Elective home education and children missing education: submit your data
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-14)

How local authorities can share aggregate data on children who receive elective home education (EHE) and those children missing education (CME).

The termly aggregate EHE and CME data collections are statutory. You must complete statutory data collections by law unless there’s a good reason not to.

EHE is a term used to describe a choice by parents to provide education for their children at home - or at home and in some other way which they choose - instead of sending them to school full-time.

CME are children of compulsory school age who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at a school.

The collections include:
- number of EHE and CME at census dates
- characteristics information such as sex and ethnicity
- reasons for EHE and CME
Important dates

This is a list of dates for when you must provide us with termly aggregate data returns.

2025 to 2026 census dates

Autumn data collection
- Census date - Thursday 2 October 2025
- Return date - Friday 24 October 2025
- Database closure date - Friday 7 November 2025
Spring data collection
- Census date - Thursday 15 January 2026
- Return date - Friday 6 February 2026
- Database closure date - Friday 20 February 2026
Summer data collection
- Census date - Thursday 21 May 2026
- Return date – Friday 12 June 2026
- Database closure date - Friday 26 June 2026
Return documents

Complete your return using the:
- guide, validation rules and acceptable notepad entries (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ehe-and-cme-data-collection-guide-and-validation-rules)
- COLLECT guides (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collect-guides-for-schools-and-local-authorities)
Send us your data

You’ll need to:
- register and log in with DfE sign-in (https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/)
- use COLLECT to submit your data
Contact your local authority approver if:
- you want to request a DfE sign-in username or password so you can access COLLECT
- EHE and CME is not on the list of collections you can see in COLLECT
If you do not know who your approver is, use the DfE sign-in request form (https://help.signin.education.gov.uk/contact/form).

If you’ve forgotten your password, use DfE sign-in (https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/) to reset it. You will need to click ‘Start now’ and then the ‘I’ve forgotten my password’ link.

How your data will be used

Some data we’re collecting is subject to a privacy notice (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64fed27257e884000de127dc/EHE_and_CME_privacy_notice.pdf) (PDF, 121 KB, 3 pages).

This data will:
- be analysed to build a clearer picture of the EHE and CME cohorts on local and national levels
- help us identify outlying local data and work with those local authorities to understand the reasons
- help us understand the drivers of EHE and CME
Information received and any analysis we share will not include any data that could identify any child or their parent(s).

Get help

Use the service request form (https://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/stats/requestform) if you have any questions about your data. We aim to answer your question within 5 working days.

Feedback

Use the feedback form (https://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/stats/feedbackform) if you have any comments about our data collection service, including COLLECT and the helpdesk service.