Flexischooling FAQ

[FionaJNicholson]

I've just written some answers to frequently asked questions on flexischooling, and put them on my website.

These are the questions.

What is flexischooling?
Why is the definition of flexischooling important
Is flexischooling legal?
Has flexischooling been banned?
Why did the government change the rules?
Can the law be changed overnight in this way?
Where parents and schools have made flexischooling arrangements, can these continue?
Are the rules different for private schools?
What if children are flexischooled because they have special needs?
Can new flexischool arrangements be set up?
How are schools supposed to mark the register?
What's the significance of marking the register absent?
What's the issue with Code B in the school register?
What's the issue with Code C in the school register?
Where are the rules for those Codes?
Could there be a special Code for flexischooling in the school register?
Can schools get part-funding?
There have been quite a few changes already; might it all change again?
What does Ofsted say about flexischooling?
How can I keep up with all the changes?

I'm not allowed to link to the FAQ on my website but perhaps someone else would be able to post up the url.

Here is the link.

I really don't see why you shouldn't link to it, it's not as if you are selling stuff to the people who would follow the link - it is freely available information.

Thanks Shena.

That's how I used to think about it, but one time I posted a link to my own website and got a "friendly warning" from the mods, plus I seem to remember the whole post was deleted.

DfE answered my question about "consultation" this morning

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/correspondence_related_to_flexis

On April 19th I said "Is it possible for you to clarify the reference to a "consultation"
as it would help me to understand why the response date has been
put back again."

Today DfE replied "I have found a number of emails that potentially fall within the scope of your request. I must consult with colleagues from various teams across the
Department in order to weigh up the public interest test and make a suitably informed decision as to what to release"

I responded "Ah OK, I now understand that the reference to a consultation was
about consulting with colleagues over what should be released, rather than a reference to a possible public consultation on flexischooling. Thank you for taking the time to explain this and I am sorry to have made extra work"

So if I were to go to my son's school today and ask about Flexischooling. Do you think I stand any chance they'll agree to it?

I would be surprised if a school agreed while the present guidance says the register must be marked as though the child is just away from school, no indication of any education taking place. But you could give it a try.

Always worth a try, thanks.

How frustrating

Next year is going to be so difficult for DD & I had wondered if Flexi-schooling might make a difference; this makes it look impossible

Do you want to go into detail, KatyMac? Is your dd at school or HE now?

I am thinking that if for some reason school is unable to give her a suitable education or if she is ill, for example, you might have more success in pressing for flexi-schooling. The recent policy change is going to make things more difficult though.

She is just finishing yr10 at school

But is spending all day Sunday in London doing Dance; she is also auditioning for an all day Saturday Musical Theatre Programme as she intends to audition to attend FT Performance Arts School at 16

She has a BTEC in Dance & is currently taking Spanish, Geography & Music at GCSE; next year she is expected to do: Eng Lang, Eng Lit, Maths, Double award Science, BTEC Drama & Applied Business

The Business & Drama are each done in 5.5 hour timetable slots & she already only 'audits' Citizenship & Ethics (3hrs a fortnight) & won't take an exam in them and she is allowed to do homework/coursework during Games/PE (2 hrs a week)

I feel if she dropped a BTEC (or even 2), Citizenship & Ethics & Games/PE she could have a day (or 2) off to make up for the weekend being 'work'. Also she could have a 'job' with her dance teacher from 3-6 which would make her other classes cheaper..........maybe she should just give up school

But I know it's 'Pie in a Sky' & it could never happen....but I can dream can't I?

Hmm yes, I see what you mean. What you are suggesting makes perfect sense to a human being, but doesn't seem to fit into the current system.

So, what would be the disadvantages of leaving school at the end of this year to be HE and topping up the dance with some IGCSEs for which she would prepare by home study?

Well she is halfway thought Eng lang, Eng Lit, Maths & Double Science - she really has done lots (esp Science)

I work from home (childminding) so that bit might work

But most importantly she doesn't have Dance friends - she is really working too hard atm and she does have a fantastic circle of supportive (but not really understanding) friends at school who 'play' with her (for want of a better word) - without them it would be all work

HE doesn't sound ideal for her then, but neither does FT school. I can see why flexischooling appeals to you.

This halfterm (mid GCSEs - well she has finished 2 & has one to go) she is doing 3 days 10-5:30 & 2 rehearsals 11-1:30......all in London

I don't know what the solution is

Reducing her dance (or at least not allowing it to increase) is so hard; she sees it as a job (albeit a job she loves) - the teacher (& her contemporaries) talk about her commitment, her drive, the way she practises stuff, remembers and repeats it in class

Whether or not I'm right to let her do this - well it's a matter for debate. Her grandparents agree, her teacher worries, my friends & her friends think we are mad as a bag of cats

Who knows in 15 years she may be a great waitress or she may be on the West End or somewhere between - & she can always go back to college/uni & retrain

But next year might be a bugger

I've decided to do nothing; it feels like a cop out - but I can't see school going for it

Just a question; can the college funding for 14-16s be applied to schools? I work in a school part time with a very good music department and I think DD2 might like to do a music GCSE there. However, It would have to be in place by September so I want to get facts before I approach the head. I think as I work there they would try to accommodate me if they can. However, the absence code is a worry. The are in a deprived area with fairly poor attendance statistics already; they won't want to make those worse. I was wondering if there was an alternative way of doing it for 14-16s.

The thing about the college funding is that errrm it's for colleges. There might be some nifty footwork where a young person is enrolled at a college which outsources some of its provision to a school where...etc...

Would being an academy make an difference for Flexi-schooling?

In legal terms, no. In practical terms, possibly yes. Academies get money from central Government and the Government says where it pays for a school place it wants the child to be attending full-time in the literal sense of going into school all day every day.

The Government is insisting that children who are flexischooled must be marked as absent when they are not physically attending school. In other words, schools are being told they can't mark the register "being educated but not actually in school".

Where it falls down slightly is that academy registers aren't scrutinised to the same extent so hypothetically if an academy did have a lot of absence or a lot of "being educated but not actually in school", it wouldn't necessarily be picked up. Academy registers not being scrutinised is one of the reasons why the Government vetoed the use of Code B in the first place, to try and stem the problem at source rather than rely on its being policed later.

Academy chains might come under greater scrutiny from Ofsted though.

Hmm I wonder what a professional argument for that would look like

Can somebody explain the difference between flexi school and educated off site, if the dc misses the same amount of time.
If flexi school is not allowed, how can ed off site continue.

Flexischooling is allowed.

Extract from my FAQ
Is flexischooling legal?
Yes. Flexischooling is no longer banned and the previous reference to flexischooling not being allowed has been removed.(March 22nd 2013)

Has flexischooling been banned?
No. When DfE said on February 22nd that that flexi-schooling did not fit easily within the current legal and financial framework, this was interpreted in some quarters as a ban. However, this was clarified by DfE on March 22nd.

How are schools supposed to mark the register?
On June 10th the Minister Elizabeth Truss said "Flexi-schooling is a combination of attendance at school and home education. Schools may enter into flexi-schooling arrangements provided they correctly mark children as absent in attendance registers when they are being educated at home."

The home education part of the flexischooling arrangement must NOT be marked in the register as "education off site".

Can new flexischool arrangements be set up?
It is difficult to see how a new arrangement could be distinguished from an existing arrangement. However, the advice on marking the register may deter some schools from making a new arrangement.

Flexi schooling does depend on the Head.

As a teacher I wouldn't like it because it puts me and the class in a straight jacket of timetable in order to let one person have freedom, as I assume that they want to come in for specific lessons and not just to take 'pot luck'?
I think this would be fine in secondary school but I don't see how it works in primary.
e.g. On Tuesday afternoon they are all working in groups with a science project and don't finish but are very keen so on Wed morning you want to carry on and then you think ' oh no- Josh is coming in and expects Maths' - you then have the dilemma of 'do you make the whole class wait until the afternoon, or the next day to continue' or 'do you put Josh in a group and get them to explain what he has missed and hope he can pick up'.
Without Josh it is simple, do the science while they are all madly enthusiastic and move Maths to the afternoon.
Or Josh comes in for PE because you have a good hall with equipment but another teacher asks you to swap days because he/she needs a rehearsal - do you refuse the swap to accommodate Josh?

As a teacher I like freedom too. Even if they are willing to just come in and do whatever is going on it then means time sent getting them up to speed on what they have missed- all a bit frustrating for the child.

They all miss a lot on the friendship side too- most of which happens when they are not in the classroom. Fine for the very confident, popular child but a bit of a nightmare for the child who isn't either.

I think it gives the worst of both worlds- I'm not sure why anyone would want it- unless their child is ill and can't cope with a school day.

It does however work in secondary. My friend's DCs went in just for the exam subjects they wanted to do- they got the exams but it was no good on the friendship side- that only gelled when they went full time in 6th form. It wasn't that people were unfriendly- they got to know people in lessons but at break they went off to friendship groups and these groups didn't know them.

It that my arguments hold any importance- it all boils down to money and how school places are funded.

Sorry - should read not that my arguments.........

I can see it working if you had lots of flexi schoolers and ran the school in an entirely different way. e.g you would run various sessions and families could use them as and when, but then the teacher wouldn't be responsible for more than running the session- it would be up to the parent to record keep and plot progress etc. It is rather like an education week I have just taken part in with various schools. I ran my sessions- the teachers were responsible for follow up and I had no knowledge of individual children.