Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Apprenticeships and Skills) introduced the report and highlighted the following key points:

a)    The report examined key trends, pupil characteristics and safeguarding considerations, highlighting strong correlations between Elective Home Education (EHE) and persistent absence, SEND needs and social care involvement;

b)    The report set out the Council’s statutory duties under the Education Act 1996 and aligned with the Plymouth Education Strategy to ensure every child received a suitable education. While EHE remained a legal and valid choice for families, Plymouth continued to experience higher rates than national and regional averages, with 2% of statutory school-age children educated at home;

c)    Steps had been taken to strengthen oversight and engagement, including expansion of the EHE team, implementation of a new safeguarding framework and collaborative work with schools to reduce unnecessary withdrawal. Early signs of improvement were noted following the accelerated action plan, and forthcoming national reforms were expected to introduce a compulsory register and stronger powers for local authorities;

In response to questions raised it was reported that:

d)    While no formal data existed, anecdotal evidence suggested some parents cited working from home as a factor in their decision to electively home educate their children;

e)    The decision to electively home educate was always made by parents, although officers explored reasons for deregistration and offered support where appropriate;

f)     The main anticipated reform was the introduction of a compulsory register, but there was no indication that parental rights to home educate would be removed in any upcoming Bills;

g)    Child mental health was a key driver for parents choosing EHE, although parents were not required to provide a reason;

h)    The link between EHE and deprivation, SEND and mental health, was highlighted and officers tracked patterns by school and engaged proactively with schools and families to prevent breakdowns and return children to education where possible;

i)     Family hubs and community providers offered sessions for EHE families and the Council facilitated networks to prevent isolation;

j)     Many families provided excellent home education but it was stressed that the recent increase was driven by parents feeling they had no other choice, which the Council aimed to address through early intervention and partnership working;

k)    EHE was a collective priority for the Multi Academy Trust (MAT) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) strategic group and proactive dialogue was taking place with CEO’s to understand drivers and strengthen the accelerated plan;

l)     The Council could escalate concerns in relation to MAT’s to the Department for Education, particularly in cases of off-rolling, but had no direct authority over MATs. Ofsted’s new inspection framework, had a focus on inclusion and attendance and would help drive improvements with MAT’s.

Actions:

1.    Officers to continue proactive engagement with MATs and schools to address patterns of de-registration;

2.    Officers to maintain and expand community-based opportunities for EHE families to support socialisation;

3.    Monitor national reforms and update the Committee on implications for local practice.

Recommendations:

The Panel agreed to:

1. Note the key challenges and current work programmes outlined in the report;

2. Endorse the priorities identified for reducing unnecessary EHE and strengthening oversight.