more flexi-schooling options

[NettleTea]

DD is currently at home, longer back story here

due to her medical needs she has been given access to e-learning which is an online live classroom, and she has a fairly comprehensive timetable covering the core (maths, english, science) plus citizenship, RE, art, french, spanish, PHSE, history and geography.

I have to let the school know that she is doing the flexible learning, which is run by our LEA, and also drop a line to LEA dept

I am assuming that this should be given a B code as its outside school but approved/provided by LEA rather than the school?

I am looking at seeing if we can come into some sort of agreement about flexi schooling with the school, especially in the short term, and am wondering what sort of research/ paperwork, reports from which professionals I should be looking to get to support a request

I don't really know anything about flexischooling, but there is an FAQ here :)

Hi NettleTea, code B sounds right to me.

I don't think what you are after is actually regarded as flexischooling. In flexischooling, the school/LA delegates part of the responsibility for the child's education back to the parent. (And DfE has recently decreed that code B cannot be used in such cases; the child must be marked absent.) But if I understand you right, you want the LA to provide all of your daughter's education, you just don't want it done through full-time school attendance. Is that right?

I don't know the ins and outs of how you would request that. If nobody else here has experience then you'd probably get it on the MN Special Needs board or on the HE-Special list; are you on that? he-special.org.uk As I say, what you want is not really flexischooling or elective home education, but there are some parents on that forum who have used a variety of different educational provision including home-based learning provided by the LA.

I think I am being a bit cheeky and am trying to work the system to my advantage if truth be told. I think I want a toe kept in the door so that she can access exams as I know I havent got the sort of money needed to take exams, and it seems a sneaky way to keep that option open. The timetable she has isnt full time, and there are hardly any people 'attending' each class, so she has reported that she learned much more than in a school room where she not only had to deal with all her anxiety problems, but doesnt have to share teacher time with 30 other kids, or have lessons disrupted by kids messing around. The timetable also has alot of freetime where she is able to follow a more autonomous route based upon her interests. It seems to me that she almost has the luxury of private tutoring using this method but I am doubtful whether the school would be happy with it ongoing for too long.....

Thanks for the link Saracen

That sounds like a great arrangement for your daughter.

The fact she is doing so few hours in her current LA-funded setting doesn't mean it can't count as full-time education. For example, the LA could legally provide as few as five hours per week of one-to-one tutoring to a child who cannot attend school and still be meeting their obligations to educate her. It is recognised that individual learning is much more efficient than whole-class teaching and requires fewer hours.

It isn't the total number of hours which distinguishes flexischooling from an education provided entirely by the LA. The distinction is whether the LA is undertaking to provide all of your daughter's education, or whether you have agreed to do part of it. Which I guess you might want to do if, say, you think their maths provision stinks and you don't want her to be forced to do maths with the LA tutor. If they are providing all the education then they wouldn't let your dd opt out of their maths sessions, I shouldn't think.