What is Elective home education?

Elective home education (EHE) is used to describe parents’ decision to provide education for their children at home instead of sending them to school. This is different from home tuition or alternative provision provided by the local authority. Some parents may choose to engage private tutors but there is no requirement for them to do so. Learning may take place in a variety of locations, not just in the family home and learning does not have to take place at set times of the day.

GRTS Home Education

Data from the Department for Education has found that since 2010, on average, only 51% of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children in state-funded primary schools go on to attend secondary school, as compared to 97% of non Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children.

GTRS parents often make the decision to home educate when the child is in, or about to join, secondary school.  This is partly due to primary schools being seen as nurturing places where the regular contact with teachers helps to facilitate cultural understanding and reduce the risk of bullying.  By contrast, secondary schools are often perceived as impersonal institutions that lack understanding of GTRS heritage and cultures.

There is a danger that for some GRTS children, being electively home educated results in a very limited formal education with minimal access to resources and no opportunity to gain formal qualifications.  This also minimises occasions to socialise with children from different communities, making these children further isolated.

Understanding your schools responsibilities

 Before a child is removed from roll the Designated Safeguarding Lead should:

• Depending on the age of the child, speak to them alone about how they feel about being educated at home and whether they have any concerns
• Complete the EHE Safeguarding Pupil form and return it to the EHE Service (this includes gathering the views of the child independent of parents)
• Send a copy of the letter / email from parent stating their decision to Electively Home Educate to the EHE Service

If you have any safeguarding concerns you should,

• Complete a MASH enquiry stating the concerns and of the decision to home-educate
• Send a copy of the MASH enquiry to the EHE service

A School Exit form should also be completed. This ensures that parents are clear of their responsibilities when home educating. It also provides the opportunity for school and parents to discuss the reasons for home education and ensure that it is the right decision for the child.

For more information visit Elective home education – Education and Families (devon.gov.uk)

In January 2021, the UK opened a new resettlement route for Hong Kong British National (Overseas) citizens (BNOs) and their close family members.

Many families have already arrived from Hong Kong and schools have been welcoming them into their community.

Many children and their families from Hong Kong have relatively good level of English language proficiency, compared to other ethnically diverse children. However, they will still require well-planned EAL support to help them boost their language skills, which in turn will enable them to take greater advantage of the education opportunities available to them.

As well as the EAL provision, children would benefit from pastoral support. The Hong Kong Well UK have developed a two-minute guide for teachers to help them to better understand and prepare for children’s arrival.