AMHIE conducted a survey of our members to discuss growing reports of a rise in parents choosing to home/flexi school their children.
In summary, the reason for this shift was growing concerns for wellbeing, SEND support and mental health issues. However, a majority of our respondents felt that this was not an issue for them at their setting. With ongoing inquiries and reports into the SEND education system upcoming from the DfE, we will be monitoring this situation closely and bring you any news, resources and advice we can to support you in these issues.
Who answered the survey?
Type of Organisation:
23% AP/Special School, 4% Early Years, 4% Further Education, 50% Primary, 18% Secondary
Job Roles:
41% Senior Leadership, 14% Headteacher, 14% Designated Safeguarding Lead, 27% Inclusion/Pastoral Lead/SENCO

Those that said no also said…That the situation has increased a lot since the pandemic
Those that said yes also said…That the situation has increased a little since the pandemic
Thank you to our responders who flagged the following links for good support:
Educational psychology interventions from Kent Educational Psychology Service: “Emotionally-based school avoidance pathway for Kent”
Warwickshire County Council SEND and Inclusion change programme:
AND https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/social-emotional-mental-health-semh
What sort of resources would you like to see from the DfE to support you in this issue?
- Clear rules, clear ways to record, clear messages to parents
- More centres of excellence that schools could access for social and emotional support
- Stop allowing parents to Home school their children without checks, and not at all for most vulnerable
- To know what Safeguarding checks the Government and Councils are undertaking to ensure the children and their wellbeing is also protected.
- Definitive guidance
- Resources to support both parents and pupils as we need to help the parents manage their emotions so they can help their children
- A change in the national curriculum offered. A change in the number of selective school places available. A review of the realistic eyes-on welfare checks that can be made, especially in rural settings. Reasonable adjustments to Progress8 to enable real learning. Adjustments to entry requirements for post-16 qualifications e.g. amend requirement for Eng/maths compulsory study to grade 4 in order to study vocational course where appropriate i.e. if not leading directly to employment.
- Support for families to understand the needs of their children, the breadth of the curriculum and where they can access additional tutors if they do not have the skills.
- Offer compulsory workshops for parents who remove their children from school to include the difficulties their children will face when the parents expect them to return to a school setting
- An organisation in place to monitor learning/assessment, mental health and well-being, socialisation
What sort of resources would be beneficial to reduce the impact of this issue?
- Resources to re-engage students
- Time/ space/ man power to deliver interventions
- Resources for home. info for parents about the impact positive and negative
- More funding in schools, better SEND services, more access to therapeutic support for children and their families.
What sort of experts would be beneficial to be able to speak to in order to reduce the impact of this issue?
- Mental Health
- Young Minds Matter
- Educational Psychologists
What reasons have you seen for elective home education or flexi-schooling?
- So they don’t have to bring the student to school.
- To avoid monitoring by Children’s Services through CP Plan or CinN
- When the school has raised concerns re attendance issues
- To avoid their child being in school due to high levels of illness in school envoronment
- Poor adult mental health- parents struggling to get out of the house
- Social and emotional wellbeing
- Home ed- not happy with provision and feel they can support child better and meet needs better. Flexi – EBSA biggest reason and meeting child’s needs (tiredness of a full school day – medical reasons)
- Mental Health, behaviour, SEND