ALL PARTS OF THE UK
NOT TO BE USED IN RESPONSE TO A NOTICE TO SATISFY (send a more detailed report in response to formal enquiries).
You are not legally obliged to write a report or have a visit, and many LAs are satisfied with the letter below.
Some LAs feel that they have a duty to monitor and still ask for some information, some LAs, unfortunately, do not accurately represent the law in their letters and say that you have to provide lengthy information and examples of work, this is not true.
If you wish to send a report in response to their informal enquiries then the following is a simple version.
We advise that you consider what information you are willing to let the LA know.
You are not expected to give lots of information when you are only just setting out, so we suggest telling the LA that you are taking some time to de-school/ settle in.
If you choose to write an educational philosophy then it is advised that it includes some form of report/provision detail, as a philosophy on its own is often not adequate for the LA.
Your Name
Address
DATE
Local Authority
Address
Dear LA
I write in response to your request for information about the educational provision for x,y and z. I would like to remind you that the EHE guidelines clearly state the Local Authority has no duty to monitor, (or request copies of work) about the educational provision.
The LA has a duty to respond to any concerns they may have, I have not been notified of any such concern. But as a gesture of goodwill, I shall include for you some information about the education provision.
The information herewith is not exhaustive and is subject to change at any time.
I ask that this be the last request the LA makes for information about the educational provision, I will of course contact you should we need your service.
1) My philosophy is that …….(put what your philosophy is, here are some ideas) A child learns best in their home environment/thrives on a one to one basis/ that an education provided by a parent is more appropriate than one given by a stranger. Etc, (put a couple of lines about why you home educate/your philosophy)
2) Your approach We follow an autonomous/semi-structured/structured/unschooling approach. (delete/add to).
3) Resources: I ensure that x has access to the library as well as books at home, supervised internet access and TV; such as documentaries. Workbooks/sheets are used and followed up with discussion (add/ change to make it suit your provision, aim for a paragraph or two).
(Do not worry about too much fine detail, it is the provision they wish to know about, the levels your child works at are not important here.)
We ensure that x has the opportunity to meet with friends, and we often visit museums/groups/meet-ups etc.(include information about social activities and sports, not specifics about which club or when).
4)How it works in practice ie we went to space camp and ending up doing a project on mars which progressed too.
Please remember to make this your own words as this is just a template to use.
You can find more resources over on our Local Authority Page
