I am an Elective Home Education Officer AMA

[EHEAMA]

I will try and answer your questions.

What did you do about the off-rolled kids?

What is your job description?
I'm not trying to be goady, I just want to understand what you do.

What qualifications do you need for your role? Are you most like a teacher, an ofsted inspector or a social worker?

What are your views on unschooling? Do many families take this approach?

How much is your department struggling funding wise

Sorry only asking as we are home educating due to sen and no appropriate placement for our child and whenever i have tried to get in touch with the home ed people its always a run around as departments have been merged or don't exist anymore and there is always a huge staffing mix up.
In fact we dont have a local education welfare anymore its part of anothers town but we do have a handy pdf with outdated phone numbers. So thats nice

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

Yes, definitely and sometimes parents become tired waiting for the system to complete the EHCP and withdraw them mid-process.
The process has to start all over again with a parental request for an EHCP.

How many complete post 16 qualifications and of those, how many would you say do so at the “correct age” rather than early?

Do you have a background in education or training in education for the role? Were you for example a teacher, or is your role seen more as a safeguarding role?

@Jointhemicrodots

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

If they decline a visit and a meeting at a mutually agreed venue than we request a statement of educational provision.

No we never just turn up.

@Autumncrow

About 20% have SEN

What is your data base for that assertion, please?

I'm answering these questions in 'chat mode' and not like an FOI request. So no data base was consulted.
Our database does record those who were on the SEN register when they were in school and the vast majority of our children have been in school. Hence the 'about'.

@5zeds

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

It's different for each family but ranges from adding very little/ nothing to making a huge difference to parents and children.
eg. a child has become a school refuser due to deep anxiety and/or depression. Parents are clutching at EHE as a last straw thinking that they aren't capable or all children should be in school or it will make the child's problems worse due to isolation. We go in and talk about the possibilities, what's on offer, give reassurance and encouragement and leave the family with the knowledge they need to make decisions. It's a good feeling to see a family so much more relaxed and happy than
when I arrived.

OP, you sound aware and understanding of the issues many Home Ed families face. It's refreshing. Our own HEO was similar and we were lucky to have her. We were forced into Home Ed as ds as significant additional needs. The local authority couldn't wait to see the back of us. There is so much prejudice and negative assumptions around Home Ed and I am resentful of it as in my experience so many families are forced into it.

Thanks for posting and dispelling some of the negativity

Hi OP

Is there are large % of the home educators you see doing it for religious reasons? In these instances, Is there any way of regulating what children are being taught?

Hi OP

Is there are large % of the home educators you see doing it for religious reasons? In these instances, Is there any way of regulating what children are being taught?
And with the above.. are you made aware of children who have never entered into the school system in the first place ? Ie are they on some sort of register if, for example they are registered at a doctors but have never need near any form of nursery/ school etc?

I am not 'electively' HE. Both DS1 and DS2 received a bespoke package of home tuition funded by the LA. EOTAS manager said DS1's EHCP was 'worthless' and there was no point as he would probably never return to school when his ss placement failed age 14. They were very reluctant (JR had to be initiated by SOS!SEN) for DS1. After 2 years with no education at all, at nearly 18, he finally got 20 hours to study for 5 GCSEs which he sat and passed in the summer. He even got 2 level 8s!

Does your LA make PB and direct payment available for SEN DC with an EHCP with no suitable placement? And if not, why not?

Nearly 16 not 18.

While it sounds like you work for a good LA, there are those LAs who are hostile and who employ aggressive language, illegal policies and intimidating practices to make home education difficult.
Does their behaviour make doing your job more difficult?

Keeponkeepingonagain that’s brilliant!!! Well done to your child, and to you!

What qualifications and/ or training do you have in order for you to carry out your job?

What do you do if you disagree with your LA's policies and attitude and approach towards home educators?

I have so many questions.

I'm a home educating mum with qualifications in primary education. My understanding of how children learn is broad and all forms of learning - from unschooling to structured schooling are valid and valuable.
My experience of LAs is that they have no knowledge at all of how children best learn, nor how children's learning needs vary so vastly. Not only that but they either aren't familiar with the law and their remit or they have a flagrant disregard for it and an unhealthy dislike for home education in any other form than a tailored academic education (which works only for aproximayely 8% of ALL children).

My question is: a) with this in mind, (in your honest professional opinion) who do you think LAs should be employing and what training and experience should role holders ideally have to carry out their duties?
b) Are role holders getting the training you would expect in this role?

What routes do you have for providing access to diagnoses, SEN support, mental health support and access arrangements for exams for home educated children and young people?

... and that was the end of that.

All done?

Do you agree with Home Education or do you believe all children should be in school if possible?
What are your thoughts on HE children not doing GCSE's?

Let me start by responding to the 2 latest posts... @Ketomeato and @pickles26

... and that was the end of that.

All done?

I've been to work!

My experience of H.ed identified that there was no need for your job.
What exactly do you do?
We didn't accept meetings but supplied a list of resources we used throughout the year. This seemed to suffice for four years.

I had friends in other areas though whose life was made miserable by their EHE worker. They really did think they had a say or input into what the families were doing and at one point insisted on visiting the home. Of course the door wasn't open to them, but they really had no idea what their job actually meant.

You on the other hand sound lovely, but I'd still like to know why the role exists and how it's found useful.