Schools

Requests for Elective Home Education (EHE) from parents and carers can be a complex area for schools to navigate. We have detailed below a few key points for schools as well as the processes that Barnet Education & Learning Service ask schools to follow:

Key points

The Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) Elective Home Education team are an Advisory service not a Statutory service.
Elective Home Education (EHE) must always be the choice of parents/ carers.
Parents/ carers have a legal right to home educate. Currently, consent from the local authority is only required where a child has an EHCP and attends a Special School.
The Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education team (EHE) work within government guidance: www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education
The Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team make annual (i.e. once a year) enquiries into a home educated child’s education. This is in line with government guidance.
The Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team do not monitor a child’s education. This is in line with government guidance.
Home educating families can decline an annual home visit by the Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team. Home educating families are not obliged to allow the Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team to meet the home educated child. This is in line with government guidance.
Home educating families can ignore and/or decline all contact with the Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team. This is in line with government guidance. Under these circumstances, a Child Missing Education (CME) referral is made by the team and the case closed to the Elective Home Education (EHE) team.
Home education should be referred to as Elective Home Education (EHE) rather than ‘home schooling’ to avoid confusion with other forms of available education.

Process for schools to follow with a request for home education from a parent/ carer:

Once the parent/ carer informs the school of their intention to home educate, the school should suggest to the parent/ carer to contact Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) EHE for impartial advice. The parent/ carer can do this by emailing: EHE@barnet.gov.uk. We will always endeavour to respond promptly to such contact. The parent/ carer is under no obligation to contact the Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) EHE team. However, where possible, the team would like the opportunity to discuss home education with the parent/ carer and answer any questions that they may have.
Where a child has an EHCP and attends a Special School, the parent/ carer should be immediately directed to seek consent to home educate from the Local Authority – via their SEN caseworker at Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS). The child should not be off rolled before this consent has been obtained. Where a child has an EHCP and attends a mainstream school, this consent is not required.
The school should request an exit meeting with the parent/ carer to discuss their decision to home educate. However, parents/ carers are under no obligation to attend such a meeting.

a. During the exit meeting, the school should confirm to the parent/ carer that in electing to home educate, they will be assuming all financial and organisational responsibility for their child’s education. The London Borough of Barnet, Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS) and the school will not finance the home education. This means that there is no financial help for costs with exams, subscriptions, outings, clubs, laptops, books, teaching and tutors from The London Borough of Barnet, Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS) and the school.

It should also be confirmed to the parent/s/ carer/s that the school will not provide or organise work, resources, tuition, assessments and examinations for their home educated child.

It would be useful for this information to also be communicated to the parent/ carer by email.

b. We also ask that schools refer to ‘Elective Home Education’ (EHE) rather than ‘home schooling’ in any communications with parents/ carers. This ensures that parents/ carers are clear that the education will be provided and funded by the parents/ carers and will not be schooling at home provided and funded by the school, The London Borough of Barnet and/or Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS.)

4. If the parent/ carer declines an exit meeting with the school, we ask that this information (3a above) is emailed to the parent/ carer by the school.

5. The parent/ carer should be asked to provide the school with a dated email/ letter (deregistration email) clearly stating that they intend to home educate and take full responsibility for their child’s education and the date that this will start. Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS) is unable to accept registrations for Elective Home Education (EHE) without this email and the child will remain on roll at the school until this is received.

6. Once the parent/ carer has provided a deregistration email to the school, they should be asked to register with Elective Home Education at Barnet Education and Learning Service (BELS) via the link and QR code below:

https://forms.office.com/e/8d16cHakcn?origin=lprLink

7. The school should send Elective Home Education (EHE) at BELS EHE@Barnet.gov.uk the following paperwork:

Parent/ carer deregistration email.

Off rolling form - fully completed (please ensure that all contact details are up to date and it is made clear whether the parents/ carers detailed on the form have parental responsibility.)

Attendance record.

Any meeting notes regarding the decision to home educate.

EHCP (if any.)

Consent to home educate notification from the Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) SEN co-ordinator if the child has an EHCP and attends a Special School. This is not required for a child with an EHCP attending a mainstream school.

Safeguarding concerns:

Kindly note that Elective Home Education (EHE) at Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) cannot make a MASH referral on the basis of a school’s concerns.

Any safeguarding concerns should be referred by the school directly to MASH: mash@barnet.gov.uk

A safeguarding referral can be made online at: www.barnet.gov.uk/directories/directme/multi-agency-safeguarding-hub-mash-team-childrens

Visiting and seeing the child whilst home educated and monitoring a child’s home education:

The Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) Elective Home Education team are an Advisory service and not a Statutory service. The team works within current Elective Home Education Guidance: www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education

The Elective Home Education team receive a number of requests from schools and other professionals to ensure that a home educated child is regularly visited and seen by the Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) Elective Home Education team and that the child’s education is monitored.

Schools should note that the current Elective Home Education guidance states that local authorities can only make annual (enquiries into a child’s home education and may not monitor a child’s home education.

Whilst local authorities can request or offer a meeting with the home educating family, the family are under no obligation to accept this and can therefore simply decline to do so and provide us with written information, which if suitable, Barnet Education & Learning Service (BELS) are obliged to accept. Similarly, in circumstances where a family may accept a home visit, they are under no obligation to introduce the home educated child to us/ ensure that the child is seen by us.

Home educating families can also ignore and/or decline all contact with the Barnet Education & Learning (BELS) Elective Home Education (EHE) team. This is in line with government guidance. Under these circumstances, a Child Missing Education (CME) referral is made by the team and the case closed to the Elective Home Education (EHE) team.

Further information:

Elective Home Education (EHE) guidance

Government guidance in relation to Elective Home Education (EHE) can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education