- Title or Description
- Home Education Withdrawal Process
- FOI Number
- 20250926
- Date Received
- 17/07/2025
- Type of Request
- FOI
- Request or Question
-
1. Designated Official's Contact Details In accordance with Section 5.2 of the statutory Home Education Guidance (January 2025), which requires local authorities to provide details for "the official with responsibility for home education", please provide the following personal details for this specific individual: ? Their Full Name. ? Their Full Job Title. ? Their direct individual email address and direct-dial telephone number, if these exist and are used for public contact. We contend that the official's name is not exempt personal data in this context. While we acknowledge Section 38 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the 2025 statutory guidance fundamentally alters the public interest test. The guidance's requirement to identify "the official" establishes a clear public interest in transparency and accountability, which outweighs the privacy considerations for an individual in this designated public-facing role. Withholding the name would frustrate the stated purpose of the guidance. Should you nonetheless resolve to withhold the name under Section 38, please provide a detailed justification for your decision, explaining how you have applied the public interest test in light of the 2025 guidance. 2. Generic and Formal Contact Details Please provide the official, generic contact details that home-educating families should use for all formal and ongoing correspondence. This should include: ? The generic team email address for submitting information and inquiries. ? The main telephone number for the home education service. ? The full postal address for sending formal notifications, including withdrawal letters under Section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. If these details are identical to the direct details of the official requested in point 1, please explicitly state this. Finally, please confirm if these generic contact details have changed within the last five years and, if so, the date of the most recent update.
3. Required/Advised Information Please detail any specific information or documents that parents are required or advised to include in their initial notification letter/email to ensure it is processed efficiently (e.g., child's full name, date of birth, current school, proposed start date of home education).
4. Local Authority Guidance Does your local authority publish its own specific guidance document or policy for parents considering or undertaking home education? If so, please provide a direct, working link to this document on your website. - Response
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1. Quality Improvement Manager (Details provided to requester)
2. Email (Details provided to requester) or using the contact form for customer services Contact us | Using this form ? Scottish Borders Council Link1
? The main telephone number for the home education service. There is no home education phone number. Phone enquiries go to customer services on (Details provided to requester)
? The full postal address for sending formal notifications, including withdrawal letters under Section 30 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. Education Service Scottish Borders Council Newtown St. Boswells Melrose TD6 0SA
3. ? Full Name ? Current School ? Stage/Year group ? Date of Birth ? Start date of home education ? Education Plan ? Contact details
4. Home education |LINK2 Scottish Borders Council Please note that this policy has been updated and the updated policy will be uploaded to the council website shortly - Related links
- Contact Customer Advice and Support Service
- Home education - Scottish Borders Council
