You may want to educate your child or young person at home. This is called elective home education.

The Department for Education's all you need to know about home-schooling and elective home education (external link) provides important information you should be aware of if you are considering home schooling as an option.

In considering this, you should be aware that we:

• Do not have a legal duty to secure any of the special educational provision in your child or young person’s EHC Plan if they are being home-educated
• Will continue to maintain your child’s EHC plan and to hold an annual review to assure ourselves that the provision set out in it continues to be appropriate and that your child’s SEND continues to be met.

If you wish to home educate your child, you can find out more on home education which outline the policy, process and how to contact the team. If you chose to withdraw your child from school, you must notify the school/setting in writing of your decision to home educate. If your child has an EHC plan, we encourage you to contact the SEND team and ask us to amend section I of the EHC plan to record that the child or young person is being educated at home.

If your child or young person is at special school/setting, you will need agreement from the Council before their name is taken off the school roll.

Alternative education

If your child or young person is unable to attend school for any reason, and has an education and health care plan (EHCP) you should write to the SEND team to let us know at the earliest opportunity.

We will then be able to put in place alternative education - this may be with a provider registered with Ofsted if your child or young person is well enough to attend school, or where this is not possible, we will put in place home tuition. 

• For more information, see alternative education provision.