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EHE families Support

Elective Home Education – May 2026 Newsletter

Welcome to Your EHE Family Newsletter

As an EHE team within Gloucestershire we are continuing to work with our community and services in order to provide the best support that we can.  If there is something that you would like others in the Home Education Community to know then please contact us and help us to work with you.  EHE@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Post 16 support for EHE families

For some families, 26 June 2026 marks the point at which your child will formally leave Elective Home Education, and you will no longer have an allocated EHE Officer.

Please continue to make use of the resources on our website, where we share information on physical, mental and sexual wellbeing and post-16 options. The main service supporting young people with post-16 education, training and next steps in Gloucestershire is the Youth Support Team.

Community activities and support for EHE families

We would like to let parents and carers know that a number of organisations have shared information with us about groups, activities, and opportunities they run for home-educating families.

Please note that the Local Authority does not endorse, approve, or regulate any of these groups or organisations. While we aim to pass on helpful information, it is the responsibility of parents and carers to make their own enquiries and decide whether a group or activity is suitable for their child.

In addition to this, Families in Partnership newsletters are a great source of information.

There are also lots of activities taking place over the Half Term as part of the HAF programme.

Child’s voice about Music Works

What does the Music Works mean to you?
The Music Works means a lot to me, it means I can get away from home, from my siblings and have a break.

What do the sessions give to you?
Freedom with different types of music and different instruments to try, I do editing, singing and have access to good equipment.

What do you think the best part of coming to these sessions are?
Making music, making new friends and listening to music all of the time.

How many sessions do you attend a week?
3 sessions a week.

Support for 13-19 impacted by domestic abuse

Gloucestershire offers a range of services to support families. One service which does not require a crime reference number or any police involvement is STREET.

STREET offer 1-1 and group support to young people who have experienced domestic abuse either in their own relationships or at home as well as those who are exhibiting unhealthy relationship behaviours and have no wait lists for this. STREET also offer year group assemblies to young people about healthy relationships.

Support is for those aged 13-19 and all referrals must have consent of the young person. Thise who are assessed as low-medium will be offered group sessions or 1-1 if group is not appropriate. Those assessed as high risk, either through a DASH (a toolkit used to identify the level of risk faced by victims of domestic abuse) or internal assessment will be allocated a YPVA (Young Person’s Violence Advocate). There must be an element of domestic abuse to meet the requirements for support.

Referrals into STREET can be made with this referral form – please ensure the young person, and parent where possible, are aware of the referral and its contents.

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

We recognise that many electively home-educating (EHE) families have thoughtful and detailed concerns about the recent legislation. We want to reassure parents that:

  • The legal duty under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 remains unchanged
  • The intention of the Act is not to remove parental responsibility or autonomy
  • Local authorities are required to act lawfully, proportionately, and in partnership with families

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 introduces greater structure and visibility, but it does not fundamentally change the legal foundation of elective home education.

The key thing to note relating to the implementation of this act is that Gloucestershire’s relational approach of working with home educated families will not change. For further information relating to concerns raised by families, please see the FAQs on our website. You will also find the letter from the DfE to parents here.

Meet the team

If there is something you would like included in our termly newsletter, then please do let us know. Or join us at our open meeting on Wednesday 17th June at 11:00 a.m. on Microsoft Teams.