De-registered - what next?

[squirre1]

I took my dd formally out of y6 on Monday. I've not definitely decided whether to HE long term or not. For now we're just playing by ear and working on getting her feeling better. I'm a little concerned as to what happens next with the LA. I've got a lot of things going on with my eldest daughter at the moment and have a new baby so I want to be prepared!

Have you actually contacted the LEA yet? That would be your first step. Can you devote the time needed now that you have a new Baby?

I've written the letter de registering. Tbh ideally now would not have been my choice to start HE but the bullying that has been going on for the past three years and failed to be addressed by the school despite constant meetings, has just got too much mentally for dd. I'm lucky I have good family support so I'll manage :-) I just want to be prepared and have an idea what the LA do next.

LAs vary quite a lot, and also change policies over time. It really is a postcode lottery as to how they will want to deal with you. Fortunately, the law is the same throughout the country and the requirements are straightforward. It's useful to be aware of what the law is, so that if your LA implies you must do certain things then you can check whether this is a legal requirement. Many LAs try to lead people up the garden path do not communicate clearly regarding the distinction between your legal obligations and their own preferred way of doing things.

Are you in England? Here is a good guide to LAs' duties in relation to HE which was produced by the then-DCSF, which is still current: www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education

You do not have to commit all of this to memory! The simplest plan is to ask them to keep all contact in writing. That way, when they send you a letter you can go look up the law, or ask us and we will point you toward the relevant passage. It's important to respond to all letters, even if only to tell them to get lost they are making a request which has no basis in law.

At the moment many LAs like to make contact within the first few weeks and press for a visit to your home where they can meet your child. You do not have to agree to this. It is completely fine to tell them that you are at an early stage of HE, that your dd needs time to recover, and that you have not yet chosen an educational approach. Most LAs will accept this and will ask you for more information later.

It sounds like your daughter would benefit from some time off! Hope she feels better soon.

Also, you don't have to inform the LA,that's the school's job. All you have to do is inform the school, which you have done. Congratulations, you're a home educator !

Well done for taking your dd out, you'll find a lot of support in you local HE groups as bullying is one of the leading reasons for home educating (I took my ds out over 7 years ago).

As Saracen said many LAs will contact you within the first few weeks, some might send you a questionnaire to fill in, asking you why have you deregistered and what your educational plan is... Altough there is no obligation to fill the questionnaire, I took it as an opportunity to tell LA I wished to defer my visit for a few months (6 months is reasonable) to allow me to learn how my son learned and prepare a suitable plan. They complied.

With a little luck the LA might send you a list of online resources and HE groups and activities in your area.
There are lists of local HE groups on www.educationotherwise.net/ .

(Visits are not obligatory but I find them easier than compiling a dossier!)