Home education – age, gender, ethnicity, religion and special educational needs

1.Please state the total number of children home educated (for part or all of the year) in your local authority area.

1660 – 03/09/2018 – 03/04/2019

2. Please provide all statistical information held relating to the home educated children such as a breakdown of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, SEND status and the reason for home education, if recorded.

The figures in the table below cover the period 03/09/2018 – 03/04/2019. We do not collect or record details about religious affiliation.

Figures for 2017 – 2018 are available online. 

Category  Number 
Female 810
Male 846
Gender unknown 4
With Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) 92
New Special Educational Needs (SEN) with EHCP’s 31
New SEN without EHCP 302
Total new cases 485
Total returned to school 132
Elective Home Education (EHE) – reasons  Number 
Attendance /Prosecution 59
Bullying 71
Dissatisfaction with school environment 248
Dissatisfaction with SEN provision 51
Emotional behavioural difficulties 230
Lifestyle/philosophy/culture 286
Medical – child 89
Medical – parent 8
Near exclusion 14
Not preferred school 29
No reason recorded 176
Not known 224
Relationship issues 7
Religious beliefs 2
School refuser/phobic 58
Year Group  Number of EHE 
0 33
1 83
2 92
3 106
4 106
5 123
6 121
7 149
8 138
9 209
10 212
11 288
Ethnicity  Number of EHE 
Not yet obtained 5
White British 1272
White English 12
White Western European 10
 Gypsy/Roma 28
Other Gypsy/Roma *
Hong Kong Chinese *
White and Black African 8
White and Black Caribbean 8
Other ethnic group *
White Irish *
Turkish/Turkish Cypriot *
White and Any Other Asian *
White and Asian 13
Refused 40
Pakistani *
Thai *
White Eastern European 7
White Other 20
Not known 215
Any other mixed background 8
  • indicates we hold this information but as disclosure may identify individuals and be in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 we consider it to be exempt under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 section 40(2) Personal Data.

3. Please confirm the total number of home visits carried out.

466 (2017 – 2018)

4. Have you investigated any suspected cases of children being neglected or abused while being home educated? If so, please confirm the number of cases.

Yes, 45.

5. Please add any further comments, for example any trends you have observed in home education, any comments about the current law around home education.

Freedom of Information legislation covers recorded information only, however, please see the Devon Advice and Information Service webpage on Elective Home Education