Reporting concerns about a homeschooled child

[Roosterbooster99]

Does anyone know how I’d go about this? Apparently the system has changed and the authorities will act. The child in question isn’t actually being taught anything and is almost at secondary age and can’t read or write or do basic maths.

School nurse in that area and/or social services.

Social Services surely?

If not, they'll obviously point you in the right direction anyway.

Defo social services

In all honesty, they wont do anything unless the kid is being neglected or abused. One of my dc is home schooled and they have no tests or anything. I just have to write a quick email once a year to confirm I'm still home schooling and that's it.

Your best bet would likely be the education department at the local council, and they can pass you onto the home education support, they can decide what, if anything, to do from there, and get any relevant people involved, or support in place.

I reported exh for non home schooling a few years ago.
They actually told me they had to take exh's word that work was being done. No checking up..
Ds lost a year of school..

Would have thought you report to local council education department -
www.gov.uk/home-education.

It's entirely possible that some uninformed gossip has it all back to front.

The child could be being legally, permanently homeschooled because of some social or learning problem but is making steady progress.

If you are sure you have all the right facts not just gossip or that they're not teaching him how/what you think they should be teaching him then you have some options.

Education department at the local council, SS or even just an informal chat with NSPCC to see what they think/advise.

Maybe try the council, but there are only very lose requirements for home education.

Social services will contact the LAs officer for Elective Home Education and they will visit. The can enforce a School Attendance Order if needed because the parent isn't providing a suitable education.

janetandjohn

That's incorrect. Totally.

We don't have a law that says a child must follow the national curriculum. Provided the parent has a philosophy of education and are following that (and they can outline this in a page and there is no legal right to entertain a visit or further written correspondence with anyone from the EA), that's the end of it. You don't need to provide work and you don't need to be hitting certain targets at a certain time. Parents have a duty to educate their child and they only pass this along to anyone else when they register at a school. If they have registered their child at a school and then don't send them, at that point they're preventing the school from carrying out it's responsibility (allocated to it by the parent) to educate the child. At that point the LEA can legally be involved because the parent is neither assuming responsibility for educating the child not allowing their designated education provider to do so. However if there aren't concerns and the parent de-registers from school, that's it in terms of the LEA's legal rights. This isn't something they're keen to acknowledge and a lot of LEAs simply refuse to swallow that this is how the law currently stands.

its

In all honesty, they wont do anything unless the kid is being neglected or abused

The child is 10-11 (from what OP has said). The child cant read or write. That's neglect.

@0963158b

janetandjohn

That's incorrect. Totally.

No, it's correct. They can issue a school attendance order if they find that the child isn't being educated according to the law.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

In all honesty, they wont do anything unless the kid is being neglected or abused

The child is 10-11 (from what OP has said). The child cant read or write. That's neglect.

Is it?

OP , you need to contact the LA Education department.

Is it?

Unless there are significant SEND , yes it is.

stripey I've just outlined what that means. It's not what you think. The law simply requires the parent to have some kind of philosophy and say they're following it. There's no way for the law to dictate what that is or even get in there and check.

You don't have to teach anything in particular when home educating.
It depends on their philosophy, they could be unschooling, autonomously educating, etc .
You need to at least understand what you are talking about before you start reporting people.

@ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble

Is it?

Unless there are significant SEND , yes it is.

We don't know anything about this child or their circumstances.

A school attendance order (provided no statement etc) is for children whose parents have discharged their responsibility to provide a education for their child to the school but then don't send them. It's not for every child who isn't following the national curriculum. That's the government's opinion of what an education should look like but it's there's an assumption that this is for every parent to choose or not (and they can do pretty much anything instead provided they can waffle about it).

maybe the child had a learning difficulty, or a medical condition.
how much do you actually know about the situation.
does the child seem distressed in any way.
how are you involved.

@0963158b

janetandjohn

That's incorrect. Totally.

It isn't incorrect. I work for the LA and work with the EHE Officer at times. I also place these children into school regularly.

@0963158b

stripey I've just outlined what that means. It's not what you think. The law simply requires the parent to have some kind of philosophy and say they're following it. There's no way for the law to dictate what that is or even get in there and check.

I know what it means. More info about school attendance orders here: edyourself.org/articles/sao.php