LA Visits

[tabiah]

Hi all,

I took my 3 boys out of school last summer and we have been 'unschooling' since. My children have accomplished so much since we took the leap, after having quite a hard time at school (my boys are 7, 6 and 4 by the way). They are back to their happy selves and completely loving being home-educated and being in control of their learning. My only worry at this point is LA visits. I had one in Dec least year but as i'd only just taken them out and they were not expecting much. My next one is in Dec and I was hoping for some shared experiences on 'LEA visits', how they went, what did you have to show them etc. I'd be very grateful, thanks.

Tabiah Benjamin

If you don't think you would enjoy a visit, what about submitting an educational philosophy instead? The fact that you feel your children have been learning a lot makes me think you might find it straightforward to do one. You could mention some of the things they have done since leaving school and give examples of some things they have learned.

Sara

You don't have to accept home visits. You can just submit an educational philosophy if you want.

Thanks for that advice, much appreciated. I don't mind home visits, just wondered if there were certain things I would need to put together to show them etc or if just telling them what we get up to is enoguh.

Tabiah

It's up to you, Tabiah. Just like you don't have to accept home visits, you are also under no obligation to 'prove' yourselves to the person who visits. If they want you to have certain stuff ready, then they'll tell you. If you don't want to have it ready, then you don't have to, even if they say you do!

Find out the qualifications and job description of the person doing the home visit.

I have refused visits, politely but firmly, ever since I deregistered my 2 boys 5 years ago. I have sent in one letter outlining our educational philosophy, stating that we would find visits too intrusive. This year, however, I decided to take the bull by the horns and meet up with our local LA representative. I don't really know why but I just felt ready to face them, itswim.

So I rang them and told them that:

1. I was prepared to visit them not visa versa.
2. My boys would not be coming along (as they wanted nothing to do with anyone who'd try and put them in pigeonholes and judge them etc;
3. That I would NOT be showing them any samples of work, for the same reason, but that I would give them a rough, verbal idea of the sort of subjects/activities that we've covered.

I turned up with my 'rough' notes and did exactly that.
The LA bod was fine with it because, at the end of the day, she HAD to be. She also realised that I knew my rights within the Law and that really helps imo.

Legally they have no right to set any rules about your child's education. It really is up to you. That's the beauty of HE.

Thanks for the pointers ladies, I REALLY appreciate it. ( it's soo good to network lol)
Kayteee, I LOVE the way you laid that out thank you :)

An officer is coming to meet us in September. I asked for it because I have recently had a bit of a hard time trying to meet 7yo's needs. We've sorted it this time, but it made me aware that we're going to have more and more instances of this in the future, with four girls to 'get through'! So I wanted to make contact with our very brilliant, helpful, law-abiding LA so we could get to know them - the children too - in case we needed some support later on.

They are a very good LA though - have arranged for certain local services to be available for HEors, and you have to pretty much force them to let you register or have a home visit. I think they'll be very useful for helping if we ever want to do flexi-schooling, or set up groups (wrt finding venues) or all sorts of things.

Anyway, when they come, I'm not preparing anything other than having the usual tidy up we have when someone comes over. I just want to meet them, that's all, and those of my children who want to meet her can do so as well. I'm not doing it to prove myself - I have no need to.

Sounds like you live in one of the more 'clued-up' boroughs MrsWobble. We're lucky here in Croydon, atm,too. Sadly though I hear stories all the time about LAs who are completely misinforming HEers, especially parents who are new to it.

One of the worst ones I heard recently was that the Mother was not to take her HE kids out in public between the hours of 9am and 3pm because they should be 'learning during the school hours'!!

That's an extreme example, I know, but it never ceases to amaze me how awful some LAs are when it comes to HE.

Yes they can be awful.
I was bullied into a home visit, they mentioned 'safeguarding' and said that if I refused a home visit they'd have to get another 'agency' to check my ds's welfare.

In the letter confirming the home visit, they put that that in order for me to 'pass' the conditions of 'providing a suitable education' I had to 1. provide evidence of education (as you'd expect). 2. let the LA see my two boys at the visit.

I could have challenged them, the law is on our side after all. I just didn't want the trouble and stress I'd have to go through.

Of course we did 'pass' the visit, as I knew we would, and have had two more visits since.

That just makes my blood boil! There are no 'conditions' to 'pass'.
They bank on people not being able to face the hassle that challenging them would bring.

It's appalling. I get everything in writing from them and always ask them to quote (in writing) which sections of the Education Act they are actually referring to when they come out with utter crap like that.
They cannot ever satisfy this request beause it is not Law.

Yes, I've heard about awful ones. But I do kind of feel that the good ones should be encouraged. Ours pride themselves in understanding and helping families to facilitate autonomous learning, and they've leant on organisations in the past to get them to provide their services speically for HEors.

I don't think any of them should be encouraged. Even the 'good ones' are acting ultra vires by trying to lay down any form of 'hoop jumping'.

I am of the view that parents know what's best for their own children not random strangers who work for whatever government happens to be in power at the time.

I often wonder if parents would be so happy to please LAs if, for example, the BNP were the government of the day. But that's a whole other can o' worms

Not encouraged to visit, encouraged to keep doing well!

Our 'good one' is not trying to lay down any hoop jumping at all.

I'm not trying to please our LA in the slightest - I'm trying to put in place a structure that I can use to help my family in the future, because I know our LA has a history of enabling things within the county by using their 'official' power.

I find your post, kayteee, to be a bit snippy with me...? Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

I wouldn't be touching my LA with a bargepole if they weren't as good as they are, nor if there were more rules and regulations about HE.

Mrswobble,
It's just a subject which I get awfully angry about. Please don't take my post personally, I cetainly did not mean to direct any of my own feelings about interference from LAs at you.

It's entirely up to you, ofcourse, how you decide to deal with your LA. I just have strong feelings against state interference, even from the 'good ones'.

Maybe it is I who am paranoid

But it's not interference if it has to be virtually begged for! Interference is foisted upon you.

Like a MIL who likes to try and tell you how to parent, vs. a MIL who waits and if you want to know something, tries to help.

I get as angry as you do, believe me. And for years felt very strongly that I wanted to stay completely hidden. But recently we thought we would need to consider flexi-schooling for DD1 and it made me realise that there are a few things we may find we need to do that having a relationship with a non-interfering LA might help with.