Data set from Elective home education

Elective home education at any point in the academic year

Latest data

Published 15 January 2026

Last updated 15 January 2026

The number of children in elective home education in England at any point in the academic year. Includes the number of starts in EHE, number of returns to education, section 437(1) notices issued, school attendance orders issued and revoked

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Elective home education
• Release: Autumn term 2025/26
• Number of rows: 655
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Number of EHE children at any point during the year
  • Number of EHE children returning to school during the year
  • Number of EHE children who leave the local authority during the year
  • Number of children who started EHE during the year
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type academy
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type alternative provision
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type early years
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type elsewhere/unknown
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type free school
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type home educated outside the local authority
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type independent
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type local authority maintained
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type none (previously not of compulsory school age)
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type pupil referral unit
  • Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type special
  • Number of school attendance orders issued
  • Number of school attendance orders revoked
  • Number of section 437(1) notices issued
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type independent
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type academy
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type alternative provision
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type early years
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type elsewhere/unknown
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type free school
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type home educated outside the local authority
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type local authority maintained
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type none (previously not of compulsory school age)
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type pupil referral unit
  • Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type special
• Time period: 2021/22 to 2024/25

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_period	time_identifier	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	ehe_starts_full_year	ehe_schtype_ey	ehe_schtype_none	ehe_schtype_lamain	ehe_schtype_acad	ehe_schtype_free	ehe_schtype_ind	ehe_schtype_spec	ehe_schtype_ap	ehe_schtype_pru	ehe_schtype_ehe	ehe_schtype_else_unk	ehe_schtype_ey_pc	ehe_schtype_none_pc	ehe_schtype_lamain_pc	ehe_schtype_acad_pc	ehe_schtype_free_pc	ehe_schtype_ind_pc	ehe_schtype_spec_pc	ehe_schtype_ap_pc	ehe_schtype_pru_pc	ehe_schtype_ehe_pc	ehe_schtype_else_unk_pc	ehe_anytime_full_year	ehe_returns_full_year	ehe_leave	ehe_section_437_full_year	ehe_sao_issued_full_year	ehe_sao_revoked_full_year
202425	Academic year	National	E92000001	England						78000	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	low	2	23	49	2	2	low	low	1	2	19	175900	28100	5400	7400	2500	600
202425	Academic year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000001	North East				3940	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	low	1	18	69	1	1	1	low	1	2	5	7930	1080	190	610	70	low
202425	Academic year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West				9590	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	low	1	42	38	1	1	1	low	1	2	12	20900	3760	790	730	180	60
202425	Academic year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000003	Yorkshire and The Humber				8040	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	1	1	20	53	1	1	low	low	1	low	22	16730	3170	370	1040	310	10
202425	Academic year	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000004	East Midlands				6650	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	1	1	14	57	2	3	1	low	low	1	21	15510	2540	420	680	460	270

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 29 variables

Variable name	Variable description
ehe_anytime_full_year	Number of EHE children at any point during the year
ehe_leave	Number of EHE children who leave the local authority during the year
ehe_returns_full_year	Number of EHE children returning to school during the year
ehe_sao_issued_full_year	Number of school attendance orders issued
ehe_sao_revoked_full_year	Number of school attendance orders revoked
ehe_schtype_acad	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type academy
ehe_schtype_acad_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type academy
ehe_schtype_ap	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type alternative provision
ehe_schtype_ap_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type alternative provision
ehe_schtype_ehe	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type home educated outside the local authority
ehe_schtype_ehe_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type home educated outside the local authority
ehe_schtype_else_unk	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type elsewhere/unknown
ehe_schtype_else_unk_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type elsewhere/unknown
ehe_schtype_ey	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type early years
ehe_schtype_ey_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type early years
ehe_schtype_free	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type free school
ehe_schtype_free_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type free school
ehe_schtype_ind	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type independent
ehe_schtype_ind_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type independent
ehe_schtype_lamain	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type local authority maintained
ehe_schtype_lamain_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type local authority maintained
ehe_schtype_none	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type none (previously not of compulsory school age)
ehe_schtype_none_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type none (previously not of compulsory school age)
ehe_schtype_pru	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type pupil referral unit
ehe_schtype_pru_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type pupil referral unit
ehe_schtype_spec	Number of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type special
ehe_schtype_spec_pc	Percentage of children who started EHE in the year with previous school type special
ehe_section_437_full_year	Number of section 437(1) notices issued
ehe_starts_full_year	Number of children who started EHE during the year

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Footnotes

1. Local authority response rates to the data collection vary by census date. To account for non-response, where required national and regional figures have been uprated based on local authority pupil populations.
2. A figure that rounds to 0, but is not 0 is denoted by 'low', 'x' represents not available and 'z' is not applicable.

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Elective home education at any point in the academic year statistics and data:

Attendance and exclusions statistics team

Email: schools.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Pauline Potts

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