Who do I contact regard Home Educated child to raise concerns?

[Bemumsed]

Hi,

Have umm and aaah over this for ages, but am really concerned about some children known to us who are being home educated.

They are simular ages to our children, yet do not appear to be making any progress educationally. I know one of the children who is similar age to my eldest child cannot read. Parents say it is because she is dyslexic, but I find that hard to believe as have people in my family/friends who are extremely dyslexic but they were able to read at this age, even if it was with some difficulties. Parent have done nothing to tackle the problem, citing lack of money to get child properly assessed.

Also parents don't appear to spend much time if any working with their children on their education.

Parents won't talk about it. I'm just very concerned for children in the family that their educational and social needs are not being met.

I know that legally parents are entitled to home educate, but is there any way that the education of these children can be looked into? I can't find any info on local council website that explain who I can contact even if they turn round and say there is nothing they can do about it. Would like to know that at least I've tried.

Lots of severely dyslexic children never learn to read despite going to school for ever.

A dyslexic assessment won't help the child learn to read - all it will be is a piece of paper saying the child has dyslexia.

You should butt out. If they are dyslexic, school may well be the worst place for them.

Can you ring the childrens services at your local council for advice? They might be able to tell you who to contact or even look into it themselves.

Yes, it may well be that they are fine, and parents are doing everything possible. But I do agree that at least you will know that you cared enough.

Too often in life now people turn a blind eye and that is not helping anybody, dc or their parents.

I would actually recommend they look at the Reading Reflex, the author is a HE er herself. It might give them some advice how to help their kids, I would agree an assessment can be a bit of a waste of money.

Their education can be looked into by the Education Department of the local council if you raise concerns with them. They are likely to have one or more people who take specific responsibility for Home Education.

Of course the OP shouldn't 'butt out'. She knows these children. She knows they are not making progress and she has the impression that little is being done by the parents to educate the children. School is optional, education is obligatory. She has tried to talk to the parents and got nowhere. It would be wrong for her to ignore these issues.

OP - I wonder if you contact Social Services they might be able to refer on to whoever oversees education at home?

I agree with northern lurker, social services maybe a good call.

My Dad never learned to read or write 'properly' - he had many many atempts as an adult (in adult learning courses etc) but his dyslexia so 'bad' he never really got it - he managed to stay in employment his whole adult life and support his family.
I thought you were going to say you were worried for the DCs physical safety or something - many many Home Educators are child led and do no formal work (especially from view point of an outsider).
Unless you are worried that the DC are unhappy or being actually physically or mentally abused IMO you need to leave this family to do things their own way.
It is nice of you to be concerned.

How old are the children?

Are they declining to discuss it because presumably HE parents get all the same stuff over and over again, like vegetarians do?

Socila services deal with DC who are neglected and there is a concern of harm.

If you feel that it has gone this far then you should contact them. But if it purely an issue of their education, then contact the education officer.

There are two interesting issues being raised here. The first should the OP "butt out" or report her concerns do someone? Following the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie the parents could not believe that a child could be systematically tortured and murdered in a block of flats in a global city and no one was concerned enough or heard anything or noticed anything and reported it. Although this situation is not the same it is IMO good that the OP is concerned about these children. We as a society need to concerned about the children in our community if we've any hope of preventing the tragedy of Victoria Climbie happening again. Having said this I don't think social services are the way forward they undertake child protection and there are two areas that they consider: children at risk of abuse and children who are in need because their home circumstances mean that their development will be affected in some way. This may not be because any one is at fault e.g. parents can have learning difficulties and maybe very caring and loving but through no fault of their own cannot provide a safe environment for their child without help. I have it in my head that if you home educate you are "inspected" by the LEA to ensure that you are providing a suitable education and I believe that this "inspection" becomes more rigid and searching when a child comes of the age to go to senior school. Therefore if you were to contact someone the lEA would be the people.
But secondly the OP is judging the educational achievement of these children against her own children's education and assuming that this is the only way to educate children. OP you don't say how old these children are but across the world there are many different approaches to education in the UK we are very keen for children to learn to read and write etc. at a very early age in other countries this is far from the case. My DS1 wasn't taught to read and write till he was in yr 2 but by the end of yr 4 had a significantly higher reading age than his peers who'd often started reading and writing in reception and most importantly he has a love of reading. OP I don't know how well you know this family but you may have to accept that they are providing an education maybe not one that you personally would want for your children but one that may ultimately mean that these children at 18 will end up in the same place as yours. As the saying goes there are many roads to Rome.

How old are the children? If they are 14 it is clearly a matter of more concern than if they are 7. If they are very young, the parents may simply be following a different educational path; as happygardening points out, there is more than one way of arriving at the same result.

If I had been HE-ding my children, I would not have followed the standard British approach of pushing reading and writing at them at age 4, but followed their own lead in the early years and only settled down to more structured teaching when they were about 7. This is how I and my contemporaries were brought up and we were no less literate than English youngsters. So at age 7, my dc would have seemed behind- but hopefully not at age 10.

But obviously, there may be genuine cause for concern in this particular case.

But if the child is 14 and can't read - absolutely the last place that will help is school.

Contact the LEA, not social services, unless you think the children are at risk of abuse. Agree their education might look very different to what you have experienced - but does not mean it's not happening. Means different things to different people. And the parents might feel a diagnosis of dyslexia is a bit pointless - after all in school in can mean access to extra support, but at home, especially if they are not focussing on literacy at this stage, so what if they are dyslexic? In school it's about adapting teaching to make provision for the child - but at home they don't need to adapt it, since it's aimed at the child to start with!

I've known several HE children/parents. There does seem to be a minority of HE parents who think that HE is allowing the child to play computer games 24/7, no educational structure at all, and then wondering why the child has severe problems mixing with other children and no educational ability. Thankfully they are the minority - most HE children I've met have been lovely.

If you are concerned then raise it with the LEA who will have experience of dealing with these things. Unfortunately I don't know if there is a lot they can actually do other than raise their concerns with the parents.

happy the Lea have no duty to inspect home educators and often don't. I know families who have had no contact from the LEA in yeras and years.

Indeed, if they request a home inspection, the HEers are within their rights to refuse.

There is certainly no expectation that supervision becomes closer in the secondary years.

Thanks wordfactory I had a friend who home educated and I though she said someone asked what she was doing especially as the child became the age for a secondary school. Must have misunderstood her.

Happy - it depends on the LEA.

That might have been your friends experience. But it's not a universal rule.

Butt out, it's none of your business!

I would think the LEA. Of course you shouldn't butt out. If things are satisfactory it will be fine, if not then it is a form of abuse to deny them even a basic education.

Education isn't restricted go sitting down at a table and learning what you are told to.

Education can happen anywhere at anytime by anyone. And this is what happens when HEs choose to go the autonomous route.

Just because you don't see any ?formal? education happening, it doesn't mean the children aren't learning. Unless you spend 24hrs a day with them you can?t tell what & when they are learning.

As for not being able to read, well that really depends on how old the child is. You Don?t say so can?t comment but as other posters have pointed out, not being able to read doesn't have to hinder education.

An assessment for dyslexia might.make you feel better but I doubt it would help the family much even if the children where in school.
My brother has dyslexia, he still had to struggle through school because there was no help available.

So, tbh I can?t see anything in your op at the moment that would cause concern.

And please forgive typos. I?m on pain in the ass new phone.

"I'm just very concerned for children in the family that their educational and social needs are not being met."

which social needs OP? You cite the eldest not being able to read and possible dsylexia not formally assessed because the family say this is unaffordable atm, I don't see this personally as a sign of a lack of education, however age may play a role. I don't see what social needs are not being met. At least you have not outlined them.

How old is the oldest dc who cannot read and is possibly dsylexic- and how old are the dc?

Thank you for all your feedback.

In response to questions...

I do know the family extremely well. Have always been supportive of their choice to home educate up to now. Have swapped tips with parents too in past on what seem to have and have not work in helping to stimulate children with learning.

They have children of various ages, but am only now concern as they appear to be putting in less input into doing stuff with the children, and more doing their own thing, but without the children if that makes sense, so it not a case of them learning whilst doing stuff out in the community, because they're not actually getting out there with parents.

I was thinking if they got child assessed, they might get more money to support child in education, as I was under impression home ed can access some funding to assist with education of children, but maybe I got that wrong?

I have no concerns whatsoever about their welfare, so don't feel that it warrants involvement of Social Services.

A number of people are under impression that if you home educate, the LEA does check up regularly, but this is not the case. I know this particular family have had only 2 visits in the last 12 years or so, and the LEA don't even get to see the child when they visit if parents don't want them to.

I think the reason why parents won't discuss the issues, is because they are in denial that anything is wrong. They often play their cards close to their chest about a number of things, and it can take years for them to admit that actually there was something wrong or that they did need support. And at the same time they are deeply suspious of everyone or gets cross that no one offered support at time, as though we were all suppose to be mind readers!

I think I will contact ed welfare just to query, as I don't want to be in the position a few years down the line where the children turn round later and say "Well if you were concerned, why didn't you do something?" and not have an answer for that.

I know that some will disagree with my decision, but my gut instinct telling me that something not right at moment and that the parents need support in addressing the needs of their children. I understand that it is the parents' choice to home educate, but what rights do the children have, if their needs are not being met? Particularly in this current climate where every advantage you can get, will (hopefully) help you in the long run.

I really wouldn't do it, especially since you have no worries about their welfare and the parents sound interested in education. I expect they are "autonomous educators" so their lifestyle is based around following the educational interests of the dc and not teaching to a curriculum. If they are generally suspicious of interference, it could well be that they have made bad experiences in the past. In any case, once you do this, they will not have much time for you.

You know them, we don't. I hope that by interfering you will not be damaging their family unit in some way. Sometimes when you call in officials, it is hard to get them out again. It is not something I would undertake lightly if the dc seem happy and healthy and looked after. You will have to know if what you are doing is the right thing for the dc