Increasing trend for education at home

There is concern about the growing number of parents in Northumberland who make the decision to home educate before receiving advice or accepting support.
Northumberland Gazette latestNorthumberland Gazette latest
Northumberland Gazette latest

The number of electively home-educated (EHE) pupils in the county peaked in July 2017 at 203, according to a new council report. There are currently 163 pupils being educated at home.

During the last five years, there has been an upward trend in EHE cases with a sharp rise from 130 in 2015-16, which is believed to be similar to neighbouring local authorities.

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The report says: ‘In Northumberland, no parents have been served with an attendance order for not providing suitable education to their child(ren), however, the profile of the group is one of vulnerability – 60 have SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), six open to social care, 22 with an Early Help Assessment.’

It does acknowledge though that ‘many parents actively seek advice before making a well-informed decision’.