To think home schooling should be better monitored?

[Mollymoo78]

One of my FB friends from my toddler group days has announced on FB that she's home schooling her four year old. She was always very very attached to him and never had a moment away from him ie a night out. She breast fed him well into his fourth year and carried him in a sling when he got tired. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm genuinely wondering if her decision to home school has more to do with her being reluctant to let him go.

Her comments on FB are "well I have no precise plans as to what I'm going to do but they learn through play at this age anyway so it doesn't matter". I just felt quite uncomfortable reading that. It all sounds very vague. My dd has started school recently and loves it - the socialisation with her peers and older children, the physical activity, getting independence and rewards for her achievements. She's playing yes but she's also being taught to read and write. But what if this boy isn't given these things - who is going to be checking up on the education he's being given?

I don't mean to put a downer on homeschooling - I've no doubt it's the perfect option for those whose children don't gel with school but shouldn't you at least try school first? Am I wrong to question this in my mind?

If we accept that all children deserve the same standard of education surely home educating has to be monitored to some degree.

But OP we don't accept that all children must be educated in a similar way, or that they will learn the same things at the same times. Studies show that children can learn things in all sorts of orders and end up fine - sometimes even better. How could monitoring take place without some agreed bench marks, and surely this would end up saying 'the English school system is the gold standard'?

If we accept that all children deserve the same standard of education surely home educating has to be monitored to some degree.

But has the UK accepted this? Certainly not in the instance of children with SEN. Do you really see many people worked up about the lack of support for children with SEN in schools - other than their parents? Oh, you see the threads where people are bemoaning the disruptive behaviour of a child with SNs in a mainstream classroom, when they forget that it's a lack of appropriate support that most often accounts for the problems. But are there tons and tons of people that are saying "Dammit, this isn't right!" and pressuring the government and the schools to fix the problems? No.

And you only have to browse the grammar school threads that are popping up all over to see that the idea of "all children deserve the same standard of education" is still not a given.

Your post is music to my ears frikadela. Hopefully others might start to realise it too.

I know one home educating family who are doing a superb job. Their children are genuinely ultra-clever and motivated and have never been to school. They learn all the time and don't appear to realise they're working. Some things were left, by their choice, until they were old enough to realise they better learn those things to get into the course they wanted to at university (they did realise this with 8/9 years to go thanks to parental involvement!). If an assessor came out enforcing a common standard of learning it would destroy the way they learn. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with the way they learn.

She was merely the catalyst for me asking the question because I genuinely wonder if it should be monitored to some degree.

It's also important to point out that while people start from the mindset of "surely the school is providing a suitable education" even though we have seen evidence that it is not always the case, people often also start from the mindset of "home educators should be monitored as surely they cannot provide a suitable education" even though there is evidence that many children that have been home educated are successful well educated adults.

So the school is given the benefit of the doubt, despite so many people leaving them due to lack of confidence in the quality of the education they are providing to children.

Yours too bump with your insider perspective. We had a fantastic SENCO at our first school. She told us off the record that her hands were tied as to how much she could do for us. I heard later that she cried and raged when she heard what had happened to him.

This is like every HE thread I have ever commented on. It doesn't matter to some about HE children who do not receive an appropriate education, or about those who have worked with these children when they are older so know the short falls. All that matters is that HE parents are allowed to do what they want.

Nicki Our first senco was brilliant. She unfortunately retired, and the person that took over her job was utterly useless. Add to that the school changing from an excellent proactive headteacher (who also retired) to a younger more inexperienced headteacher that was more focused on making sweeping changes to the school to "make her mark" instead of actually making carefully considered improvements to the school - well, it just shows how a change of even one or two administrative personnel can change a school dramatically.

Really? Great. You can get the government's arse in gear to improve support for children with SEN that get little to no support across the board in the school system (without literally years of fighting by the parents and even then is abysmal), which results in them not getting the education to which they have a right.

Brilliant. That will help a lot. Thanks

And the relevance of this is? I am not anti home schooling and fully accept it can work better than mainstream for some kids if done properly.

Mainstream school didn't work for your child

• Fine

So their need was better met by home schooling?

Again, fine.

I'm sure you do a great job and your child's educational needs, so why the hostility to any kind of monitoring to see if this is the case. No one wants a government official on your settee, but some basic checks on say an annual or six monthly basis really be objectionable if it rooted out those who use home schooling as a cloak for not educating?

Of course it matters. Don't be so ridiculous. Have you not been paying attention??

There wouldn't be as many people home educating at all if the government, LA, and schools (and NHS) provided more appropriate (and timely) support for children with SEN.

There wouldn't be nearly as many children falling through the cracks if the government hadn't axed certain programmes that were there to support parents with children, such as Sure Start.

How is that not caring? We fight what we can, but to be honest, it can't be carried just by those affected.

Having researched it extensively, I'd have chosen to home educate my DS from day one if it was my decision alone. My husband however prefers for DS to start school with home education as an option if DS chooses it at a later date. We've compromised by sending him to a forest preschool/Steiner primary school while also staying active in the local home ed community (though I know some homeschooling MNers really seem to look down on that).

But for us it allows DS to still homeschool/unschool at his own pace as far as his academic learning is concerned. While having a school experience that's all about free play within a loose structure until he's 7-8. I have no idea how Steiner will suit him as he grows older but he will always be aware that school is a choice not a compulsion.

so why the hostility to any kind of monitoring to see if this is the case

There are already laws in place and steps set in place for this. If they are not followed appropriately by LAs, then they should perhaps review them and adjust their policies accordingly.

As I said, I offer a report to the LA every year, so I fail to see how I'd be considered hostile towards them.

I think we can and should be more rigourous about ensuring that children's right to an education is upheld.

Really? Great. You can get the government's arse in gear to improve support for children with SEN that get little to no support across the board in the school system (without literally years of fighting by the parents and even then is abysmal), which results in them not getting the education to which they have a right.

Brilliant. That will help a lot. Thanks

And the relevance of this is?

I despair, I really do. You can lead a horse to water.....

I've posted about this before but I come from a severely abusive background. My legal guardians pulled me out of school in order to facilitate the abuse.

I'm not making any generalizations about homeschoolers, I'm sure most homeschoolers are wonderful, but there is a minority who pretend to homeschool in order to abuse children. There needs to be some monitoring, to ensure people claiming to homeschool actually are homeschooling (however they choose to define that). School is one of the frontlines for recognising and reporting signs of abuse, so abusers often try to remove victims from that environment.

Of course children can learn from going to supermarkets, but that is the kind of learning parents should be doing on top of education.

School is one of the frontlines for recognising and reporting signs of abuse, so abusers often try to remove victims from that environment.

And yet, so much abuse is missed by schools too. Or simply not acted upon.

Often, parents who are abusive who take their children out of the school environment to further that abuse are already well known to both the school and SS. What generally is the problem in those situations is a failure of SS

I have some real concerns about the way safeguarding is being described on this thread. Safeguarding is not only the responsibility of SS , that is a ridiculous thing to say. Safeguarding is the responsibility of all who work with children. And you can't have it all ways, if a teachers role is not safeguarding as some have suggested, then it's certainly not a dentist's role. I have nothing against HE. I am happy to say some schools are awful, many children are failed by the education system, many children in education slip through the safeguarding net. What worries me is that some people are not willing to admit that there is a risk that some children fall through the cracks in HE, why is it wrong to say that and ask what can be done about it.

As I said, I offer a report to the LA every year, so I fail to see how I'd be considered hostile towards them.

ginger it's clear to me that you are engaging with your la regarding your dc's education.

I'm more worried about those who do not do so and possibly actively are avoiding engaging with any sort of authority.

Haven't had time to RTFT, but there are many of us who have children in school AND home ed another child. So we have a foot in both camps. I think the reasons so many SEN kids are being pulled out of school to home ed should be looked at. I know many and without a doubt they are doing better out of school than in. (Not just kids with learning difficulties, but those on the other end who are highly gifted. Many have diplomas and GCSE equivalents at primary school age. )

I've posted about this before but I come from a severely abusive background. My legal guardians pulled me out of school in order to facilitate the abuse.

squirrel They don't give a shit. All they're bothered about is control. Any rational person would accept that whilst it's annoying for the good folk who do educate and take care of their kids, there should be monitoring to protect those who are being let down.

Pitchfork I guess what I keep trying to point out is the number would be reduced if they improved support for children with SEN (and for parents of children with SEN), and improved/reinstated services (such as Sure Start) for children that are 5 and under (which appears to be the highest group at risk of safeguarding problems) so that parents have more support and children are seen more.

I don't think closer monitoring of home educated students is really going to solve anything, but it certainly will make for loads more stress for parents that are home educating and giving their children a suitable education - especially if the mindset is adopted that home ed is not suitable (even though it's legal).

They need to think outside the box (or look at the box itself as the government is part and parcel of the box.

Often, parents who are abusive who take their children out of the school environment to further that abuse are already well known to both the school and SS. What generally is the problem in those situations is a failure of SS.

Not in my case. Not remotely in my case.

It is appalling that people can legally remove a child from any contact with society and that there are zero rules or regulations to safeguard them.

If they'd not been allowed to take me out of school with zero monitoring, I would not have been abused for years. Period. Even if it was just a once a year visit.

Are you really saying you're not willing to undergo an annual 5-minute visit if it can save other children from abuse?? Your right total freedom is more important than other children's' lives?

It is appalling that people can legally remove a child from any contact with society and that there are zero rules or regulations to safeguard them.

There are rules and regulations. If an LA is not following them, then as previously mentioned, perhaps they need to review the law and change their policies accordingly. And just because a child is withdrawn from school to home educate, does not mean they are completely withdrawn from society. For those that do withdraw completely from society, the LA has recourse to look into it further.

Are you really saying you're not willing to undergo an annual 5-minute visit if it can save other children from abuse?? Your right total freedom is more important than other children's' lives?

I will again refer you back to previous posts where I have already stated that I am in contact with both the EHE and SEN departments of the LA and make detailed reports to them and have reviews once a year that can often be multiagency reviews if I request it, involving any medical or educational professional that works with my dc. I hardly think that is uncooperative or refusing to engage with the LA in any way.

squirrel I'm so sorry this happened to you. I do wonder if it's likely that abuse would have been spotted on a once-a-year visit, especially by someone appointed to monitor education, rather than welfare.

A distinguishing between the type of monitoring going on needs to be drawn. SS (welfare - meaning home educating parents are viewed as potentially abuse) or education (in which the visit and skill-set will be tailored to assessing standard of learning).

Sadly, many children are abused despite SS involvement; a visit from social services doesn't mean a child is safe. And many abused children attend school, which is not there for the purposes of spotting abuse.