

Families who elect to home educate do so for a variety of reasons. The decision to home educate should not be taken lightly. It can be very rewarding to educate your child at home but it does require a serious time commitment, patience, energy and the ability to provide appropriate motivation, resources and equipment.You will need to decide if you have the skills and ability to educate your child or will you employ a tutor/teacher or other forms of support.

An important part of school life is the opportunity to mix with a variety of other children and adults. Serious consideration needs to be given by parents / carers about the social development opportunities you will be giving your child(ren.) You may wish to consider them joining a variety of clubs or special interest groups.

You should not consider home education purely to avoid sending your child to school. If the LEA considers that you are allowing, authorising or encouraging absence from school we will consider applying to a court to issue a school attendance order for failing in your legal duty to ensure your child receives full time education either at school or otherwise.