8. MCC Processes - Initial Enquiries, Contact and Assessment of Suitability
8.1 We recommend that parents gather as much information as possible about elective home education and ensure that they speak to their child’s school or the EHE Team, or both, before making the decision to withdraw them from school. See 4.3 and 6.4 above.
8.2 On receipt of a notification of EHE, the child’s Education record will be updated to reflect that they are now home educated.
8.3 An officer from the EHE Team will be assigned to liaise with the parents to offer support and advice and to gather any relevant information to assist in reaching a properly informed view that the education is suitable. Evidence could include discussion of parent’s plans, a written report, telephone conversations, the child’s views, samples of the child’s work, information about educational settings attended and tuition sessions, a home visit or a meeting at another venue. See Appendix 2 for areas which will be helpful to have considered.
8.4 The EHE Team officer will offer a home visit, a virtual visit or a meeting at another venue by telephone, email and/or by sending up to 3 letters, together with offers of information / advice. The aim of the visit/meeting is to build a positive and constructive relationship with parents, to ensure that EHE is a positive choice and that the educational needs of their child are being met.
8.5 EHE Team officers will wish to see the child as well as the parent so that their views can be gathered and contribute to the assessment of suitability. See Section 5 above.
8.6 Parents are not obliged to respond to LA enquiries, to accept a visit or to allow LA officers to meet with their child. However, as stated in the DFE Guidance ‘ you should consider carefully the reasons for not doing so, what is in the best interest of your child, and what is the most sensible approach. If you do not do enough to satisfy the local authority about the education being provided at home it may have no option but to conclude that the education does not meet the s.7 requirement’.
8.7 The EHE Team officer will also make enquiries, including from Social Care, the Health Authorities and any previous school/Early Years provision, to ensure that there are no concerns about the child’s welfare or safeguarding that may impact on the provision of a suitable education.
8.8 In order to minimise any time out of education, should EHE be deemed unsuitable, the EHE Team aims to complete enquiries within 20 days of the initial notification.
8.9 Parents will receive a letter/email summarising the outcomes of discussions with the EHE Team Officer and/or other evidence taken into account in the decision about suitability of elective home education and will have opportunities to provide further information if they wish.
8.10 For the majority of Manchester families who home educate, EHE is suitable and they continue to home educate for as long as they feel it meets the needs of their child. The child’s name remains on the EHE base and an officer from the EHE Team is allocated as the main contact for the family.