Page 64 - SEN116 January-February 2022

SEN law
What the law says
about home education
In this issue, Douglas Silas looks at what the law says about home education.
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Iread an article recently saying that there has been a 34% rise in elective home education in the academic year 2020/21, which seems linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this issue, I therefore want to look at what the law says about home
education.
Why is home education a topical issue at the moment?
Although the number of families choosing to home educate a child has been increasing over recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic appears to have accelerated the trend, either as a result of health reasons related to Covid-19 or, as is the most common reason given by parents after this, due to their child’s anxiety or mental health problems. Many parents were also concerned to find during ‘lockdown’ when educating their children at home, that their child was not doing as well as the school had previously made out.
“Elective home education may not be the most appropriate route”
The difficulty is ensuring that suitable education is being made for children who are taken off the roll from schools, or for those in ‘unlawful’ schools. There is also concern that elective home education may not be the most appropriate route for all children concerned. Local Authorities (LAs) already have a duty to ensure that children being educated at home are safe and receiving a suitable education, but they may not have all the relevant powers to do so currently.
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