Children, Schools and Families Bill/Amendments to Section 19E of Schedule 1

Current wording of Section 19E

19E Monitoring provision of home education to registered children

(1) A local authority in England shall make arrangements with a view to ascertaining, so far as is reasonably practicable—

(a) whether the education provided to a child whose details are entered on their home education register is suitable;

(b) whether it accords with information provided to them for the purposes of the application for registration;

(c) what the child’s wishes and feelings about it are;

(d) whether it would be harmful for the child’s welfare for the child to continue to be a home-educated child.

(2) For the purposes of this section a child’s education is suitable if it is efficient full-time education suitable to—

(a) the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and

(b) any special educational needs the child may have.

(3) Arrangements made by an authority under this section shall include arrangements made with a view to their—

(a) holding at least one meeting with the child during the registration period;

(b) holding at least one meeting with a parent of the child during the registration period;

(c) if they consider that a person other than a parent of the child is primarily responsible for providing education to the child, holding at least one meeting with that person during the registration period;

(d) visiting, at least once in the registration period, the place (or at least one of the places) where education is provided to the child.

But in a case where the registration period begins less than six months before the date on which the child ceases to be of compulsory school age, this subsection shall be read as conferring a power rather than imposing a duty.

(4) Arrangements made under subsection (3) may, unless the child or a parent of the child objects, provide for a meeting with the child at which no parent of the child or other person providing education to the child is present.

(5) In making arrangements under this section—

(a) to meet with the child or any other person, or

(b) to visit a place where education is provided to the child,

the authority shall give at least two weeks written notice of the meeting or visit.

(6) In this section “registration period” has the same meaning as in section 19D.

Proposed amendment 1

Section 19E(1)(b) Remove entirely (no longer applicable)

Proposed amendment 2

Section 19E(1)(c) Remove entirely (no longer applicable)

How Section 19E would look when amended