Would you tell the Health Visitor about HE?

[fairybuns]

I've got a standard (I believe) appointment with my HV regarding my 2 year old. Had same for my older child. However, my older child should be starting school in September but I'm home educating her. (I was unhappy with local schools when I considered applying and I may be going abroad anyway). I don't want to invite loads of questions from the LA but I'm sure it will open a can of worms if I mention HE.

Shall I:

(a) Not go to the appointment and not contact the HV; (b) Go but say she's not going to school as I'm emigrating; (c) Say I can't attend as I will be abroad then ...indefinitely........?

Any other suggestions?

Did you find the previous appointment useful? Do you feel the HV has anything to offer you? Do you have any concerns about the child she is due to see? If not, I'd tell her you don't need the appointment. I'd give the same advice regardless of your HE status. Some people find their HVs useful and others seem to be a waste of time. If yours falls into the latter category then why bother with her.

Not sure why the subject of HE is likely to arise anyway, if the appointment is about your younger child and the older one is not yet of school age and therefore won't look conspicuous if she is with you. Or is she a chatty child who is likely to bring the subject up?

If you are keen for your younger child to see the HV but don't want the subject of home education to crop up, can you leave the older child with someone else during your appointment?

Hiya,

DS, age 4, went for his preschool boosters recently and the nurse asked what school he was going to in September. We're also in the process of emigrating (hopefully by the end of the year) and said we hadn't applied for a school place as we are in the process of moving abroad and didn't want to have him just get settled in school and uproot him to somewhere completely different, especially as where we are moving to he will start school a year later. She seemed happy with that and didn't push the subject.

The apppintment is for your youngest child, so your oldest child should not be being assessed too.

When you say starting school , is that half days or full days? There's no obligation for a child to attend school until they're 5 (others will know the technicalities far better than me).

Regarding your appointment with the health visitor, please don't not show up without cancelling the appointment - they're under so much pressure that this time is very valuable and your appointment could be reallocated.

They won't necessarily tell the LA you're home educating. My HV didn't, though it was a few years ago, things might have changed. Though mine wanted to know where to send the records for the school nurse.

Although I wonder if my new HV would have notified the LA (we were registered with the LA by that time anyway, so will never know). I told her we were planning to HE ds (4) and she wrote on her notes that we were 'inspected' by the LA once a year. Which she said was good, because 'they' (whoever 'they' are) like them (the children) to be seen.

I would tell the truth, if the topic comes up, which it shouldn't, at your other dc's appointment, that you're (potentially) emigrating.