Smith, Karen and Dickerson, Claire and Smith, Jennifer (2020) Exploring the reasons why people home educate in Hertfordshire. Project Report. University of Hertfordshire.
| Type of Research: | Report |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Smith, Karen and Dickerson, Claire and Smith, Jennifer |
| Description: | Home education, that is providing education to children within the home setting rather than within school, is increasing nationally year on year. In England, home education is a legal choice and ongoing monitoring of children is not required if the Local Authority [LA] is satisfied that adequate arrangements for education are in place. The national rise in the number of families deciding to home educate is mirrored within Hertfordshire. When asked to complete a questionnaire on the withdrawal of their child from a school in Hertfordshire, parents/carers are asked to provide a reason for making that decision. For those parents/carers who do, the most frequently selected reason is ‘dissatisfaction with the school system’. This is a broad reason that can incorporate many different factors. Indeed, the research literature identifies a myriad of reasons why parents/carers decide to home educate, including, amongst others, concerns about the school environment, special educational needs and disabilities [SEND], additional learning needs [ALN], and philosophical or ideological views. These reasons for home educating are often intertwined and complex; they may vary for each child within a family; and can change over time. While government discourse often refers to ‘elective home education’ (i.e. EHE), for some parents/carers, home education is not perceived as elective or a positive and desirable choice, rather something that they were compelled to do, due to a combination of different reasons. |
| Publisher/Broadcaster/Company: | University of Hertfordshire |
| Your affiliations with UAL: | Colleges > Camberwell College of Arts Colleges > Central Saint Martins Colleges > Chelsea College of Arts Colleges > London College of Communication Colleges > London College of Fashion Colleges > Wimbledon College of Arts |
| Date: | December 2020 |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Jun 2026 13:45 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jun 2026 12:09 |
| Item ID: | 26929 |
| URI: | https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/26929 |
| Licence: |
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