Recommendations & Conclusions
33 items
1
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Committee unanimously supports the right of families to opt for EHE, provided it is in the best interests of the child and the education provided is of a suitable standard to meet the needs of the child. In the eyes of the law, the duty to secure an education …
Read more
The Committee unanimously supports the right of families to opt for EHE, provided it is in the best interests of the child and the education provided is of a suitable standard to meet the needs of the child. In the eyes of the law, the duty to secure an education for a child rests with parents. It follows that the choice to home educate should be afforded the same respect as the choice for children to attend a state or private school. However, without data on outcomes we cannot know how many children receiving EHE are getting a suitable education. For that reason, it is reasonable that local authorities have the ability to assess the suitability of education.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government agreed with the committee's stance on EHE and the need for better outcome data to assess suitable education, committing to a form of registration for children not in school to improve data and LA assessment abilities, with further details deferred to an upcoming …
Read full response →
Department for Education
2
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Rejected
The next iteration of the Government’s guidance for local authorities and parents must set out a clearer vision for a ‘suitable’ education - including the levels of numeracy and literacy which it would usually expect students to have achieved before they move on to later education, training or employment. This …
Read more
The next iteration of the Government’s guidance for local authorities and parents must set out a clearer vision for a ‘suitable’ education - including the levels of numeracy and literacy which it would usually expect students to have achieved before they move on to later education, training or employment. This vision should take into account the different paths that children with SEND might take. (Paragraph 20) What do we know about children who are home-educated?
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government rejects setting out a centralised clearer vision for a 'suitable' education in guidance, stating that local authorities already have the ability to specify literacy and numeracy levels on a case-by-case basis. It suggests this area may be considered in a future guidance review, …
Read full response →
Department for Education
3
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Committee heard from home educators that home-educated children are not ‘invisible’, and that safeguarding has failed children who were already known to local authorities. However, the relevant authorities cannot begin to reach any children who may be at risk without a consistent and accurate method of knowing who they …
Read more
The Committee heard from home educators that home-educated children are not ‘invisible’, and that safeguarding has failed children who were already known to local authorities. However, the relevant authorities cannot begin to reach any children who may be at risk without a consistent and accurate method of knowing who they are. The context has changed dramatically in the last decade, as the number of children receiving EHE has grown. At present, local authorities may only know about home-educated children who have been withdrawn from school, and may lose touch with these children when families move.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government committed to a local authority administered statutory registration to identify children not in school, but deferred further details on its implementation and proposals for supporting home-educated children to its forthcoming consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
4
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Committee’s view remains that a statutory register, serving to more consistently identify children outside of school, is absolutely necessary. This would aim not to remove freedoms from those who are providing an effective education for their families, but to better target support to those who need it. The register …
Read more
The Committee’s view remains that a statutory register, serving to more consistently identify children outside of school, is absolutely necessary. This would aim not to remove freedoms from those who are providing an effective education for their families, but to better target support to those who need it. The register should have a national reach but be administered locally. Rather than only targeting EHE children, it must cover all those who do not receive their principal education in a mainstream school. It may well be that the Government announces a statutory register ahead of this report being published. In any case, it must adhere to the principles we outline.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government remains committed to a form of local authority administered statutory registration for children not in school, but further details on its scope and implementation will be provided in a forthcoming consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
5
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
There is no single definitive figure for the number of children and young people being educated at home. The numbers that are available are likely to under-report as parents do not have a duty to tell local authorities that they have chosen EHE, and studies often rely on Freedom of …
Read more
There is no single definitive figure for the number of children and young people being educated at home. The numbers that are available are likely to under-report as parents do not have a duty to tell local authorities that they have chosen EHE, and studies often rely on Freedom of Information responses, which raise questions about data accuracy. This situation is unacceptable and must change. We also believe that collecting more data about children receiving EHE would give the Department a true picture of the level of SEND resourcing needed by local authorities. There is also general consensus that the number of children in EHE has increased dramatically since the 2010–15 Education Committee’s report. (Paragraph 40) 38 Strengthening Home Education
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government committed to collecting high-level data through a new registration system for children not in school, acknowledging the value of improved EHE data collection and analysis. Further details on data collection and analysis will be considered as part of future steps.
Read full response →
Department for Education
6
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
Covid-19 appears to have driven a further rise in EHE numbers, the long-term impact of which is not yet known. During the covid-19 pandemic, some may have found that educating at home worked better for them. However, some parents may have chosen EHE without a full understanding of the responsibilities …
Read more
Covid-19 appears to have driven a further rise in EHE numbers, the long-term impact of which is not yet known. During the covid-19 pandemic, some may have found that educating at home worked better for them. However, some parents may have chosen EHE without a full understanding of the responsibilities it involves, risking a negative impact on their children. This highlights the ongoing need for parents to have the right support when making the decision to EHE—or to transition back into school, should they wish. In 2018, our predecessor Committee’s report Forgotten children recommended that “when a pupil is excluded from school for more than five non-consecutive days in a school year, the pupil and their parents or carers should be given access to an independent advocate” to help them navigate the process. (Education Committee, Fifth Report of Session 2017–19, Forgotten children, HC 342, para 47). We believe that such advocates could also play an invaluable role in supporting families who are considering EHE, and ensuring that they make an informed choice that is best for their families.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government outlines existing guidance for exclusions that directs parents to free information services and expects a similar approach for EHE. It also mentions a future duty on local authorities to provide support, but does not specifically address the recommendation for independent advocates.
Read full response →
Department for Education
7
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
Once the statutory register of children outside of school is up and running, the Department for Education must make use of it to collate, analyse and publish anonymised annual data on the number of children out of school so that the Department, local authorities and others are better able to …
Read more
Once the statutory register of children outside of school is up and running, the Department for Education must make use of it to collate, analyse and publish anonymised annual data on the number of children out of school so that the Department, local authorities and others are better able to understand trends and create effective policy in response to them.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government is committed to a form of registration for children not in school and anticipates collecting and publishing high-level anonymised data from local authorities, recognizing its value for policy creation, with further details still to be decided.
Read full response →
Department for Education
8
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
When a pupil is excluded from school for more than five non-consecutive days in a school year, the pupil and their parents or carers should be given access to an independent advocate to help them navigate the process. Families considering EHE should also have access to these advocates, to ensure …
Read more
When a pupil is excluded from school for more than five non-consecutive days in a school year, the pupil and their parents or carers should be given access to an independent advocate to help them navigate the process. Families considering EHE should also have access to these advocates, to ensure that they have the information and support they need to make an informed choice for them and their child.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government did not commit to providing independent advocates for excluded pupils or families considering EHE, instead pointing to existing information and advice services. It deferred further details on broader support for home-educating families to a future consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
9
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted
There is clearly a distinction between those families who make a free choice to EHE, and those for whom it is not truly ‘elective.’ We understand that many home educators do not see off-rolling, exclusion or illegal schools as a problem of EHE. However, the fact remains that some families—especially …
Read more
There is clearly a distinction between those families who make a free choice to EHE, and those for whom it is not truly ‘elective.’ We understand that many home educators do not see off-rolling, exclusion or illegal schools as a problem of EHE. However, the fact remains that some families—especially those where children have SEND—feel forced into what should be a free and informed choice. We therefore repeat the following recommendation from our predecessor Committee’s Report on alternative provision and exclusions. (Education Committee, Fifth Report of Session 2017–19, Forgotten children, HC 342, para 64).
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government remains committed to statutory registration for children not in school, including electively home educated children, with further details expected in a forthcoming consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
10
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
Schools should publish their permanent and fixed term exclusion rates by year group every term, including providing information about pupils with SEND and looked- after children. Schools should also publish data on the number of pupils who have left the school.
Read more
Schools should publish their permanent and fixed term exclusion rates by year group every term, including providing information about pupils with SEND and looked- after children. Schools should also publish data on the number of pupils who have left the school.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The Department collects and publishes suspension and exclusion data annually, including termly rates and SEND breakdowns, and intends to continue this. However, it rejects school-level publication for looked-after children and does not commit to schools publishing data on pupils who have left, citing data limitations.
Read full response →
Department for Education
11
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
Some children in those illegal schools prosecuted so far have been nominally home educated, with families misled by providers. Without the consistent and robust data on children outside school that a register could provide, we cannot know the true impact of off-rolling and illegal schools on children nominally receiving EHE. …
Read more
Some children in those illegal schools prosecuted so far have been nominally home educated, with families misled by providers. Without the consistent and robust data on children outside school that a register could provide, we cannot know the true impact of off-rolling and illegal schools on children nominally receiving EHE. We welcome the Government and Ofsted’s efforts to clamp down on unregistered schools and await the outcome of the consultation on independent educational institutions with interest. It cannot be right that settings where children receive their principal education escape regulatory scrutiny by exploiting loopholes in the law. (Paragraph 56) Strengthening Home Education 39
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government committed to a local authority administered statutory registration system to identify children not in school, including those electively home educated, but stated further details would be provided in the upcoming Children Not In School consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
12
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Rejected
Many children with SEND may be happiest educated at home, but this should absolutely not be a choice that parents are forced to make for lack of the right support. We accept that what begins as a negative choice can become positive over time, but support must be in place …
Read more
Many children with SEND may be happiest educated at home, but this should absolutely not be a choice that parents are forced to make for lack of the right support. We accept that what begins as a negative choice can become positive over time, but support must be in place so that families do not have to make that forced choice in the first place. Our predecessor Committee’s report on Special educational needs and disabilities recommended “that the Department for Education explores the potential for creating a neutral role, allocated to every parent or carer with a child when a request is made for a needs assessment, which has the responsibility for co-ordinating all statutory SEND processes including the annual review, similar to the role of the Independent Reviewing Officer for looked-after children.” (Education Committee, First Report of Session 2019, Special educational needs and disabilities, HC 20, para 52). We believe that an independent, neutral role such as this would also be invaluable in ensuring that children with SEND are not forced into home education for lack of adequate school support, and that families who do choose EHE for children with SEND receive the support and information they need to make that choice.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government rejected the recommendation to create an independent, neutral role for SEND support, stating that existing SEND support mechanisms and local information, advice, and support services (SENDIASS) already provide sufficient access to support.
Read full response →
Department for Education
13
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Rejected
In light of the evidence we heard on children with SEND, the Department must reconsider the potential for creating an independent, neutral role, allocated to every parent or carer with a child when a request is made for a needs assessment, which has the responsibility for co-ordinating all statutory SEND …
Read more
In light of the evidence we heard on children with SEND, the Department must reconsider the potential for creating an independent, neutral role, allocated to every parent or carer with a child when a request is made for a needs assessment, which has the responsibility for co-ordinating all statutory SEND processes including the annual review, similar to the role of the Independent Reviewing Officer for looked-after children. This role would support families with the choice to EHE, and help ensure that any such choice was made in a truly informed way, and in the best interests of the child and their family.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government rejects the creation of a new independent, neutral role for parents of children with SEND, stating that existing SENDIASS services and statutory duties already provide sufficient support.
Read full response →
Department for Education
14
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Acknowledged
We urge the Government to publish its SEND Review without further delay, and will look forward to scrutinising any proposals it makes.
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the SEND Review is underway, aiming to improve the SEND system, and states it will make recommendations 'in due course' without committing to a specific publication timeline.
Read full response →
Department for Education
15
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Acknowledged
The SEND Review must address the need for consistent and sufficient support for children with SEND, no matter how they are educated. Access to Education, Health and Care Plans and the support they offer should not depend on being on roll at a school. (Paragraph 60) Elective Home Education: Local …
Read more
The SEND Review must address the need for consistent and sufficient support for children with SEND, no matter how they are educated. Access to Education, Health and Care Plans and the support they offer should not depend on being on roll at a school. (Paragraph 60) Elective Home Education: Local Authorities and support
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the ongoing SEND Review, stating it aims to ensure a consistent, high-quality, and integrated SEND system and will make recommendations in due course, without directly confirming it will address support for SEND children regardless of education setting.
Read full response →
Department for Education
16
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
Local authorities told us that they lack sufficient powers. It seems to us that the grey area in the Departmental guidance—where there is no legal duty for parents to respond to enquiries about EHE, but the local authority is entitled to conclude that education may not be suitable should those …
Read more
Local authorities told us that they lack sufficient powers. It seems to us that the grey area in the Departmental guidance—where there is no legal duty for parents to respond to enquiries about EHE, but the local authority is entitled to conclude that education may not be suitable should those parents not respond—cannot be conducive to constructive relationships between EHE parents and local authorities.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government stated that the issues of local authority powers regarding EHE and the 'grey area' in guidance were not within the scope of the Children Not In School consultation and therefore would not be addressed in its response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
17
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
Without a clearer definition of what a ‘suitable’ education is and what the threshold might be for intervention, local authorities have to rely on their safeguarding powers. We understand that, where powers are seen to be used inappropriately, there is a negative impact both on individuals and on relationships with …
Read more
Without a clearer definition of what a ‘suitable’ education is and what the threshold might be for intervention, local authorities have to rely on their safeguarding powers. We understand that, where powers are seen to be used inappropriately, there is a negative impact both on individuals and on relationships with the wider EHE community. It may be that the current ‘grey area’ is encouraging the use of School Attendance Orders where more informal approaches could be more beneficial for all concerned—or it could be that councils now have better understanding of the 40 Strengthening Home Education options available to them and are using their powers effectively and appropriately. Without better data, we cannot know whether the growth in SAOs reflects concerns about provision of education in the home, increased activism on the part of councils or a combination of both, The Committee is not opposed to SAOs per se, but we do need better information regarding the growth in their use and whether they are being used appropriately.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government stated that existing guidance sufficiently defines 'suitable education' for local authorities. Regarding School Attendance Orders (SAOs), it committed to working with local authorities to understand current data holdings and to consider further data collection and analysis in due course.
Read full response →
Department for Education
18
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
When the Department responds to the 2019 consultation, it must clearly set out the expectations on LAs, other parts of the public sector (including health and social care) and parents with regards to EHE. It should supply case study examples so that EHE families and local authorities have a clear …
Read more
When the Department responds to the 2019 consultation, it must clearly set out the expectations on LAs, other parts of the public sector (including health and social care) and parents with regards to EHE. It should supply case study examples so that EHE families and local authorities have a clear and shared understanding of what may constitute a ‘suitable education’, and what the thresholds for intervention should be—including for the serving of SAOs. The Department for Education should also track, publish and analyse data on SAOs at a national level on an annual basis.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states that setting out EHE expectations was outside the consultation's scope and that existing guidance is sufficient. However, it will work with local authorities to understand and consider further data collection on School Attendance Orders.
Read full response →
Department for Education
19
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
Although we were pleased to see that Keeping Children Safe in Education was updated during the inquiry, we heard that key guidance documents on safeguarding did not recognise EHE. It is therefore hardly surprising that that local authorities and others vary hugely in their approach to EHE families. EHE is …
Read more
Although we were pleased to see that Keeping Children Safe in Education was updated during the inquiry, we heard that key guidance documents on safeguarding did not recognise EHE. It is therefore hardly surprising that that local authorities and others vary hugely in their approach to EHE families. EHE is a legally recognised choice, and as such must be recognised in guidance so that professionals across education, health and other services understand what it is, and how to respond appropriately when they come into contact with EHE families. Guidance must be consistent so that both families and local authorities know where they stand with regards to sanctions like SAOs but also the processes which professionals and parents will need to follow.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in the 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance at its next review point, without providing a specific timeline for this.
Read full response →
Department for Education
20
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Department must revisit and revise key statutory guidance such as Working Together to Safeguard Children as soon as possible, so that they explicitly contain EHE within their scope, and contain clear and consistent messages for families, local authorities and others.
Read more
The Department must revisit and revise key statutory guidance such as Working Together to Safeguard Children as soon as possible, so that they explicitly contain EHE within their scope, and contain clear and consistent messages for families, local authorities and others.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' guidance at its next regular review point.
Read full response →
Department for Education
21
Conclusion
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
We heard that there is a lack of consistency in the approach local authorities take to support EHE. Departmental guidance is ambiguous and does not provide the necessary clarity on what is expected of them. Ofsted told us that for it to inspect home educating parents would be disproportionate. However, …
Read more
We heard that there is a lack of consistency in the approach local authorities take to support EHE. Departmental guidance is ambiguous and does not provide the necessary clarity on what is expected of them. Ofsted told us that for it to inspect home educating parents would be disproportionate. However, Ofsted did say it would be open to considering additional ways it could support EHE oversight.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government reiterates that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' EHE work during Children’s Social Care inspections, but does not address the conclusion's points about lack of consistency, ambiguous guidance, or Ofsted considering new oversight methods.
Read full response →
Department for Education
22
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted
The Department must assign Ofsted a role in quality assuring the delivery of local authority support for EHE and adherence to EHE guidance. This will require the creation of an inspection framework, based on the clarified guidance for local authorities and EHE families that we also expect the Department to …
Read more
The Department must assign Ofsted a role in quality assuring the delivery of local authority support for EHE and adherence to EHE guidance. This will require the creation of an inspection framework, based on the clarified guidance for local authorities and EHE families that we also expect the Department to produce.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' Elective Home Education (EHE) work as part of normal inspections of Children’s Social Care services, covering welfare monitoring and policies.
Read full response →
Department for Education
23
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
On the whole, local authorities did not see themselves as potential ‘inspectors’ in the Ofsted mould—even though the former Children’s Commissioner called for “at least a once a year, if not once a term” inspection. However, some local authorities would like more powers to see children and to establish whether …
Read more
On the whole, local authorities did not see themselves as potential ‘inspectors’ in the Ofsted mould—even though the former Children’s Commissioner called for “at least a once a year, if not once a term” inspection. However, some local authorities would like more powers to see children and to establish whether they are receiving a suitable education. We heard that local authorities would not make “intrusive visits Strengthening Home Education 41 if we don’t feel they are necessary,” and that children would not have to be seen in the home. By contrast, home educators emphasised to us that the fact of being home-educated did not constitute a safeguarding risk. However, we conclude that it is reasonable for local authorities to seek reassurance that EHE is suitable, and that they must have clear abilities to do so. The former Children’s Commissioner and the Local Government Association were among those calling for more oversight of EHE.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states that Ofsted already assesses local authorities' EHE work as part of Children’s Social Care inspections, but this does not address the recommendation for local authorities to have clear abilities to seek reassurance that EHE is suitable.
Read full response →
Department for Education
24
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
HMCI Amanda Spielman told us it was “very un-joined up” that children who were on a child protection plan and experiencing harm could be withdrawn into home education. We share HMCI’s concerns and call on the Department to ensure that children subject to a child protection plan are educated in …
Read more
HMCI Amanda Spielman told us it was “very un-joined up” that children who were on a child protection plan and experiencing harm could be withdrawn into home education. We share HMCI’s concerns and call on the Department to ensure that children subject to a child protection plan are educated in a suitable setting to ensure that they are properly protected.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The Department states it will consider including Elective Home Education (EHE) in its "Working Together to Safeguard Children" statutory guidance at the next review point.
Read full response →
Department for Education
25
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted in Part
The Department must clarify and strengthen the expectation in its 2019 guidance that local authorities make contact with parents on at least an annual basis, so that local authorities have the ability to see a child in person (at a venue of the family’s choosing) in situations where this is …
Read more
The Department must clarify and strengthen the expectation in its 2019 guidance that local authorities make contact with parents on at least an annual basis, so that local authorities have the ability to see a child in person (at a venue of the family’s choosing) in situations where this is necessary to establish the suitability of the education they are receiving. The Department must make any necessary statutory changes to enable this, and make clear that: • annual contact with an EHE family is a minimum expectation; • local authorities should be asking to see examples of children’s work and parents should not reasonably refuse this; • local authorities should be assessing children’s progress from one year to the next, especially in areas such as literacy and numeracy which are essential to access future educational opportunities and employment. By the time children are at the age when they would leave compulsory schooling, they should be able to demonstrate the same baseline numeracy and literacy skills that we expect from their schooled peers. While children with SEND may follow different paths, it is vital that they too have the right support provided so that they can flourish.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government will review its 2019 EHE guidance for local authorities and parents in due course, pending a judicial review. However, it explicitly rejects stipulating specific methods for local authorities to assess the suitability of home education or mandating the requirement to see children's work …
Read full response →
Department for Education
26
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Accepted
The Department should provide local authorities with a set of clear criteria against which suitability of education can be assessed, taking into account the full range of pedagogical approaches taken in EHE, as well as the age, ability and aptitude of individual children, including where they may have SEND.
Read more
The Department should provide local authorities with a set of clear criteria against which suitability of education can be assessed, taking into account the full range of pedagogical approaches taken in EHE, as well as the age, ability and aptitude of individual children, including where they may have SEND.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states that its existing Elective Home Education (EHE) guidance for local authorities already details eight factors for assessing the suitability of education.
Read full response →
Department for Education
27
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Acknowledged
We heard that parents receive more support from networks than they do from local authorities, but without the robust data that a register would provide we cannot know for certain whether everyone who needs support is able to access it. Furthermore, the evidence we received indicated a lack of mutual …
Read more
We heard that parents receive more support from networks than they do from local authorities, but without the robust data that a register would provide we cannot know for certain whether everyone who needs support is able to access it. Furthermore, the evidence we received indicated a lack of mutual understanding between home educators and local authorities, and a lack of consistent training in local authorities that encompassed the full range of EHE approaches. This undermined the support that local authorities could and should provide. More consistent and informed training would address the problem of local authorities acting beyond their powers. Better mutual understanding is in everyone’s interests—not least those of home- educated children themselves, who should at all times be our focus. (Paragraph 98) 42 Strengthening Home Education
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government refers to its commitment to a registration system for children not in school, noting that decisions on its implementation may include training packages for local authority officers, without making a firm commitment to provide such training.
Read full response →
Department for Education
28
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Not Addressed
Given the rise in EHE numbers and lack of consistent support from local authorities, the Department should commission and roll out a national training package for all local authority officers with responsibility for EHE—developed with a wide range of stakeholders—so that those officers have a thorough and consistent understanding of …
Read more
Given the rise in EHE numbers and lack of consistent support from local authorities, the Department should commission and roll out a national training package for all local authority officers with responsibility for EHE—developed with a wide range of stakeholders—so that those officers have a thorough and consistent understanding of the duties of and guidance for local authorities. That package should explain the various EHE approaches—possibly in the form of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). All local authority officers with responsibility for EHE must be expected to complete that training as part of their job. (Paragraph 99) Outcomes, assessment and exams for children receiving EHE
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government stated that while it is committed to a registration system for children not in school, decisions on local authority implementation are yet to be made and may or may not include the recommended national training package for EHE officers.
Read full response →
Department for Education
29
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
Without large-scale, objective data, our understanding of the attainment and outcomes achieved by EHE children remains largely anecdotal. Despite assurances from the EHE community, we therefore cannot be sure that all EHE children get an education ‘suitable’ to prepare them for the next stage of their lives. Children’s voices are …
Read more
Without large-scale, objective data, our understanding of the attainment and outcomes achieved by EHE children remains largely anecdotal. Despite assurances from the EHE community, we therefore cannot be sure that all EHE children get an education ‘suitable’ to prepare them for the next stage of their lives. Children’s voices are lacking from research. We understand that assessment is more challenging territory than simply understanding who is being home-educated and why. Home educators told us that assessment was stressful for some children, especially those who have come to EHE precisely because a formal system does not work for them. We heard that EHE children might take exams such as GCSEs on a different timetable to their schooled peers, and that some who initially struggled with reading or writing went on to excel when allowed to go at their own pace. Furthermore, exams are not the only measure of positive educational or life outcomes. However, we expect that, as a minimum, home-educated children must have equity of access to the next stage of their education, work or training. All EHE children should have the opportunity to take GCSEs, A-Levels and vocational exams as appropriate.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the value and challenges of researching EHE outcomes due to data limitations. It commits to reviewing potential research approaches after the Children Not In School consultation response, but does not directly address equity of access to exams or future education for EHE …
Read full response →
Department for Education
30
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Department must urgently commission and publish longitudinal research examining the life chances and social outcomes of EHE children in England (as a short-, medium- or long-term intervention), compared with those who have received a formal schooled education. This will need to include a range of short-, medium-and long- term …
Read more
The Department must urgently commission and publish longitudinal research examining the life chances and social outcomes of EHE children in England (as a short-, medium- or long-term intervention), compared with those who have received a formal schooled education. This will need to include a range of short-, medium-and long- term self-reported experiences, ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ outcomes’, and work in partnership with the full range of EHE communities. ‘Hard’ outcomes to be measured will include ability to demonstrate the skills in literacy and numeracy that are essential to future work or training. Soft outcomes could include less quantifiable factors such as mental wellbeing.
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the value of the recommended longitudinal research but defers reviewing potential approaches until after the Children Not In School consultation response is published, citing challenges with data availability.
Read full response →
Department for Education
31
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
The Government needs to act on the longstanding issue of inequitable access to exams for those children receiving EHE. The cancellation of exams in 2020 has had a massive impact on all students, but a particularly acute impact on those receiving EHE. With a register in place, it may well …
Read more
The Government needs to act on the longstanding issue of inequitable access to exams for those children receiving EHE. The cancellation of exams in 2020 has had a massive impact on all students, but a particularly acute impact on those receiving EHE. With a register in place, it may well have been easier to identify those children who would have been affected. If better relationships between home educators and local authorities are to be developed, it makes sense to provide ‘carrots’ as well as ‘sticks’. Removing barriers of cost and distance to exam entry for EHE children would put them on a level playing field with their schooled peers and improve our knowledge about their educational outcomes. (Paragraph 122) Strengthening Home Education 43
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government describes existing arrangements for private exam candidates and past exceptional grants, stating that parents are generally financially responsible. It notes a consultation proposed local authority support, but details will be deferred until the consultation response is published.
Read full response →
Department for Education
32
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Deferred
For that reason, we repeat our predecessor Committee’s recommendations with regards to public examinations. This seems reasonable in order to help EHE children gain the qualifications needed for future education, training and employment.
Government response AI summary
The government reiterated that access to public examinations for private candidates is at the discretion of individual centres and parents are financially responsible. It deferred details of potential future examination support for home-educating families to the upcoming Children Not In School consultation response.
Read full response →
Department for Education
33
Recommendation
Third Report - Strengthening Home Educa…
Rejected
The Government must place a duty on every local authority to ensure that home- educated children and young people have fair access to centres where they can sit accredited public examinations, with the Government meeting the entry costs for those exams. The Department for Education must also work to establish …
Read more
The Government must place a duty on every local authority to ensure that home- educated children and young people have fair access to centres where they can sit accredited public examinations, with the Government meeting the entry costs for those exams. The Department for Education must also work to establish the appropriate level of entitlement, to which examinations the entitlement will apply, and the additional funding the Department will commit to support this. (Paragraph 124) 44 Strengthening Home Education
Show less
Government response AI summary
The government states parents are financially responsible for exam costs and does not commit to meeting them. While a consultation proposed a duty on local authorities to provide support, details will be published later and remain subject to further discussion.
Read full response →
Department for Education