Electively home educated children and children not in school
Case reference FOI2024/01330
Received 4 August 2024
Published 4 September 2024
Request
Please provide information for the following 9 questions:
1. How many home educated children does your LA currently have recorded?
2. How many households do these children come from?
3. In the last 12 months how many s437(1) formal notices to satisfy have you served on parents regarding home educated children?
4. How many School Attendance Orders (SAOs) (attendance order in Scotland) have been served on children that were known to be home educated until the SAO was served?
5. What was the outcome of each SAO? (for example, prosecuted for non compliance (please explain the outcome from court), revoked (please explain why the SAO was revoked). )
6. How many children do you have recorded as a Child Missing Education (CME) that are not subject to S437(1) or SAO?
7. In the last 12 months, what is the range of time period between a parent requesting the LA provide a school place and the child starting at the school? (for example a home educated child that wishes to go to school, or a family has moved to the area and wants a school place).
8. In the period of time, between the parental request and the initial start date at school, has the LA put in place education for the child under s19 Education Act?
9. If s19 is provided, how many hours education per week are put in place?
Response
Please provide information for the following 9 questions:
1. How many home educated children does your LA currently have recorded?
Answer: 444
2. How many households do these children come from?
Answer: The Service Area have advised they do not hold this information as they do not keep records per household.
3. In the last 12 months how many s437(1) formal notices to satisfy have you served on parents regarding home educated children?
Answer: 12
4. How many School Attendance Orders (SAOs) (attendance order in Scotland) have been served on children that were known to be home educated until the SAO was served?
Answer: 0
5. What was the outcome of each SAO? (for example, prosecuted for non compliance (please explain the outcome from court), revoked (please explain why the SAO was revoked). )
Answer: N/A
6. How many children do you have recorded as a Child Missing Education (CME) that are not subject to S437(1) or SAO?
Answer: 3
7. In the last 12 months, what is the range of time period between a parent requesting the LA provide a school place and the child starting at the school? (for example a home educated child that wishes to go to school, or a family has moved to the area and wants a school place).
Answer: Between 1 day and 25 days.
8. In the period of time, between the parental request and the initial start date at school, has the LA put in place education for the child under s19 Education Act?
Answer: The Service Area have advised parents have been directed to online learning where they have not been able to offer a school place, however in the majority of cases where a child is not attending school for a period longer than 15 days, it is because a school place has been offered but parents have not wanted to take that place and are appealing for their preferred school.
9. If s19 is provided, how many hours education per week are put in place?
Answer: The Service Area have advised they are unable to provide an answer for this question as the hours of education per week depends on the needs of the child.
Documents
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