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First Successful Prosecution Illegal School

On October 24th 2018 the proprietors of the Al-Istiqamah Learning Centre in Ealing were convicted of running an illegal school. Read more here

School Exclusions Review Call for Evidence

The Department for Education has asked former Children's Minister Ed Timpson to look at school exclusions. Read my response to the call for evidence here

Talks/Conferences May 2018

I will be giving a talk in Portsmouth on Saturday May 12th and speaking at the Learn Free Conference in Coventry on Saturday May 19th. Read more here.

Government Response Out of School Settings Call For Evidence

April 10th 2018: The Department for Education has published its response to the 2015 call for evidence on out of school settings (possible light touch registration for settings providing 6+ hours education per week) Read more here.

Consultation Launched New Home Education Guidance

April 10th 2018: The Department for Education has published revised draft home education guidance for consultation, together with a "call for evidence" on other possible changes. The deadline for responding is July 2nd 2018. Read more here.

New Guidance Consultation

Since January 2018 the Department for Education has been saying it will publish updated draft home education guidance for consultation shortly. This was reiterated in the latest House of Commons Library Briefing, dated February 2018. Read more here

Compulsory Registration Wales?

On January 4th 2018 Wales Online reported that “parents home educating their children in Wales will have to join a register”. This turned out to be premature. Read more here

New Ofsted Inspection System Children's Services

Ofsted new framework for the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services [ILACS] will begin in 2018. Each year, Ofsted will ask local authorities to share a self-evaluation of social work practice and meet with Ofsted regional representatives to discuss data, plus there will be standard and short inspections. Read more here and here. http://edyourself.org/articles/socialservices.php#ofstednew2018

New Home Education Guidelines England

The Government is to put forward new home education Guidelines for consultation (England only) Read more here (including how it ties in with Lord Soley's Home Education Bill)

Welsh Safeguarding Board Report

The Welsh Safeguarding Board has published a report on home education. Click here.

Isle of Man Home Education Legal Changes

The Isle of Man is running a consultation on what should be included in a future Education Bill. Home education is mentioned Read more here.

Home Education Bill

On June 27th 2017 the Home Education (Duty of Local Authorities) Bill [HL] 2017-19 had its First Reading in the House of Lords. Read more here and here + 1 page printout summary.

February 2017 Newsletter

Quarterly email newsletter went out in mid February, covering new guidance Wales, Platt vs Isle of Wight, House of Commons Library Briefing, Wood Review, Children Out of School, ALN Wales, Ofsted Home Education Reports, Inadequate LAs, Local Government Ombudsman Roundup, New Pupil Registration Regulations and CME. Subscribe here.

Publication New Home Education Guidance Wales

New home education guidance for Wales was published on January 9th 2017. Political analysis here + line by line commentary here.

Power to Test Different Ways of Working

The Government wanted to allow local authorities to opt out of children’s social care legislation. Read more here and here about what is involved. UPDATE APRIL 2017, the Bill passed into law WITHOUT these changes.

News From Wales

The Welsh Government said in mid-November 2016 that the new home education guidance initially announced in 2014 will be published shortly. The Government also voted NOT to support a recommendation for compulsory registration. Read more here Wales page.

Intervention in Inadequate LAs

New blog post on what is happening in LAs rated inadequate by Ofsted, how close they are to being taken over etc. Read more here.

Illegal Schools

Revised and updated information on illegal schools More.

Revised Statutory CME Guidance September 2016

Revised guidance has been published on Children Missing Education to take account of changes to the Pupil Registration Regulations. More.

Supreme Court Named Person (Scotland) 2017

Following the Supreme Court ruling at the end of July 2016, the Scottish Government was unable to implement the Named Person measures and on September 8th said it would take a further year More.

Increased Tracking Children Coming Out Of School

The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 will be amended from September 1st 2016 More

Child Practice Review Dylan Seabridge

On July 8th Pembrokeshire Council published a Concise Child Practice Review into the death of Dylan Seabridge. More + summary update for Wales here (home education guidance, changes to additional learning needs, regulating out of school settings)

Ofsted Wants More Action On Safeguarding

Sir Michael Wilshaw asks the Government to finish reforms tracking children coming out of school and also to “support” Ofsted in additional monitoring of local councils where children are at risk of extremism and radicalisation. More

New Statistics Special Needs Educated Outside School

The Department for Education recently published new statistics on statements and Education Health and Care Plans in England. I have put together a briefing page about statistics for children educated outside school More (explanation here) See also https://edyourself.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/finding-special-educational-needs-data/

The Not-Yet Ofstedded Effect

June 2016 I've put together a list of LAs not yet nspected for safeguarding by Ofsted, or graded inadequate/requires improvement. My interpretation is that these LAs are behaving defensively.

Wood Review Mentions Home Education

May 2016 Paragraphs 102 to 105 of the Wood review make reference to home education, as well as to “unregistered school settings.”More

Sir Michael Wilshaw Letters Refer to Home Education

Sir Michael Wilshaw head of Ofsted reference to home education in letter to Nicky Morgan May 16th regarding illegal private schools. Unregistered schools See also Blog Commentary

Home Education Festivals and Conferences 2016

Home Education Festival Suffolk Monday July 25th to Monday August 1st, Alternative Education Festival East Sussex Thursday July 21st to Thursday July 28th, London Home Education Fair Sunday October 2nd More

Consultation Regulation Out of School Settings, Wales

The Welsh Government plans to register and inspection part-time education settings. Details + blog post setting out key issues, my consultation response

How Organising Events Can Affect State Benefits

How organising events, trips, groups etc can affect your state benefits (including Housing Benefit) More

Home Education APPG March 2016

March 2016 All Party Parliamentary Group for Home Education meeting about special educational needs with Stuart Miller, Deputy Director SEN at DfE. Notes via this page

Further Delay Welsh Guidance 2016

Further delay to Welsh Home Education Guidance (February 2016)

EHCP SEN Home Education Direct Payments

"We now receive £3,500 per term, for 12 hours of support at home by tutors of our choice, plus 8 hours per week of pre-approved extracurricular funding ..." More

"Crackdown" Update

Secretary of State Nicky Morgan has now confirmed that the Independent on Sunday "crackdown" article referred to tuition centres and not to home education. More

Why Ofsted Asks LAs About Home Education

February 2016 More

Ofsted Criticises Alternative Provision Safeguarding

More

NSPCC Update

Roundtable discussion home education and safeguarding with the NSPCC More Amended NSPCC web page More

Dylan Seabridge

What has been happening about the Dylan Seabridge case? More Call for independent review discussed in Welsh Assembly

Changes to Pupil Registration Regulations

Improving information in identifying children missing education More (ENGLAND ONLY)

FAQ New Rules for Out of School Settings

January 2016 FAQ out of school settings My Consultation Response Debate in Parliament January 2016 More

Government Crackdown on Home Education?

What is the Government considering for home education in England? New Blog Post UPDATED DECEMBER 28TH 2015

Unregistered Schools

There seems to be widespread confusion about unregistered independent schools, this new web page explains what powers are already available.

Changes to Children Missing Education and Pupil Registration Regulations?

DfE has agreed to take action after Ofsted insisted there must be more tracking of children who are taken out of school or who don't return to school. UPDATE JANUARY 2016

Kent New Policy

At the end of November 2015 Kent County Council Cabinet formally adopted a new elective home education policy More

EHCP Transfers: New Page

New page about conversion of statements to Education Health and Care Plans.

Welsh Home Education Guidance Delayed

October 2015 Welsh Government announced delay in publication of new non-statutory Elective Home Education Guidance. Background here. Home education in Wales here

SEN Survey, England, October 2105

Parents' survey to find out more about families' experience of home education and special educational needs Link. Questions

Cambridgeshire CC Model Good Practice

Article in Local Government Chronicle praising Cambridgeshire. More.

School Exclusions

New web page on school exclusions http://edyourself.org/articles/exclusions.php.

Write Up Hesfes 2015 Talks

Hesfes 2015 write up of talks and workshops here

Home Education Fair London September 2015

More 2015 will be the 10th year of the Fair.

More Ofsted Reports July/August 2015

More Ofsted reports published July/August 2015 (after new home education guidance to inspectors). All linked from this page

Lincolnshire Policy Consultation 2015

Lincolnshire’s home education policy consultation closed July 2015. Link 1 Link 2

Budget 2015

Benefit changes that could affect home educators More

Consultation Home Education Guidance Wales July 2015

Draft guidance consultation CONSULTATION CLOSED July 2015. My consultation response

Ofsted 1st Reports After New Guidance June 2015

The first Ofsted reports published June 22nd after new home education guidance to inspectors Guidance Inspection Reports

Kent Consultation Response June 2015

Kent consulting on new elective home education policy My Consultation Response Background (Closed June 2015)

AEHEP EHE Support Groups Meeting April 2015

The Association for Elective Home Education Professionals (AEHEP) has met with home education representatives in April 2015. https://edyourself.wordpress.com/tag/aehep/

New Ofsted Guidance April 2015

Ofsted has issued inspectors with new advice about home education More

Labour Letter March 2015

Letter from Tristram Hunt, then Shadow Secretary of State for Education, March 2015: "no intention to change the existing regulations on home education ..." More

House of Commons Briefing Note

The House of Commons Library produces research briefings for MPs on topical issues. A new Note has been published on home education More More 2

Report of AEHEP Launch February 2015

The Association of Elective Home Education Professionals - a national body for local authority personnel - held a launch at the House of Commons in February 2015. Notes 1 Notes 2 Notes 3

Oxfordshire Consultation Response March 2015

Oxfordshire is consulting on a new draft policy and associated paperwork. Read my response here. Deadline March 2015.

Edyourself Blog

I have just begun blogging. Edyourself Blog.

Prime Minister Home Education 2015

Home educators met with the Prime Minister David Cameron in January 2015, who said that the party was in favour of choice in education including home education and that there was no need to change legislation or guidelines.

New EHE Guidance Wales February 2015

A company called Wavehill is developing new non-statutory guidance on elective home education for the Welsh Government. Deadline for feedback, February 2015. More

Updated CME Guidance England 2015

The fourth revised version of Children Missing Education Guidance (England) was published in January 2015. More

Launch Association EHE Professionals

The new Association of Elective Home Education Professionals (England) is holding a launch on 26th February 2015. More

16+ Child Benefit Survey Results January 2015

More

New Safeguarding Guidance, Wales 2015

New guidance on Safeguarding Children in Education (Wales) was published January 15th 2015. Final guidance is much better on home education than the 2013 consultation draft. More

DfE Letters to LAs

DfE correspondence to Local Authorities, FOIs. More

Home Education Numbers 2005-14

Interactive line graphs for home education numbers in England 2005-14 here

Home Education Numbers 2013-14

In July 2014 local authorities in England recorded 27,292 home educated children Article Bar Charts

Compulsory English and Maths 16+

Skills Minister Nick Boles "for the foreseeable future, English and mathematics IGCSEs will count as equivalent to GCSEs for the purposes of recognising prior attainment in the 16 to 19 English and mathematics Condition of Funding ..." More

New Leaflets

2 new leaflets are now available: 1 page pdf Summary Law and 3 page pdf Home Education and SEN

Somerset and Essex Axe EHE Service 2014

Somerset has withdrawn its home education service because of the need to make savings, and Essex has announced plans to do the same. More More

Home Education Fairs 2014

More

APPG October 2014

All Party Parliamentary Group looks at 14-19 education. More

New SEN Code Practice

SEN Code of Practice approved by parliament July 2014 More ENGLAND ONLY

Universal Credit Sanctions

Will claimants who are sanctioned also stop getting money for rent? More

Changes to Law SEN Wales 2014

More

Policy Consultation Northern Ireland 2014

Summmer 2014: in Northern Ireland the policy for home education is under review Background Questions have been asked at Stormont Link My consultation response

New Guidance Announced for Wales

Minister Huw Lewis has asked officials to draw up new Guidance for Elective Home Education. More UPDATE MAY 2016 STILL DELAYED

Children and Families Act 2014

The Children and Families Act is now law, with a new system for SEN and disability.

GOV.UK Web Link EHE Guidelines

The Home Education Guidelines are no longer on the DfE website but can be found here via this web page

Council Support for Exams

Exams Report: how do local councils help home educating families with exams Full Report as pdf Web Page Summary

Council Web Information on Home Education

Council web information about home education (England only)

2014-15 Funding

DfE LA Budget Guidance 2014-15: 1.2.5 SEN support services "Include any costs of providing these services to home educated children". 1.2.7 Other alternative provision services "This may include funding for home educating parents." More

Online GCSEs

Which GCSE subjects would be most popular if FE colleges started to offer distance learning courses? More

Minister's Letter to Graham Stuart 2013

Edward Timpson: "no duty on local authorities to assure themselves that the provision being made by parents for home educated children is suitable..." (June 2013) More

Government Guidance 14-16s College

DfE guidance on college funding for home educated 14-16s More (Updated for 2014-15)

New Flexischooling FAQ

Update on flexischooling More

Badman Review

Looking back on Badman More

New Statutory Guidance Post-16 Participation

"For young people who are being home educated, no hourly requirement of education applies: the amount and content of that education is at the discretion of the home educator...No on-going monitoring of the education is required." More Updated for 2014-15

New Website SEN FAQ

http://www.ehe-sen.org.uk/

Civil Servant Dealing with Home Education 2013

Stephen Bishop is the new DfE contact for home education.

Freedom of Information Location, Spending and SEN

Where do local authorities put home education, how much do they spend, what services and support are available for SEN More

Education Committee Report Support For Home Education 2012

Education Committee publishes report into Support for Home Education, December 2012 More

Flawed Consultation Process Wales 2012 (FOIs)

Freedom of Information Responses, Wales 2012. More

APPG Meeting SEN + Disability 2012

All Party Parliamentary Group Meeting November 2012 to discuss changes to funding and assessment for Special Educational Needs and Disability More

Registration and Monitoring Wales Consultation 2012

Welsh Assembly Government registration and monitoring consultation opened September 3rd NOW SUPERSEDED; PLANS DROPPED, UPDATED INFORMATION HERE

Select Committee Inquiry Support Home Education 2012

More (September 2012) More

Exams: FAQ

More

SEN Green Paper Pathfinder Pilot Responses 2012

6 page pdf collated Freedom of Information responses from SEN Green Paper Pathfinder Pilot areas. Children have not yet been selected for the Pilots. More

Lancashire New Home Education Procedures

More

All Party Parliamentary Group 2011 Exams

More SEE ALSO NEW PAGE APPG

Schools Minister: SEN and Home Education 2011

More

Select Committee Difficulty Exam Participation Home Education 2011

More

Home Education Funding Report 2011

2011 More [NOW SUPERSEDED]

March 2011: SEN Green Paper Mentions Home Education

archived link SEN Green Paper see paragraph 2.54 NOW SUPERSEDED BY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ACT 2014

Government Home Education Guidelines Available as Web Page 2010

Government Elective Home Education Guidelines now available in easy-search web page format. December 2010. More

EO campaign site news archive 2007-2010

More

Link Reference

This article is http://edyourself.org/news/index.php. The following links to other websites are contained in the article, displayed as citations to aid you in printing the document.

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  16. Blog Commentary http://edyourself.org/articles/unregschools.php
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  18. SEN Direct Payments Home Education http://edyourself.org/articles/SENsurvey.php
  19. my consultation response http://edyourself.org/articles/regulationoutofschoolsettingsWales.php
  20. this page http://edyourself.org/homeeducationappgnotesmarch2016.pdf
  21. Further delay http://edyourself.org/articles/EnglandandWales.php#newguidance
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  29. UPDATE JANUARY 2016 http://edyourself.org/articles/pupilregconsult.php
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  86. Hansard Education Bill Report 11th May Column 1239 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110511/debtext/110511-0003.htm
  87. They Work For You: Graham Stuart 11th May 3.30pm http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2011-05-11b.1217.0
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  89. They Work For You:Nick Gibb 11th May 4.45pm (Plans to delay deregistration dropped) http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2011-05-11b.1239.3
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In the United States and elsewhere, home education is referred to as homeschooling (or home schooling)