Four months, of home ed for a child wo has lost her self confidence isn't very long at all.
My children took longer than that to deschool.
She may be stubborn but it sounds like her self belief and self confidence is the issue of the problem, something that HE can really help with given time.
SDeuchars is right of course, the LA have no right to demand a return to visit you. They have no right to demand a visit at all-section 3.6 of the Elective Home Education :guidelines for LAs
says:
3.6 Some parents may welcome the opportunity to discuss the provision that they are making for the child?s education during a home visit but parents are not legally required to give the local authority access to their home. They may choose to meet a local authority representative at a mutually convenient and neutral location instead, with or without the child being present, or choose not to meet at all. Where a parent elects not to allow access to their home or their child, this does not of itself constitute a ground for concern about the education provision being made. Where local authorities are not able to visit homes, they should, in the vast majority of cases, be able to discuss and evaluate the parents? educational provision by alternative means. If they choose not to meet, parents may be asked to provide evidence that they are providing a suitable education. If a local authority asks parents for information they are under no duty to comply although it would be sensible for them to do so.10 Parents might prefer, for example, to write a report, provide samples of work, have their educational provision endorsed by a third party (such as an independent home tutor) or provide evidence in some other appropriate form.
Have you been in touch with local home educators?
I know there are home educators on the East Mids HE email support list who have had run ins with Nottinghamshire LA before, I am certain they will help and support you through this.
As a long term home educator, with a very stubborn middle child, who would refuse totally to do any work, I'd let her take much more time to Deschool
What do you do in your summer holidays OP? What does she choose to do then? Summer holidays is exactly what the whole of our childrens home education looked like.....once I'd got rid of the stupid idea that sitting and doing 'work' was the only way of gaining an education!
The very last thing your child needs IMO is to have you make demnds that she MUST do some work. Everything, that she does to enjoy herself is educational. Everything you do together is educational-cooking, shopping, gardening.
Sod the LA. Go enjoy your daughters childhood and watch her learn along the way, once you stop trying to get her to do something.
We home educated for ten years. All three of my children did what they wanted, in their own time.
My children didn't do any formal work at all, during all of thier home ed years.
We spent the time, going to the theatre, art galleries, the park, the beach, the cinema.
We watched DVDs and Tv for as long as they wanted. We talked and talked and talked about the things they were interested in.
Eventually it became apparent that my most stubborn child was interested in womens rights.......watching a TV programme and talking to her about it, helped that become apparent. So we looked at lots of things, in the light of womens roles.
So Women's role in the home, in the war, Mary Poppins started a discussion on votes for women and talking to her great grannie, gave her a great insight into the womens suffrage.
As the years went by, we talked about contraception in this light.
Over the years, I learned a lot!
She is also a passionate vegan and that led to a different sort of education, about diet and animal welfare.
We did lots and lots of crafts which I love, and eventually she told me that was enough she didn't want to do any crafts ever again!
She's 21 now. Along the way, she helped run workshops for women who are victims of domestic violence.
She co chaired the launch of a new Dyslexia Charity with a famous expert from the USA.
She became a pssionate sailor and spent two long summers, sailing with another HE family, up one side of the British Coast line and then down the other-loads of maths in navigation, also natuaral history, geology, geography and political history of the British Isles, covered on those trips!
She worked part time for a little family run business, and ended up managing staff, stock and customers, whilst the owner was on maternity leave.
she then used all of these life experiences to get herself a job with a job with a well known national organisation and she left home happily at 18.
She has changed direction now and is at FE college and going on to Uni. She is scoring distinctions in all of her academic and practical assignements.
Please do find local home educators, get some support, get your LA to back off, and give your child time to find her feet.
It'll be the very best thing you have ever done.
My now grown up children tell me that having us on their side in the face of the school and giving them time to regain their self confidence and self respect, was the very best thing we have ever done for them.
dashing out now to fetch dd2 from college, apologies for long post (again) and any spelling mistakes!