Elective Home Education (EHE)

Parents or carers may decide to provide Home Education for their children instead of sending them to school. This is called Elective Home Education (EHE).

Buckinghamshire Council recognises that home education is a parental choice.

When a parent chooses not to send their child to school, they take on the responsibility for making sure their child receives a full-time education.

Buckinghamshire Council, as the local authority, has a duty to be satisfied that all children are receiving suitable education.

Things to consider

Providing a suitable education

You're responsible for making sure your child receives an education that is suitable for their:

age
ability
aptitude
any other special needs they have

Costs

If you home-educate your child, you are responsible for all costs, including:

books
equipment
field trips
any exam fees
tuition, tutoring and subscriptions to online providers

Meeting your child's other needs

Social aspects of your child’s development: how your child will engage in social activities and interact with other children.
How you will provide for your child’s physical development.

If there's a school-based issue, we strongly advise you not to withdraw your child from school until you have explored all the options with the school. Please call us if you need any advice.

Your decision to home educate your child should be an informed, active and positive one.

Withdrawing your child from school

If you decide to withdraw your child from school to home educate, you must inform the school in writing so that the child’s name can be removed from the school roll.

If you decide to return your child to school, they will not have an automatic right of admission to their previous school.

Tell us you've decided to home educate your child

Your child's school will then complete an Elective Home Education School Notification Form. Schools can find more information on SchoolsWeb. Please note that if an error shows when following this link, schools will need to log in to view the information on SchoolsWeb.

How we will work with you

Our EHE Officer will contact you if you are Electively Home Educating your child.

An email will be sent, or an initial telephone consultation will usually be arranged, so they can discuss the plans you have in place for your child’s education.

They will not tell you how to teach your child, but can offer advice and guidance.

Our EHE Officer may discuss:

How are you planning to ensure your child is offered a diverse and well-rounded learning experience
What are your short- and long-term plans
How do you provide for your child’s physical development and emotional wellbeing
How do you arrange for your child to mix socially with others
How will you record your child’s progress and identify any areas for development
Are you planning for your child to take exams, and how will you facilitate this. It is often difficult to find suitable exam centres, and the costs of exams such as GCSEs can be expensive.

The EHE Officer will meet with you at home, but if you prefer, meetings can be arranged at alternative places.

Home education initial contact form

When a local authority is first notified that a parent has chosen to home-educate, we make initial contact with the family to understand the educational provision being made. You may be asked to complete an initial contact form.

Home education annual contact form

You may be asked to complete an annual review form to update the Local Authority on your child’s progress.

Other ways to send information

If you prefer to send the information in another way, you can send:

a written report with optional samples of work, including evidence of progression
a meeting at your home, a mutually agreed location
endorsements of a recognised third party (home tutor/online school)
a telephone consultation

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you must contact our SEND Service when requesting Elective Home Education. An emergency annual review should take place to establish how you are going to meet your child’s outcomes on the EHC Plan.

If your child attends a special school, Buckinghamshire Council must give permission before your child can come off the school's roll.

We always recommend speaking to your child's school before making the decision to home educate.

Buckinghamshire Council will continue to arrange Annual Reviews to check that your child is receiving suitable education and support and meeting the outcomes of the EHC Plan.