Back to: A Parents Guide to Elective Home Education
Steps that a school may take in relation to a pupil not attending whose absence is not authorised by the school
Write to you setting out the legal responsibility that you have to ensure that your child is receiving education.
Conduct telephone and possible in person enquiries to ensure that your child is safe and well.
Request further detailed information to determine if it is possible to authorise the absence.
Advise the local authority should the attendance last over 10 consecutive days.
Advise you that you may be liable to parental responsibility measures, including the issuing of a fine.
On some occasions you may feel that you are have no alternative but to home educate. Should your child be at risk of exclusion, or have a medical condition preventing them from accessing education, it is worth reading the additional information below to understand how to access additional support before removing your child from the roll of their school.
Exclusion
If you are considering home education as a result of the possibility of your child being excluded from school speak to the education department at your local authority to discuss possible alternatives to exclusion and provision that may be available post an exclusion. Although a fresh start may be considered a good option if the underlying causes of the behaviour are addressed then those barriers to learning are likely to remain.
….. the threat of exclusion must never be used to influence parents to remove their child from the school.
Paragraph 15 DfE Exclusion from Maintained Schools, Academies and Pupil Referral Units in England
Remember that pressure should never be put on you as parents by a school to remove your child from a school to avoid formal exclusion, or because your child is having difficulty with learning or behaviour. This practice – sometimes called ‘off-rolling’ is unacceptable, and if pressure of this sort is put on you by any state-funded school you should inform the local authority.
Elective Home Education Departmental Guidance for Parents April 2019
Medical Needs
If your child has a medical condition which impacts on their ability to access education this should be addressed by your child’s school. Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions. Good practice is for your child to have an individual health care plan which sets out their medical condition, how it impacts on them and reasonable adjustments that need to be made. More information about how pupils with medical conditions are supported in school can be found in the DfE Guidance Supporting Pupils at School with Medical Conditions.
Depending on the level of support that your child requires it may be that they can access a specialist environment (alternative provision) which is able to meet their needs better. This may be accessed through your local authorities section 19 provision. Contact your school to ask how they refer pupils to the local authority that are prevented from accessing school due to a medical condition.
Each local authority shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable education at school or otherwise than at school for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them.
Section 19 Education Act 1996