Elective Home Education Research Project

Exploring the reasons behind a significant rise in families choosing to home educate in Hambleton and Richmondshire

Conducted by, Kirsti-Anna Hume, Kirkby Fleetham CE Primary School

Executive Summary

Research Brief

This exploratory research study commissioned by the Locality Board set out to identify and investigate the reasons for a significant rise in families choosing Elective Home Education in Hambleton and Richmondshire. Through in-depth interviews with school leaders and families, the research aimed to explore the specific issues influencing families who choose to home educate, the barriers preventing them returning to school and recommendations as to how to reintegrate young people back into fulltime schooling.

Research Methods

The research was small-scale and exploratory in nature, relying heavily upon qualitative data gained from in-depth interviews. The subject of the study, particularly for families and young people, was often personal and highly sensitive, and focus was given to understanding the narratives and lived experiences of families and their education choices. For ethical reasons, all participants have remained anonymous and conclusions have been drawn generically so individuals and schools cannot be identified. Direct quotes have been used as much as possible to ensure the voice of the research is authentic. Where appropriate, comparisons have been drawn with national research and wider debates about EHE nationally, including flexi-schooling.

Key findings

This is a complex and emotive field of research that has revealed a significant number of interconnected and often highly individualised factors, requiring deep understanding about educational philosophy, policy and practice, mental health, special educational needs, parenting and inclusion. Whilst the impact of Covid was mentioned at length in discussions with school leaders and was reflected in both national and regional data trends, an interesting finding is that families interviewed in Hambleton and Richmondshire rarely gave Covid-19 as a reason for choosing EHE. In the broadest terms, this research suggest Covid has been the ‘unveiling’ of a range of multi-faceted issues that were already present.

One of the key findings early on in the study was that the term Elective Home Education is misleading. Only a small number of families interviewed claimed to have made a truly ‘elective’ choice to home educate. Most families had been on a challenging journey through mental health services, SEND support, school avoidance and often legal attendance proceedings, to finally arrive at home education as a last resort. Another key finding was that home educators fall into distinct groups, and that understanding these groups is helpful for exploring barriers and actions.

Perspectives and responses from schools and families have been reported on separately in the main report, however there were key themes for the reasons for the rise in EHE shared by all participants:

Young person mental health issues, most notably
Challenges accessing external support or provision for young people with social, emotional, mental health issues, often exacerbated by the rural geography of the area
Complex SEND profiles, particularly those who don’t meet the criteria for EHCP or who find mainstream school challenging.
Attendance issues, including attendance target pressures in schools and emotionally based school avoidance.
Dissatisfaction with mainstream educational approach or curriculum.

The most significant barriers identified to returning to school were:

Identifying, locating and communicating with the home education community.
Mistrust and communication break-down with the school.
Fear of further trauma for the young person.
Lack of support and empathy for parental/family experience of choosing EHE.
Lack of flexibility within school systems, policies and procedures to accommodate need.
Philosophical differences about curriculum or educational approach.

Recommendations

The recommendations have grown organically out of the complex and often emotional ground between school and home educating families, and the narratives that have developed between them. The central themes of the recommendations are flexibility, communication and trusted relationships. All stakeholders are encouraged to examine where the findings intersect with their roles and responsibilities, and what action can be taken to help.

Recognition of the issues raised about EHE at strategic level, through clear policy, whole school mental health initiatives and honest debate about EHE.
Support for schools to adopt flexible policies or working practices, that recognise the complexities of individual EHE cases.
Embed high quality training and consistent approaches for all stake-holders in schools to identify risk-factors associated with emotional issues and school attendance.
Positively engage with and value the experiences of the home education community by developing trusted relationships, tangible support and holistic oversight.
Develop provision of educational settings for vulnerable young people without EHCP to attend, who find mainstream school challenging and need an alternative, personalised approach.
Establish a network of experts who can advocate for young people and their families and ensure consistency of communication, support and provision, rooted in understanding and trust.
All stakeholders to prepare in advance for proposed compulsory register for all school aged children. Whilst EHE rates in Hambleton and Richmondshire are beginning to stabilise after the 95% increase reported in the academic year 2020/21, it is likely they will rise significantly again once all children and young people are accounted for.

Limitations

The complex and transient nature of the home education community, coupled with an absence of definitive data at the outset of the project, made contacting and engaging families in research challenging. Whilst the number of participants is comparative, and slightly higher than similar research studies in other areas, the interviews still only represent a small number of families currently home educating in Hambleton and Richmondshire. The voice from Primary Schools is also significantly smaller than that of Secondary Schools, largely because of their greater number and less experience of EHE.

Opportunities

This was a small exploratory study, but its remit and core themes expanded through each interview. There is ample opportunity to take this research further, and any one of the reasons, barriers or recommendations could warrant further study with the view to taking positive action to address the growing numbers of EHE. A core theme of this project is the need for a mindset shift about EHE, and an opening up about how we talk, think, relate and value the narratives of families and young people who choose home education.

To download the full report, please click here.