The relevant Northern Irish Guidance in Elective Home Education comes into force in September 2020, it is broadly welcomed by HEdNI who were involved in the drafting. You will find the EA’s EHE information page here.
While the new guidance is not perfect, with good training and proper implementation we believe it will be helpful in standardising the EAs approach and empowering parents to meet their duties as educators.
However parents should always keep themselves well informed, treat any interventions with due caution and never hesitate to seek proper legal advice.
Information on the legal duties of parents and the Education Authority can be found here. You are not obliged to invite them into your home, meet with them or fill in their forms. You should respond to all communications from the EA, address any concerns and keep accurate records of all interactions and correspondence with them, as well as minutes of any meetings of telephone calls.
In addressing any concerns or responding to an informal request for evidence you can use the format you feel most appropriate. You may find it useful to send them an educational philosophy giving details of your approach, instead of meeting them or using a particular form. Advice on drafting an Ed Phil can be found here:
Keep in mind that the above links refer to English legislation rather than Northern Irish, this has the same wording and effect under different titles.