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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To report our neighbours to Ofsted?

53 replies

Allfednonedead · 09/03/2018 14:11

We live next to a school. I'm pretty sure it's not registered (doesn't show up on Ofsted website if I search our postcode).
It's a religious school, with boys from about 8 to teens, and they are a complete pain in the arse as neighbours. Always noisy, children playing outside late in the evening unsupervised, occasionally having religious festivals with amplified music outdoors till middle of the night. They do no property maintenance, which means it looks hideous, but also might be damaging for our property as it is a terrace (we're end-of-terrace).
The latest amusement for the boys seems to be throwing glass bottles from windows and roof into the concrete backyard.
I also know one of our other neighbours, a lovely woman in her 80s, has been on the receiving end of racist abuse from the boys.
I am considering emailing Ofsted about the situation, because the boys are so little supervised, I seriously concerned for their safety. I'm also not at all convinced they are getting a reasonable education.
Would this be reasonable?
I'm worried I'm being spiteful because they are such a pain to live next door too. Also because the masters in charge will literally not speak to or look at me if I do try to engage because I'm a woman. This really winds me up!

OP posts:
perfectstorm · 09/03/2018 20:57

There must be some legal recourse. There is a legal obligation for parents to ensure their children are in full-time education. I'm not up to speed on who checks that's happening or how if they're not at a registered school, but there must be something.

My son is home educated. I've met with an EWO once, with our agreement and co-operation; there was no legal obligation to do so. That was 18 months ago and nobody has been in touch since. He's disabled, and I get benefits for him on that basis. We use those benefits to pay for a qualified primary teacher with a MA in special education, but the LA don't know that. They don't know we have annual passes for a range of children's ed museums and attractions, or that we subscribe to Whizz Pop Bang and the Junior Week. They don't know we have literally hundreds of books for him. He's working ahead of expected levels, but again, they don't know that. They don't know that he's not shoved in his room with a tablet all day long and barely ever talked to. And this is a disabled kid, so especially vulnerable.

And they know he exists, because we deregistered him from a state primary. If you never sign a child up to a state school at all, they never enter any register, so nobody seems to know that they exist at local education level.

Home ed has saved our son's mental health. Schools should not all be cookie cutter. But it's disturbing, how very few checks there really are. No wonder Fred West could kill his own daughters and nobody noticed.

OP - report. Please. As a home educating parent I firmly believe that kids outside the mainstream state education system are uniquely vulnerable. Our children are not our property, and education is their right, legally and morally.

Morphene · 09/03/2018 21:02

perfectstorm we have never been checked on once....I think it is awful to be honest.

Twocatsonebaby · 09/03/2018 21:04

... It seems rather strange for a school to even allow this sort of behaviour.. To be honest I'd be phoning the police if it were me. But perhaps I haven't understood but it sounds like a massive cult.

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