Elective education key issues examined by Committee
20 November 2020
The Education Committee will be holding an oral evidence session as part of its home education inquiry. The session will set out some of the key issues around elective home education.
The inquiry is focussed on elective home education, rather than the ‘home schooling’ that many children who usually attend a school have received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Witnesses
Tuesday 24th November
At 10am
- Jenny Coles, President, Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS)
- Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Deputy Chair of Children and Young People Board, Local Government Association
- Mrunal Sisodia, Co-chair, National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF)
- Jane Lowe, one of the Home Education Advisory Service’s trustees
Session focus
This session will investigate whether current arrangements provide enough support for home educated children and establish if any further measures are necessary to facilitate their access to efficient, full-time and suitable education. It will also examine the impact of COVID-19 on elective home education, and any needs arising from the pandemic that need to be addressed.
No definitive figure for home educated children and young people
The Department for Education does not collect statistics on the number of children in home education, and there is no single definitive figure for the number of children and young people being educated at home. As of March 2019, however, local authorities reported to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) that 60,544 children were being electively home educated in England.
In April 2019, the Department for Education launched guidance for both parents and local authorities. The guidance is due for review by December 2020.
Further information
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