to be interested HOW a teenager is being home educated when both parents work?

[tessa231]

and didn't get further than GCSES (if that ) themseleves....
no no tutor

yes judgy.

Obviously can't comment on a particular case, but presumably the parents aren't at work 24/7 - they could educate at weekends and evenings. No reason why school work has to be done between 9am-3pm.

Do you need more than gcse's to be able to home educate then?

The parents arent exactly lentil weaving academic planning types*

*judge alert

Home ed children tend to be very self motivated so I can't see a problem with this. I also don't see why the parents school qualifications are of any relevance. Unless you know that this child is doing nothing all day then I don't see why you have a problem. Perhaps you should find out a bit more about home education before posting such an ignorant, nothing post?

SO unless this kid has the get up and go of something getupandgoey then I think it is probably watching tv all day

I know the kid.

Do they mix with other HE families and swap lessons?

Lets presume its highly unlikely.

Reading between the lines I think we can assume that Tessa knows that the child isn't receiving any education at all. I don't think this is anything negative about HE.

I have no idea whether you can report this to someone but I would be very sad if any child wasn't being allowed an education.

Are the parents intelligent themselves but just don't have many formal qualifications?

Has this family done something to upset you beyond offending your sensibilities by not educating their child in the mainstream? Because the lack of info and bitchy nature of your posts suggest that you don't give a shit about the welfare of their child, you just want to slag them off.

There is no fundamental reason why that would be a problem - HE doesn't mean the parents are directly teaching the child - the child/teen could be studying independently. In fact I would expect a home educated teen to be studying independently, unless they had some SN issues which made it difficult for them.

I suspect the parents are "home educating" to avoid being proscuted for their child truanting from school. It is very hard to force a teenager to school and the parents are often given little support.

I think that tessa231 should report the child to social services if she has serious concerns that the child is not being educated appriopiately. It is not unreasonable to ask if the child is being educated and to show concern.

To do home education properly is very hard work. You need to provide resources and guidence. It is certainly more than a full time job. I know a family who home educates and the mother tells me its one of the toughiest things she has ever done.

If the child is being left to their own resources its child abuse.

I don't know the family in question but this boy seemed to manage.

'If the child is being left to their own resources it is child abuse'. Jesus, I've heard it all now.

I'm being vague for obvious reasons.
I don't have any beef at all with home Ed you don't need to be so cross!!
Just want children to be educated.

If you genuinely believe that this teen is not getting any appropriate education, then the people to contact are the LA, not Social Services. Social Services deal with issues to do with welfare. The education department of the LA have the authority to make enquiries about how education is being carried out, if there is reason to doubt it is happening.

But you have to think about what the effects might be - if there is genuinely no education happening, and a school attendance order is given, will this actually help the teen, or will they just continue not to go to school and be labelled a truant? If we're talking about a 13yo then there's maybe more chance of turning them round than if they are close to school leaving age anyway.

You need to separate out what you are judging them on - the fact both parents work and don't have much education doesn't mean this teen is not receiving an appropriate education.

But you may be right that he isn't - assuming that you actually know a lot more detail about his situation than you want to post about.

You've already admitted you're being judgy. You think that the parents are not intelligent enough to educate their child and you think that the child sits on its arse all day doing nothing. Do you actually know these things as facts or are you making assumptions?

Callisto,

What planet are you on. If a teenager is being on their own all day while their parents are at work it is not home education.

If the child was being automously home educated they still need an adult to bounce ideas off. They need an adult to keep an eye that they are using the internet safely or to help them if they burn themselves oing the cooking.
They need other human beings around them for socialization. No one can develop social skills on their own. Do you seriously think a teenager is going to independently travel miles on public transport to meet up with other home ed. teens?

This is both an education and a welfare issue. What tessa231 describes is outright neglet.

OddBoots, thanks for that link. It brought a tear to my eye.

If h.e you also have to evidence to the LEA what you are doing- you can't just say your H.E then not do it.

If having GCSEs is considered sufficient to teach GCSEs, why do 11-18 school teachers need a degree related to their subject? Do HE parents have to sit some sort of test before they can HE?

I can understand self motivation using books, the internet, documentaries on TV, visiting places of relevance etc. But what happens with those subjects that aren't just about gaining knowledge but understanding too, such as physics and maths. There'll be times when you need someone around who is proficient in the subject to explain the bits you don't understand. What happens then?

It's possible the childs at an on line school.