Educating your child at home

In most cases parents are happy with their children's education being provided by a school.  Schools work to a common curriculum framework and are generally very successful in supporting the academic progress and personal development of children.  Effective schools develop a good partnership with parents.  Occasionally, parents prefer to arrange their child's education 'otherwise' than in a school, usually providing their lessons at home.  Parents who educate their children at home may do so for a number of reasons, possibly based on firm convictions about education.  These guidelines have been produced for those parents, resident in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, who choose to educate their children otherwise than by attendance at school.

What the law says

The law requires parents to ensure that their children attend school or receive education 'otherwise' than at school.  In all cases of children being educated at home, the Local Education Authority (LEA) has a duty to ensure that parents are providing an efficient full time education for their child, that is suitable to his or her age, ability and aptitude and also any special educational needs that he or she may have. This does not mean that it must be the same as in school, but children must be able to make good academic progress and develop emotionally and socially.

How to arrange your child's education at home

If your child is already enrolled at a school the first thing you will need to do is write to the governing body formally requesting that his/her name be removed from the school roll.  One reason for this is that if your child is not attending school but is still on the school roll, you would be liable for his/her non-attendance which could result in court action being taken against you.  It is also important for schools to have an accurate number of pupils on roll.

If you have not already done so, the next step is to contact the Principal Education Welfare and Partnerships Officer at the LEA.  For address details, see Contact Us.

You must state that it is your intention to educate your child "otherwise than by attendance at school" and you should send the completed Proposal form which you will find enclosed.  We will need you to complete the form by providing as much information as you can on:

• who will educate the child and their qualifications;
• the programme being followed in English, Mathematics and other subjects;
• the time allocated to teaching different subjects and how this is organised into a daily and weekly pattern;
• how you intend to monitor and record progress;
• the plans for recreational and social contact.

To ensure that we fulfil our legal duties it is essential that you provide this information.  Failure to provide this could result in legal action being taken against you.

An Education Consultant will be asked to look at the information you provide and, when your programme of education at home has been under way for a while, the Consultant will arrange to visit you and your child to assess the education your child is receiving.  A short report will be written and sent to you making suitable comments.  A copy will be retained in our files.

There are no compulsory subjects for parents who educate their children at home because the National Curriculum does not apply to them.  However, we are sure that you would not wish to see your child disadvantaged because he or she has not benefited from a broad education similar to that received by other school children.  Compulsory subjects for all pupils attending schools are: English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, History, Geography, Art, Music, Physical Education, a modern foreign language (from the age of 11 years), Religious Education  (unless you exercise your right to withdraw from this subject)

You can make arrangements to enter your child for public examinations by contacting the relevant examinations board.

Some families who decide to educate their children in ways other than by attendance at school find it a happy, fulfilling and successful experience.  This is not always the case and it is important you recognise that the burden or providing an effective education even to just one child can be quite heavy.  It can be difficult work, particularly if you are seeking to provide an education broadly in line with the National Curriculum.  For secondary aged children education at home is very much more difficult because of the need for specialist knowledge and facilities.  It can also be quite costly as it is important to offer access to good books and equipment.  Overall, you will find that this is not a responsibility to be undertaken lightly.  If your child has special educational needs it may be more difficult to get the help he or she needs, for example, by the assessment and help of a trained professional.

What happens if the Local Education Authority is not satisfied with the education being provided?

If the Education Consultant is concerned about any aspect of the education you make available to your child a number of actions will follow automatically.  First of all, those concerns will be made known to you and identified in the Consultant's report.  You will be allowed a reasonable period of time to improve the situation.  If the Consultant is still not satisfied, you will be asked to arrange for your child to attend full-time at a school.  If you do not then enrol your child at a school, the LEA will consider issuing a school attendance order.  Action of this kind could result in a court appearance and even a fine.

As an LEA we would generally prefer that you send your child to school as we believe this is where children are best educated.  We are always willing to discuss the reasons behind your decision, with a view to helping you as much as we can.  We do, however, respect your wishes and we know that some parents can do a very good job of educating their child at home.

•   Parental Proposal Form (PDF 99.1kb)