We recognise education is compulsory, but school is not. Parents’ legal duty is set out in section 7 of the Education Act 1996 as follows: “The parent of every child of compulsory school age has a legal duty to ensure that he/she receives efficient full-time education suitable:
- to her/his age, ability and aptitude, and
- to any special educational needs he/she may have either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”
You can choose to home educate your child at any age, whether they have been enrolled at school previously or not.
Child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
If your child has an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, you can still choose to educate them at home but the education you provide must be suitable to your child’s:
- age
- ability
- aptitude
- any special educational needs he or she has.
The SEND team:
- will decide whether the provision you are making is suitable.
- must give consent for the child’s name to be removed from the school roll, if your child currently attends a special school
- will review the EHC plan annually to make sure the provision in the plan continues to be appropriate and that your child’s special education needs continue to be met.
More information and contact details
For all school attendance and home education queries, please email the School Attendance service at attendance@slough.gov.uk or call 01753 787670.