Exploring the reasons why families home educate in Hertfordshire

Nationally, the number of families choosing to home educate their children is increasing year on year. A national census in October 2017 inferred that 45,000 children and young people were being home educated. This national picture is mirrored in Hertfordshire, where a similar year-on-year increase has been experienced, with a tripling of numbers over the last school year. Within Hertfordshire, more boys than girls and older children (KS3 and KS4) are more likely to be home educated. While not all parents provide a reason for their decision to home educate, for those that do ‘dissatisfaction with the school system’ is the one most frequently provided. Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) wants to better understand the specific reasons why parents choose Elective Home Education (EHE) and gain understanding of best practice in this area, so that they can ensure that appropriate support mechanisms are in place to enable parents’ to make informed choices about their children’s education.