Welcome to The Bee Hive Hub

In all honesty I find the L.A to be a tricky subject to talk about as every area has different rules and different people that may be nice or a little tricky to work around. They have always told me they are here to help but never seem to have much information to help me with. I think its important to talk about them but will try to stay as neutral as i can on the topic because everyone's experiences with them are different.

From what I am aware (I may not be 100% correct). The L.A (Local Authority) are required to keep track of all home educated children and are required to monitor if children are receiving a suitable education. This may be through direct meetings or through post/email. 
When I began home educating my daughter I didn't have a clue about the legality's and reports. I was contacted by the L.A and had a meeting not knowing I didn't have to. Luckily I had a lovely lady come to see me and she asked me about our plans and what activities we did. she was happy with what we had on display and went on her way. In hind sight I had no idea who this person was and what credentials she had. I have always been anxious with new people and didn't like the idea of having to let her into my home every year so began research. Lots of people suggested only communicating through email which was a huge relief. Over the years I have come across multiple L.A's and they often try to push the boundary's asking for more than they are legally required to have. I would suggest that if you are not aware of the legal side of home educating that it would be good to learn the basics so that if you are ever struggling with an L.A you know what your rights are and how to tell them to step back. You can give them as much or as little information as you like as long as you keep to what is required. I suggest sharing the bare minimum so that it is easier to compile information and also so that they don't overstep on other home educators thinking they have the right to more than we legally need to provide. Our children's safety and privacy is important.

The dreaded yearly report for my L.A was due this month and as soon as that email pings I panic. I have no reason to worry but suddenly this unknown person is looming over me, that I have to answer to and justify that my teaching methods are working. Proving that my children are developing and progressing. The word they always use is Suitable, "we need to let you know if your education is suitable for your children." Throughout my Home Education Journey I have become aware that a suitable education for me and my family just means that they are developing within their reading, writing and Math skills. Of course they develop in so many more areas of learning and life but these 3 are the most important to the L.A. This year I gave them a little more than they needed. I wrote 1 A4 page word document before placing it within an email, I detailed what apps we used and the level they progressed from last year. (I have learned to document what I told them the year before for this reason.) I then talked about our extra curriculum activities to show they have a social life. Providing an idea of what we will do in the next year can also keep them at bay but i often just end the letters with, I will continue to teach using these methods. One of my sons has struggled and regressed slightly so I suggested that if he doesn't progress this year that I will look for alternative methods. I don't divulge in anything that we may want to do as i know from experience that I may have every intention of doing something but life often happens stopping me from executing the plan. DON'T GIVE THE L.A ANYTHING THEY CAN PULL YOU UP ON NEXT YEAR.

So unfortunately whether we like it or not we do have to comply with the L.A to be able to Home Educate. There may be a few of us that have been able to hide under the radar but I'm aware the laws in England can change at any time so keep track of the law and make sure you know where you stand.