The following is not legal advice, nor should it be used as such. This is the information we have found to be helpful for other people asking us what to do if one parent doesn’t agree to Home Education, whether its an ex or a current partner.
Try writing to your ex (letter, email or text, and keep a copy) why you want to home educate, detail all of the benefits, and any issues the child has in school. Explain how home education will meet their needs. How it won’t prevent them doing exams/going to college. Explain how you will ensure all the educational goals are met and how you will do that. If you’re wanting to follow a more autonomous approach you can explain how allowing the child freedom to choose will result in more engagement and better results etc.
Set up a Facebook private group for you and the ex, you can upload photos and updates about the provision.
Ask your ex to be involved in the education, do it in writing, such as ‘I know you’re brilliant at woodwork, I was hoping on wednesday afternoons you could do woodworking projects with the child’ or ‘I was thinking it might be a good idea when they are with you each week that we chat before hand about what the child wants to learn, and that you could support that learning whilst they are at yours.’ Make sure you are clear that the child doesn’t need to be taught, they would like to be supported, have questions answered.
Only one parent is required to deregister/withdraw a child, though the other parent can register a child in any school. The child is not legally on roll of school until the place is accepted by one parent, and a start date agreed, this is usually automatically the first day of term, but can be different, and often included in the offer of a place, rather than a separate conversation.
If your ex decides they are adamant they will not support your decision they can do several things, which we won’t detail here (we don’t want to give them any ideas), however, if you have made every possible effort to have them involved in the home education it is very unlikely anyone in authority will remove the opportunity to home educate.
The longer you have been home educating the less chance of it being overturned, ie the home education will be established and in the child’s best interests to continue.
If you ask in your Facebook local Home Ed group, and our Educational Freedom national group, what your EHE person is like, it may be beneficial to liaise with them a little more than we would normally suggest. You can always CONTACT US for more support.
We wish you the best of luck.
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