Some Perspectives on Home Educated Children

Key Findings

• Within the sample, staff responsible for EHE were located in a range of local authority departments, reflecting the ambiguity for local authorities in deciding where responsibility for EHE should lie. Is it welfare, school improvement, Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) or quality assurance? Where the responsibility for EHE lies within the local authority will impart a message to parents about the local authority’s view on EHE.
• The numbers of EHE children known to the local authorities in the sample and the proportion of the school population this represented varied, although, overall, it was extremely small. However, all local authority interviewees felt that were significant numbers of children they were not aware of (interviewees and others estimated that local authorities knew of about a third to a half of the young people on EHE).
The local authority personnel interviewed highlighted the delicate balance and tension that existed between what was viewed as local authority responsibility and parents’ rights. They called for some clarity in this respect.

Sponsor Details

NFER