I am an Elective Home Education Officer AMA

[EHEAMA]

I will try and answer your questions.

What proportion of the children in your area who EHE have SEN?

About 20% have SEN, less than 10% have an EHCP.

The SEN kids - do their parents want them back in school but just can’t find suitable placements?

Have you ever dealt with cases where home education was being used to enable abuse of any kind?

Can I ask what part of the country you work in? (Vaguely obv)

My son has an EHCP and is HE. I am honestly horrified by the number of children with SEN in the groups I go to. Far more than 50%.

Ketomeato, the majority I see are in it for the long haul. However some are awaiting a suitable placement.

Bookishandblondish Thankfully no, not that I am aware of.

What do you do if the education being provided to the child is not suitable?

5zeds - somewhere in the North.

All except one of our children with an EHCP access EHE groups, whereas those without SEN seem less likely to attend groups.

Initially we try and work with the family. Most know when the provision isn't good and welcome the help.

Do you get a lot of people refusing a home visit?

ANiceLuxury - only a very small number.

Do you get involved with EHCP EOTAS placements?

(In the EHCP you can specify the school or the type of placement required and sometimes if a child simply cannot attend, there’s the option of Education Other Than At School. LAs hate this as it tends to work out v expensive for them.)

Ketomeato - We attend EHCP reviews but our input is minimal.

I wonder if you are able to recognise the number that have undiagnosed SEN? Eg, ASD, Communication issues etc.

Do you see a lot of offrolling?

And do you feel an EHCP would have helped some with SEN stay in mainstream education?

That’s interesting, @EHEAMA - where I live (somewhere in the south) I’d say that quite a large percentage of EHE parents decline a home visit, or indeed to have any contact with council at all.

My question... what do you do if someone declines a visit right from the off? Do you ever ‘doorstep’ (ie turn up uninvited) families?

About 20% have SEN

What is your data base for that assertion, please?

How effective do you think home education is?

Would you do it for your child?

How do you know if parents aren't educating their children? What happens to the parents in these cases?

imip, we see children for such a short time and so infrequently that I very much doubt we would recognise undiagnosed SEN unless they were very obvious.

We did see a lot of off rolling but not so much in the last 12 months.

What do you think you add to the children’s/parents lives and what do you think. Could or should happen?

Teachermaths

How effective do you think home education is? If done well it can be very effective' like anything I guess.

Would you do it for your child? No, I haven't got the patience. lol

How do you know if parents aren't educating their children?
They usually admit it, or are very vague about what they do.

What happens to the parents in these cases? Nothing happens to them if they work with the LA and most do.

I'm off to bed now but will try and answer other questions later this week.

Do you visit children across the whole age range?

Do you have any concerns about increased susceptibility to cse and grooming?

Do many of the yp have offending histories?

What proportion of 16yos get proper gcse qualification. Like level 2 equivalent.

Do you see many rejoin school /college as teenagers to get qualifications or are they all desinted for low attainment (as measured by quals)

Do many do it for religious reasons?

(sorry for all the questions, I have a professional interest from offending/cse perspective and know a few home edders from my church. You don't have to answer them all - pick your favourite!)

Do you have knowledge about the theory of unschooling/autonomous education and what do you think about it?