The Scrutiny: Aspirational Merthyr Tydfil committee met to discuss elective home education (EHE) and to review the forward work programme for 2025/2026. The committee noted the increase in pupils being deregistered from schools for elective home education, and agreed that the Chair of the committee, Councillor Lisa Mytton, Deputy Leader of the Opposition / Chair of Aspirational Merthyr Tydfil Scrutiny, and Councillor Gareth Lewis, Cabinet Member, would jointly write to the Welsh Government/WLGA¹ to advocate for increased funding for local authorities to support EHE. Members also agreed to identify items to fill gaps in the forward work programme at a workshop scheduled for 22nd September 2025.

Elective Home Education

The committee considered a report on elective home education (EHE), noting that the number of pupils being deregistered from schools to be home educated is increasing. The report provided an overview of the statutory guidance supporting local authorities in their duties related to EHE, and the number of pupils registered as being electively home educated at the time of the EHE census.

The report noted that at the time of the 2022-23 EHE Census (January 2023) Merthyr Tydfil's rate was 6.6 children per 1000 pupil population, the lowest in Wales. By the time of the 2023-24 census, this had increased to 9.8 children per 1000 pupil population, the second lowest in Wales. As of 16 January 2025, the number stood at 119 pupils.

The report included figures on:

• The number of children known to be home educated on 16 January 2024
• The key stage pupils were in when they became home educated
• The key stage of the current EHE population
• The reasons parents have given for choosing EHE in Merthyr Tydfil
• The gender split of the home educated cohort in Merthyr Tydfil

According to the report, 39% of parents cited attendance/prosecution as the main reason for deregistration, 25% cited lifestyle/ideological/philosophical reasons, and 16% cited anxiety/school phobia.

The report stated that parents of EHE pupils can refuse contact with the local authority if they wish. It noted that 72.8% of parents in Merthyr Tydfil have chosen to engage with the local authority, received a visit during 2024 and were able to evidence a suitable and efficient education. A further 6.2% of parents provided evidence of a suitable and effective education being delivered but without direct engagement. The remaining 21% of the EHE population are determined as Child Missing Education (CME) until the local authority is satisfied that a suitable education is in place.

During the discussion, officers confirmed that:

• If parents provide evidence of a suitable education by another means, they are not obligated to engage with the local authority.
• Enforcement action is set out clearly in legislation through School Attendance Orders, and around 11 such orders have been issued to date.
• Educational professionals measure the appropriateness of the education and ensure standards are being met by the parents.
• The council works closely with secondary schools to identify early warnings that a parent is going to de-register a child from school so that they can be involved as soon as possible.
• There is no formal tracking of exam outcomes for EHE pupils, as there is no requirement for pupils to follow the curriculum.
• The process for supporting EHE pupils with Additional Learning Needs is the same as for pupils in mainstream education, and pupils continue to receive support via reviews and multi agency collaboration.
• There are pinch points in September and May in relation to the numbers of pupils on the EHE Register.
• The headteacher is the main contact, and they share information with the chair of governors.

Members commented that this is a very challenging area to support, especially if parents do not want to engage with the local authority.

It was agreed that Councillor Lisa Mytton, Deputy Leader of the Opposition / Chair of Aspirational Merthyr Tydfil Scrutiny, and Councillor Gareth Lewis, Cabinet Member, would write jointly to the Welsh Government/WLGA to advocate for increased funding for local authorities due to the significant increase in pupils who are now on the EHE Register.

Forward Work Programme 2025/2026

The committee considered the latest version of the Forward Work Programme (FWP) 2025/2026 and noted that there are still gaps in the FWP for November, January, March, and April to allow emerging issues to be added.

The Forward Work Programme 2025-2026 identifies topics for consideration at scrutiny meetings, and is developed following a planning session with the Chair, Vice Chair, Cabinet Member, Director and officers. The Chair engages with scrutiny members who are also given the opportunity to feed into the FWP.

The FWP is subject to change with the development of the Cabinet Forward Plan and any emerging issues, allowing scrutiny members the opportunity to undertake pre-decision scrutiny. Quarterly technical meetings with the Chair, Vice Chair, Cabinet Member and Director will also enable scrutiny to build in items for pre-decision.

The committee resolved that members will identify items to fill the gaps in their workshop scheduled for 22nd September 2025.

Feedback on Scrutiny Activities

Councillor Lisa Mytton, Deputy Leader of the Opposition / Chair of Aspirational Merthyr Tydfil Scrutiny, reminded the committee that the workshop on 22 September 2025 will be face-to face in Committee Room 3 and that the MAT (More able & Talented) Task and Finish Group would be considered in the workshop.