Home education

Elective Home Education, better known as home schooling or home education, is when parents educate their children at home instead of sending them to school.

Parents who educate their children at home are legally required to provide them with a suitable education. This means that the child must have a full-time education that is suitable for their age, ability, aptitude and have any special educational needs met.

If you decide to educate your child at home please see Government policy on home education, read our policy on Elective Home Education then complete the notification form and send it to the address below.

Education and Early Years Service
Department of Community and Children’s Services
City of London
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London
EC2P 2EJ

If you require assistance, please call 020 7332 1002 or email the Education and Early Years Service.

Elective Home Education Process

If a parent chooses to make arrangements for their child other than at school the following process will need to be completed:

Step 1

If your child is on roll at school you must advise the head teacher in writing of your intention to educate other than at school. Additionally in the letter you would be requesting that your child’s name is removed from the school roll. The school will then notify the Education and Early Years’ Service at the City of London Corporation.

If your child is not on a school roll but they are of statutory school age you are advised to notify the City of London Corporation of your intention to educate other than at school.

Step 2

Please complete and return a notification form to the Education and Early Years’ Service at the address above, which states the reasons for home educating your child.

Step 3

On returning the form to the Education and Early Years Service:

• You will receive an Educating Your Child at Home Form, which will detail the arrangements you have made for providing your child with suitable education.
• You will receive information about educating your child other than at school. This information will include useful names and addresses of organisations independent of the Local Authority.
• Arrangements will be made for curriculum and inspection services to be available to you.
• An Inspector and our City of London Educational Psychologist will then write to you to make an appointment to visit you to discuss your arrangements.

Step 4

Once registered, we will present the opportunity to request a visit from our education officer. This can be at your home, but you may prefer to meet at our offices or somewhere else. The purpose of the visit is to offer advice and guidance on education, teaching and learning.

If the education is deemed satisfactory a review date will be arranged and your child’s name will be placed on the Education Service Case Management System, which currently holds details of all children educated other than in school.

If the education is deemed unsatisfactory a review visit will be arranged by the education officer.

You will be allowed up to three months to make amendments to your arrangements should you wish to continue to pursue educating your child other than at school.

A further visit (within three months) would then be arranged by the education officer to review the arrangements.

If the arrangements are still deemed unsatisfactory, the Education and Early Years Service will advise you to find a school place within 15 school days. If no school place is identified by the you, the Education and Early Years Service will name a school and begin the process of issuing a School Attendance Order. Failure to comply with a School Attendance Order may result in prosecution.