EHCP: Elective Home Education
Overview
Home Education, officially known as, Elective Home Education (EHE), refers to the choice by parents to provide full-time education for their children at home instead of sending them to school. Whether this is through making a positive choice to home educate, or in response to circumstances, both journeys are referred to as Elective Home Education.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and you would like to educate them at home, the process is different depending on the type of school your child attends.
Where Elective Home Education is agreed, the Local Authority is relieved of its duty to secure the provision outlined in the EHC plan. This means that the parent becomes solely responsible for the delivery of the provision.
If your child doesn’t have an EHCP, visit the East Sussex County Council's web page on Home Education.
Some children and young people do not attend school due to emotional factors, we describe this as Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). You can find out more by visiting this websites section on Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).
You can find out more information about the Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (ISEND) services mentioned on this page, on our directory:
- ISEND Assessment & Planning (A&P)
- ISEND Elective Home Education (EHE)
- ISEND Educational Psychologist Service (EPS)
Mainstream School and Specialist Facilities
The process for Elective Home Education, if your child is attending a mainstream school or a school with specialist facilities is as follows:
- Please tell the ISEND Assessment & Planning (A&P) team about your intention to home educate your child.
- You may then write to your child’s school asking them to off-roll your child. The school will do this.
- The ISEND Elective Home Education (EHE) service will contact you to discuss the responsibilities of electively home educating your child.
- Your Assessment and Planning Officer (APO) will arrange a meeting within 4 weeks of the off-rolling, inviting you and a TLP/EHE representative to attend.
- At this meeting, you will need to show evidence that you can meet your child’s needs and the provision written in their EHC plan. You will be told at the meeting whether the Local Authority agrees that home education is appropriate.
If it is not appropriate, your child’s school will contact you to arrange getting them back into school.
If it is appropriate, your APO will amend section I of your child’s EHC plan to record that they are being electively home educated.
At every following annual review, the Local Authority will decide whether home education continues to be appropriate.
Special School
The process for Elective Home Education, if your child is attending a special school is as follows:
- Please tell ISEND Assessment & Planning (A&P) about your intention to home educate your child.
- You may then write to your child’s school asking to home educate. The school will not off-roll at this point.
The school will arrange a meeting with:
- You
- Your Assessment and Planning Officer (APO)
- An Educational Psychologist (EP)
- An Elective Home Education (EHE) representative
- Any other relevant professionals
At this meeting, you will need to show evidence that you can meet your child’s needs and the provision written in their EHC plan. You will not be told the decision at the meeting.
The Local Authority will consider your request following the meeting.
If home education is not agreed, your child will remain on roll of the special school.
If home education is agreed, your APO will amend section I of your child’s EHC plan to record that they are being electively home educated. The school will remove your child from roll.
A EHE representative will make an initial home visit within three months to ensure the home education is suitable.
At every following annual review, the Local Authority will decide whether home education continues to be appropriate.
Additional Help and Support
Assessment & Planning
Your allocated Assessment and Planning Officer (APO) will be happy to answer any questions you have during this process. The APO will contact you if there are any delays, or any information that you should know, as things arise.
Some of our APOs work part-time and may not be available immediately if you telephone or e-mail them. However, if you leave a message, they will always respond to your contact as soon as they are able. You will find their direct telephone number on any of the letters you will have been sent.
You can also contact the Assessment & Planning office:
- Phone: 01273 336 740
- Email: sen.caseworkassistants@eastsussex.gov.uk
Amaze SENDIASS
Amaze SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service) are a local charity who offer free, independent, and impartial advice for all matters relating to SEND. Contact Amaze SENDIASS:
- Phone: 01273 772 289
- Email: sendiass@amazesussex.org.uk
Amaze also have a page on their website, Understanding Home Education.
East Sussex Local Offer directory of services
You can visit our SEND-specific online directory, hosted on East Sussex 1Space, that lists many different services both throughout the county and online. Services include advice, guidance and support groups, activities and events and mental health and wellbeing support among many other topics:
NHS - Health A to Z
While the East Sussex Local Offer aims to provide as much information as possible, there may be some conditions that aren't covered in thorough detail. The NHS website has pages that list all conditions, with information and advice on how to get extra support:
Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms
Some of the terms used on this website are explained on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.