What to expect from an LEA visit.. Very Apprehensive

[Jemimalouise]

I spoke to the home education officer after sending in an ed phil.
She said they like to visit in the home and she'd like to meet the children (6 and 10 years) see samples of their work, see where 'they're at' in Maths and English and ask them what they like about home education.
They write a report afterwards I think, then send us a copy. The LEA officer is going to contact again for a definite appointment date.
Does this sound reasonable? I don't think my ten year old would mind answering such questions, but my six year old I'm not sure about.
Most of all I don't know what to expect from a visit, I think I don't have to provide work samples, but in that case they won't be able to write a report, will they? and though have searched on the home ed websites, haven't been able to find much help.

[ommmward]

OK.

If you want to meet with the LA employee, then of course you can do so. You can meet them in your home with your children there, or you can meet them in your home while your children are elsewhere, or you can meet them with the children on neutral ground (e.g. a library) or you can meet them without the children, on neutral ground. If you intend to meet them, be very clear before you do so exactly what the purpose of the meeting is for you, what you want to ask them - have a written agenda. And have a friend with you to take notes and make sure you don't get intimidated or bullied into agreeing to anything you didn't want to agree to. Some people just love their annual LA visits, and the children look forward to them for weeks and talk about them for weeks afterwards, and the whole thing can be very positive. But there are no guarantees at all of it being a good experience. Personally, if I was going to meet one of them, I would absolutely insist that the first meeting took place on neutral territory without the children present, and if they did not treat me with courtesy or understand the different ways EHE can work, they would under no circumstances be given permission to enter my home or meet my children on a future occasion.

But you don't have to meet with the LA employee at all. Of course they like to come and have a good nosey around and tick their boxes, but they have no legal right to do so at all. If you have sent an ed phil, then you are perfectly within your rights to write to her saying "I have sent you an educational philosophy. Please let me know if there is other documentation you need to see, in line with the 2007 guidelines for LAs on elective Home Education, to reassure you that I am educating my children according to my legal duty. I prefer to keep all communication with you in writing from now on."

They are trying it on. A commons select committee of MPs has just said that it, too, sees no reason why LA employees would ever need to enter a family home in pursuing their duties to ascertain that parents are causing their children to receive an education.

[julienoshoes]

ditto what ommward just said!

The law as it stands very definately gives the choice of how you give them information about your home based education, to you.

No question. Your choice not theirs.

[Jemimalouise]

Thank you.
They said it was difficult to ascertain that a child was receiving an appropriate education via written evidence alone. They also said that 95%+ of home ed families agree to a visit, which made me feel a bit unreasonable.
I'd have nothing to do with the LEA if I could have avoided it, but one of my (very anti home educating) relations 'reported' me for home educating.

[ommmward]

"I'm sorry you find it difficult to ascertain that my child is receiving a suitable - I think you'll find the legal requirement is suitable not appropriate - education by written means. Perhaps you could make contact with other LAs which follow best practice following the 2007 EHE guidelines to ask for advice on how they manage it? In recent years, HEers have found Cumbria and Milton Keynes supportive, although I don't know whether the staff with a good reputation are still in post. Thousands of HEers across the country do not meet with their LAs, and there are well established ways, backed up by case law, for LAs to judge whether or not an education is being provided."

Only I wouldn't really send those words, I mean, that's seriously snarky.

[julienoshoes]

They can say what they like.
Doesn't make it law.

The Elective Home Education :Guidelines for LAs (which I have just refound at the bottom of this (this page )
state In section 3.6
Parents are not legally required to give LAs access to their home.

snip

and
Parents might prefer, for example, to write a report, provide samples of work,have their educational provision endorsed by a third party, or provide evidence in some other appropriate form.

Our LA would have preferred to have done a home visit and met the children and see their work.

The children did not wish for this to happen at all. I respected their choices and listened to them.
We sent in a wriiten report instead.