To think that home education should mean one parent has no requirement to work under UC?

[Homeeducationproblems]

I home educate but I’m in receipt of carers allowance so I don’t have to worry but many of the parents in the groups we attend have children with difficulties who couldn’t manage school and because they don’t get dla or are waiting for a dla claim (it takes months) they are under extreme pressure.

I know that some people plan to home educate and yes if its a choice for NT dc from age 4 then I can see why they’d be expected to fund that/work alongside but there’s a huge groups of parents struggling to home educate children with difficulties and it seems as if they aren’t recognised and supported ?

AIBU to think that if you’ve had to de register for a child who can’t manage school and you are engaging with your LA home education department (a lot of home educators refuse to engage so there should be something in place where UC have it verified ?) that you should be able to get UC with no requirement to work?

My line of work has lead me to handling much more sensitive information that 'Jonny is doing in well in science' I understand data protection and home education (one of which your understanding is lacking in) The only data sharing that is done routinely in home ed, is with the local authority. There is no more risk to home ed children's data, than a school child's. A lot of school children are also using the same online educational games and resources that home ed kids use. You've chosen such a strange angle to attack home ed from, it's almost like you can think of no other tangible argument against it. Just say "I don't like it! I dont understand it. It's too strange to me." I'd actually respect that more, than anything else you've said.

You are doing it again- you don’t have a monopoly on information, education or knowledge.

I’m not ‘alluding to e-safety’! I am making the point, as have other posters, that data protection is NOT an issue that is specific to the home education community. It obviously, patently, absolutely, isn’t. You are completely obsessed with being the only person who can understand, whilst repeatedly failing to understand-it’s starting to get embarrassing.

I have no idea what ‘Ed tech’ you think we all use or why you think we share data about our children anymore than the parents of children who go to school…

Unless you genuinely believe that data protection isn’t an issue for anyone with schooled children then I don’t know what you think you are adding to this conversation.

If you are referring this reply to me, I haven't discussed the safeguarding concerns with any great depth, I've literally said about the education. Isn't the lack of good education bad enough though! It is a regulatory void which is the main issue with ploughing more money in to it. What about the children at school who are suffering in our current inadequate system but have no choice of being homeschooled - the money needs to go on all children not just some.

The absence of it, as with other areas of focus, regulatory bodies require organisations to make, 'IS' an issue for homeschooling, it is a regulatory void and that is relating to the specific issue of HSing.

You absolutely are describing e-safety concerns, you evidently don't have a clue by the language you are using and the lack of knowledge you have and neither would I expect you to unless it was your field of work. I absolutely don't have a monopoly on it which I have repeated again and again, I've signposted you to the ICO website and you could read up on the legislation, books, whatever but the very fact that you asking me to summarise this information in two sentences suggests your complete absence of knowledge in this area. You've said nothing to convince me otherwise!

@Goldenbear Which money is this? The UC that some home ed parents are already getting, that they don't want stopping? So are you arguing that this money should be stopped, the home ed kids gets sent back to school and the parents go back to work? Do you really think that amount would be enough to improve the school system even slightly? Home ed isn't funded by the government. There is no money being kept out of schools and spent on home ed kids. If anything home ed is saving the government millions. Is that being put into schools? Of course not! So data protection and an insignificant amount of benefit money, is your reason for being anti home ed. Yeah, sure it is.

It would be far better for better SEN provision to exist. More settings that are not classic school but more care farm, forest school, more ETOAS providers etc so that there is real choice for SEN parents. More acceptance of part time or dual registering by LAs and schools, so part time at school and part time at an alternative provision.

There are swathes of the home school community who are very against registers and monitoring for many reasons. There are also children (and to an extent parents) so traumatised by school that everyone is burnt out from fighting the system that for everyone's sake a period of unschooling is required to allow a reset. Registers and LA checking up can reopen old wounds for these families.

There are also the feckless of society who would abuse the uc system you propose given half a chance. They would claim to be home schooling whilst doing bugger all and damaging their children, denying them a right to an education because they are lazy. Even if checks are brought in they will find a way round it. Trust me I know someone who has purposely made themselves severely disabled (to the point of requiring a limb ampuation, purposely blinded themselves in 1 eye and purposely sabotaged their anal and bladder continence) in order to cheat the system. The sad thing is they "advise" others how to cheat the system to and see it as an absolute win.

Then there are the abusers who will absolutely take their victims out of the school system.

There are also the children whose parents have very poor mental health or severe health anxieties. School works as a support for these children. These children and their parents can be monitored and authorities made aware to support the parent.

The Edtech used by children who go to school is far more likely to be that which is recommended by the school - hence it has been checked out, therefore the risks if there were any, would be established via the due diligence and could be mitigated or not. Sorry but how would one parent do that? Hence the risks are much greater if Ed tech (Ed tech was just an example by the way, other uses of personal data exist) is used in a homeschooling context. There are universal data protection risks but does the average parent actually know what they are looking for, that doesn't matter as much if you are using school recommended Ed tech but if they haven't been recommended by anyone with specialist knowledge, how do you not see the risk is greater of problematic consequences!

You just say ‘I’m busy Tuesday’.

I actually used to work for the LA directly as an home educator and still get on with people, even being a former teacher. There’s just no need. Turn up at workshops or groups if you want but don’t confuse it with a social group for you. Kids can play. Have some down time or focus on your child, go home. I’ve been doing it for many years. Imagine if I said ‘Hi I’m Claire and I work for the council’ to everyone I met.

Some people don’t agree with home ed, absolutely fine, I get it, 15 years ago I probably would have felt the same way. I have no problem with that viewpoint if if it’s researched or from experience.

However it is so tiresome when people who dislike home Ed come up with the most bizarre agreements against it that make no sense or are simply untrue.
The notion that home ed children are having their data shared online and used in ways that schooled children are not is frankly a load of rubbish. I have yet to see a single example of this given when asked, so it’s either a highly protected secret(doubtful) or just not true.

No I don’t agree. I think DLA/PIP should be better funded and paid to more who need it. I also think if people home educate they should be able to get a small grant from their LA to cover educational costs equivalent to what a school place educational finding would cost for the child.

This is will full misinterpretation again - opting to homeschool because somebody wants to but there are no issues with the school is the idea i object to as it will certainly be abused. The idea that everyone who homeschools can provide an adequate education is ridiculous! The education system should be for all not just homeschooled children, it needs an overhaul for the system to be inclusive. A two tiered system that is unregulated it is not a good idea IMO. Nothing to do with DP, it was just an example of how it isn't effective.

Please explain why it is 'rubbish' for a start it is making a broader point about the regulatory void of homeschooling so it is not even about just DP. Saying something is rubbish is no argument at all and just suggests to me another poster that doesn't have any knowledge of this area. This is fine but what annoys me is don't pretend you do know when all your posts prove otherwise!

You don’t get it- I have been asking you to explain it in simple terms not because I don’t understand and need you to explain, but because you have been obfuscating your incorrect opinion that data protection is not an issue for families who have children at school. I was interested to know how far up your own arse you would go in order to avoid being challenged. Turns out- quite a long way!

Eventually you said what you really think- home ed families aren’t capable of understanding data protection and privacy (because we are a bit thick presumably), the families of schooled children are (and are magically protected in all their data needs anyway by you and your Very Clever and Important Job).

We get it. You’re wrong. Let’s leave it at that ey?

So, lie then? What would be the point in that?! Why would I go out of my way for my son to socialise with groups of children whose families are so entirely close minded and unpleasant, just because they happen to be home educated?

Is my son supposed to lie too? Should I warn him before groups “X, if they ask what you have been up to today, tell them we went to the park- don’t tell them the tutor came’. Or “don’t tell X about having two mummies, they won’t want to be friends with you anymore”?!

Fuck that for a bag of toffees.

There are other children and opportunities to socialise.

The very fact you put it as ‘EVEN as a former teacher’ makes my point- there isn’t anything wrong with being a teacher. It shouldn’t be something you have to gloss over in order to be able to talk to people- why was it?

They aren’t social groups for me, but since my kid is disabled with special needs, I do actually have to go and be there for the duration.

You really don't understand though as evidenced by your need for an explanation. I don't work in the education sector anymore as the pay is crap and the hassle from parents that don't understand (and think they did) was even worse!

My opinion all along has been that homeschooling should not be funded further by those who just want to do it as opposed to having no choice as it is regulatory void and parents obviously don't have the breadth of resources or knowledge as a single entity to make it a feasible choice for the masses. The money needs to go on providing a reformed, inclusive, educational system.

I will leave you with your delusions though as I can see that you're not open to learning about anything new, maybe if you get that chip off your shoulder you may be open to the idea that other people have ideas you can learn from!

Once more for those at the back- I ASKED YOU TO EXPLAIN IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET YOU TO SHOW YOUR TRUE BIAS. And you did (and did quite a lot of amusing showing off and throwing around of long words along the way). You proved I was correct in my first supposition about you.

Why do you think I have a chip on my shoulder? Because I didn’t immediately bow to your self proclaimed wisdom and authority on a topic I understand very well? Ok- if that makes you feel better.

@Goldenbear Can you provide an example of the type of companies EHE families give their personal data to that schooled families don’t? Because I also don’t know what companies you mean. Families with DC in schools also use tutors, extra curricula clubs, subscriptions/memberships/resources etc., so I’m not quite sure what type of companies you mean. I say that as a parent with DC in school and one with EOTAS.

15 would be an unregistered school. A school is considered one which provides full time education for 5 or more CSA pupils, or at least 1 pupil with an EHCP or is a LAC.

@Studswagger I would just leave @Goldenbear to it now. She's still going on about a fictional higher data protection risk and an imaginary pot of money, that could go to schools instead of home ed 😅 No money is getting taken from schools and given to home ed @Goldenbear 'The money' you keep talking about putting into schools, is all in your head! If you want a better education system, vote for a different government and lobby for change!

@OvertakenByLego no she can’t, she will say she can’t possibly know that and anyway you don’t understand.

@PandaExpress you are right. I don’t know why I bother really!

While schools can and should be vastly improved, I think it's impossible to provide an environment suitable to every child. A small grant equivalent to pupil funding, as suggested many times on this thread, would be beneficial to assist access to more suitable learning environments. In my area a number of alternative schools offer part time education, including Montessori, Democratic and Self directed learning styles. I think it would be fairer and more realistic to allocate funding to assist home educated children to access these facilities, rather than insisting mainstream schools need to be inclusive and suitable for everyone. The insistence from some that home educators should receive no financial help, because one day schools can be made one size fits all, is completely unrealistic.

@Studswagger Oh I've been biting too. Like talking to a self important brick wall ha

Some people have home visits and they are successful, that's fantastic. The issue for some of is that the vast majority of the EHE teams don't have any experience whatsoever with educating children with additional needs. We allowed a home visit and it completely backfired as the staff member who came had no idea regarding my child's very complex needs. I had to explain his communication aid which she then totally misrepresented as she had no clue what it was nevermind how it works! She insisted on comparing him to his peers, asking about gcses despite severe learning difficulties. We no longer allow visits and instead write a detailed report, that way there can't be any misinterpretation due to ignorance.