East Sussex Homeschooling Numbers On The Rise, Councillors Hear

Monday, 21 November 2022 06:00

By Huw Oxburgh

The number of children being home schooled in East Sussex increased by more than 50 per cent over the past five years, councillors have heard.

Last Thursday (November 17), East Sussex County Council’s People Scrutiny Committee heard how the total number of open Elective Home Education (EHE) cases within the county rose from 1,233 in 2017/18 to 1,936 in 2021/2022 — an increase of 57 per cent.

The most recent data shows there were 1,349 open EHE cases as of October 2022, but officers said that this still represented an upward trend.

While families have the right to home educate children, the committee heard how the increasing numbers were of some concern to council officers, due the increased demand on its services.

Elizabeth Funge, Head of Educational Improvement, said:

“We’ve got growing numbers and growing demand on our services. The team are working really hard to meet that demand, but it is something we are monitoring very carefully.

“We are trying to do a number of different things in this work with these children. One is around the statutory duties we have and making sure those children are receiving a suitable education.

“It is quite a difficult balance, sometimes, trying to ensure that we are meeting all of those agendas, because they are sometimes competing with one another.”

According to a report considered by the committee, around half (49 per cent) of the families whose children receive homeschooling are considered to be in some way vulnerable.

In some limited cases, the situation is more serious. During 2021/2022, there were 13 homeschooling families within East Sussex with child in need plans in place, while 11 families were subject to a more severe child protection plan.

This was down from the previous academic year, when there were 15 children protection plans and 32 child in need plans across the total homeschooling population.