In short, part time education is illegal unless it has been assessed to be in the child's best interests and that full-time education would have an adverse effect on the child.

In exceptional circumstances they may be used to support a reintegration plan or support a child's health needs but this must be for the shortest time required, and if the absence would cause the child to miss more than 15 days, consecutively or not, then the Local Authority must make an assessment to determine the suitability of such arrangements and whether it has a duty to make alternative educational arrangements. This applies regardless of where or how a child is educated.

The Impact of Part-Time Provision.

Whilst a short-term part-time educational provision can be effective it does run the risk of children missing out on their learning and could inadvertently lead to the child being informally excluded from school. In some cases it may even result in a further decline in attendance, for example, because they are seen to be 'different' from their peers or they are anxious about not being able to 'catch up'.

Part-time timetables should not be used to manage behaviour. 

If a part-time timetable is being used make sure you are clear about the following:

• The reason(s) for part-time.
• The expected timeframe for it to be increased.
• How many days your child will miss out on learning and the arrangements in place for them to catch up on the missed time.
• What support your child will need and receive to successfully return to school.
• You have given your consent.

If you feel that the part-time timetable is not suitable, or your child is not making the expected progress towards reintegration and engagement in learning. then your Local Authority may be under a duty to make alternative arrangements for your child's education.  Sometimes "some education" is seen to be, "better than none" but in many of the cases that we have been involved in, more should have been done.  We can support and help parents to navigate through the processes and systems, to ensure suitable arrangements are agreed and put in place.  We cannot wave a magic wand, and often it may feel like climbing a mountain, but it is our aim to help every parent and child that we work with get the best from the education system.