Deciding to educate your child at home is an important decision which requires a great deal of thought and consideration.
This form of education, sometimes known as “education otherwise”, is referred to by Cambridgeshire County Council as Elective Home Education.
Your rights and responsibilities
Parents or carers are legally responsible for ensuring that their child receives an education.
Children educated at home are not required to follow the National Curriculum but should receive an effective education appropriate to their individual needs and aspirations.
It would be expected that there would be:
- access to appropriate resources
- the opportunity to interact with other children and adults
Parents may wish to consider:
- an effective education ensures that a child acquires attitudes, skills and knowledge to prepare him/her for the challenges and demands of a rapidly changing world
- a broad education introduces a child to a range of material, which will stimulate the child and help develop an open rather than a closed mind
- a balanced education ensures that no one single subject area takes up so much time that there is insufficient room for others, or for the creative use of leisure
What you can do
The booklet Choosing to educate your child at home.pdf (162Kb) will help you make this decision and advise you what to do next.
How we can help
The Elective Home Education Team can help if you need further information or if you are considering educating your child at home.
You can also fill in the elective home education information sheet in order for the team to assess the suitability of the education you are providing to your child.
Further sources of help
Education Otherwise - a charity that has been supporting home education for 30 years
GOV.UK - educating your child at home