FOI Request - EHE Statistics 2026
Request 101003979323
Scottish clarification and reword:
1. EHE - electively home educated
a) Please provide the number of home educated children known to your local authority as of the 1st April 2026
b) how many of these became known since 1st October 2025?
c) how many of these are in 14-16 access college and still registered as EHE?
d) how many of these are flexi-schooled/part time EHE and part time school?
e) how many of these were previously attending private school before being EHE?
2. CME - child missing education
a) How many children moved from EHE status to CME status between 1 October 2025 and 1 April 2026? This includes those where you dual categorise as EHE and CME.
b) How many of these remain CME?
3. Notice to satisfy - Section 37(1) Education Act in Scotland.
a) State how many s37(1) have been served between 1/10/2025 and 1/4/2026- This is in relation to home educated children (including those you may have transferred to CME prior to serving notice).
b) How many were served more than one notice per child in this period?
c) Please confirm whether your figures are recorded per notice, per child, or per parent.
4. AO attendance order
a) How many AO were served in that same time period. This is in relation to home educated children (including those you may have transferred to CME prior to serving).
b) How many were subject to more than one per child in this period?
c) Please confirm whether your figures are recorded per order, per child, or per parent.
5. AO outcomes
For each AO identified in Question 4, please provide the outcome, including (but not limited to):
a) Child registered at school before escalation to court (state if AO was revoked)
b) AO revoked due to education deemed suitable Prosecution initiated Prosecution outcome (e.g. conviction, acquittal, withdrawn) Any other recorded outcome
6. Reasons for Section 37(1) Notices
a) Please provide the recorded reasons for serving Section 37(1) notices in Question 3.
This should include any internal categories, codes, or descriptors used (e.g. insufficient information, provided written information but chose not to meet, refusal to provide photos to back up a written report, no response, etc.).
Where no formal categories exist, please provide a summary based on case records.
7. Resolution Following Section 37(1)
a) In cases where no further action was taken following a Section 37(1) notice, or where the authority accepted the education as suitable, please state what actions led to that decision (e.g. written report, meeting, home visit, samples of work, etc.).
8. AO Revocation Prior to Court
a) For AOs that were revoked prior to court proceedings, please provide the reasons for revocation, including what evidence or specific actions led to the decision. (e.g. written report, meeting, home visit, samples of work, etc.).
9. Recording Practices
a) Does your authority record EHE and CME as mutually exclusive categories?
b) Can a child be recorded as CME while also being known to be home educated?
c) Does your authority maintain a record of children who have moved between EHE and CME categories?
d) If yes, what is the process for this classification?
10. Home Visits
a) How many EHE families had a home visit between 1 October 2025 and 1 April 2026
b) How many families had more than one visit in this time period?
11. ASN - Alternate Support needs
a) how many of the known home educators in question 1 have a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP).?
b) how many have known ASN without a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP).
Response 07-05-2026
1. EHE - electively home educated
a) 101
b) 13
c) 0
d) 0
e) Not applicable
2. CME - child missing education
a) 0
b) 0
3. Notice to satisfy - Section 37(1) Education Act in Scotland.
a) 0
b) 0
c) Not applicable
4. AO attendance order
a) 0
b) Not applicable
c) Not applicable
5. AO outcomes
a) Not applicable
b) Not applicable
6. Reasons for Section 37(1) Notices
a) Not applicable
b) Not applicable
7. Resolution Following Section 37(1)
a) Not applicable
8. AO Revocation Prior to Court
a) Not applicable
9. Recording Practices
a) Yes
b) Yes
c) No
d) Not applicable
10. Home Visits
a) Home visits are offered but not standard, in line with the guidance. Please see guidance from Scottish Government Home Education Guidance –
4.5 It is strongly recommended that local authorities and families known to them to
be home educating should have contact in the form of a conversation at least once a
year to discuss the progress of the child’s education, and for this conversation to
include the child, if the child wishes. This is in line with Article 12 of the UNCRC,
which protects respect for the views of the child regarding matters which affect them.
This annual contact by means of a conversation is not a statutory requirement.
However, it is a recommendation as to how local authorities may reasonably inform
themselves of the education that the child is receiving, in line with the principles of
the right to an education in Articles 28 and 29 of the UNCRC Convention and in line
with the duty of the parent/carer to provide education to their child under section 30
of the 1980 Act. Home educators and local authorities are encouraged to work
together collaboratively to develop trust, mutual respect and a positive relationship in
the best interests of the child.
b) 0
11. ASN - Alternate Support needs
a) 0
b) Not recorded. This information is only recorded at families request. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.