16+

[Drabarni]

Can you H.ed at 16+ if student has attended school, not state school.
Also, is it dependent on any statement of mh/ physical disability.

I think there might be a case under mh, but not sure yet.

Absolutely. Once past Compulsory School Age - which finishes at the end of Y11 if the child has been in the "usual" year for their age - there is no legal requirement for a parent to educate the young person at all. It is entirely up to you and your teen. They can do whatever seems best for them: college, home ed, online school, voluntary work, paid work, hobbies.

One disadvantage to elective home educating in your situation is that you can only claim benefits (Child Benefit, Tax Credits) in respect of a home educated teen if they were already being home educated before the age of 16. Personally I think that's unfair, but those are the benefit rules. If your teen went to college full time then you could claim benefits for them as a "young person continuing in education". I believe it is sometimes possible, but difficult, to obtain benefits for a teen who is too ill to be in education.

There's also no financial help unless you can get it provided via an EHCP, so you'd have to foot the bill for any books, exam entries etc.

Thanks Saracen

I'm beginning to think it might have to be a strong possibility.
We have H.ed before, through Primary, but private school for secondary.

I'm glad to hear it's possible, but agree about the loss of tc, that might be a sticky point, especially with the cost of exams which would include 2 A levels

Ah, if you have home educated before then there is a possibility that you could still get benefits. The rule is somewhat vague, saying that you must have home educated before the young person was 16 and not stating specifically that you must have been home educating continuously just before that age.

IMO it could be interpreted in either way. There are home ed advocates who insist that one or other interpretation is clearly the correct one. The paper form asks you when the young person was first educated somewhere other than school or college. It also asks you when they were last at a school or college. But the online form has slightly different wording, which wouldn't enable you to tell them that your child had been HE during primary, so maybe it's better to use the paper one?

I rather doubt that you'd get a correct authoritative answer in advance from DWP which you could rely on them sticking to. So it's hard to work out whether you could afford to home ed. But if you do go with home education anyway, it is definitely worth a try to put in for benefits, fill the form in and see if you can get them, and maybe appeal if they say no. You'd have nothing to lose.

edyourself.org/articles/childbenefit.php

Note that with respect to young people continuing in education, underlying entitlement to Child Benefit qualifies you for Tax Credits. The detailed Child Benefit forms which ask all about the education are the only detailed forms you'll have to do. You'll have to notify Tax Credits separately, but they will follow the Child Benefit decision as to whether your young person is in qualifying education.

The other questions on the Child Benefit follow-up form CHFTE.4 can be tricky, as it isn't written with home education in mind, so take expert advice on filling them in if you aren't sure what to write. It is easier to get it right first time than to be rejected and have to appeal!