School being awkward over deregistering - any advice?

[QueenYnci]

We've taken DS out of school to home ed (various reasons mainly involving the school not following his statement and not dealing with bullying).

They received the letter yesterday and a couple of the teachers turned up at the door this morning to try and persuade us to reconsider. I phoned them after to clarify a couple of points (partner spoke to them and apparently they kept mentioning costs and charges etc.) and they aren't taking DS off the register.

They seem to think we need to contact the LEA/Welfare Officers first, which I'm sure isn't right (it's just a mainstream school). I quoted some legal stuff at them from Education Otherwise and now they're going to find out more and phone back later. Panicking a bit now.

Has anyone else had this and how did it resolve itself?

If teachers had turned up at my door after deregistering, I would have been furious! (And I am an ex-teacher myself.) If you are in England, once you send the deregistering letter, then you have done your part and it's up to them to follow the law and take your child off roll/inform the LA (and it's on their head if they don't). Did you get a receipt for the letter? Provided you have evidence that they have received your letter, you don't need to do anything else.

If they try phoning you/turning up again, I would ask them to put everything in writing so that you have a paper trail - just in case!

Good luck with HE!

You don't have to contact anybody else, you have done your bit.
They have to de-register your ds.
Don't give it another thought and don't engage with them verbally.
Ask for everything in writing.
Best of luck with your new adventure!

So bloody typical of the way kids with SEN get treated . Needs ignored, bullying ignored, parents pushed to end of tether.

No advice but sympathy.

Yes Hockeydude, he's done 4 years in mainstream school and we've had this treatment from the start really. Lots of promises but not any actual action. Even binding things like his statement have been repeatedly ignored. End of our tether describes it perfectly.

We sent it Special Delivery so got tracking, signature etc. Also emailed the head informing them of the contents of the letter with a copy of it. They wanted to see DS this morning when they turned up at the door to 'ask him if he was missing his friends and wanted to come back'. Not appropriate at all!

They've just phoned again telling us we need to call someone at the LEA and send the LEA a letter before they are allowed to deregister him. Told the school this isn't legally right but I called the person at the LA anyway. The Home Education rep at the LEA was lovely and said the school had got it all wrong and me ringing was only a suggestion not an order. I also mentioned this morning's inappropriate house call. She's going to chase the deregistration up tomorrow and talk to the school about their 'communication problems'.

Hopefully all sorted now. Thanks for your reassuring words!

Goodness if only that had put this much effort into keeping him there in the first place. Well done for keeping your cool OP and dealing with it so well.

Wow.
That's incredible!
When I de registered ds1 they sent a letter which stated (incorrectly) that I had set a certain person at the lea and then gave me the (incorrect) phone number 🤔
I couldn't even be bothered to correct them so I binned filed it 😀
We home schooled for a year and had a (optional) visit from a lovely guy from the lea.
He was fab and very reassuring as I was doubting myself
Good luck!
And ignore ignore ignore...I'm amazed by the house call!! 😳

This happened to me, only it was phone calls at 8.30 at night from my son's secondary school form tutor. After I went for a meeting with him and handing in the deregisteration letter. He went on to threaten me with the education authority and telling me they had spoken to them about my son, and that they had told them that it was advisable for him to stay in school.
I knew my rights and all it would entail, and also spoke directly to the people responsible for homeschooling and they where not to impressed with the school because they hadn't heard from them.
My sons primary school head was brilliant, we only had one meeting with the deputy head to hand over all sen information and was told if I needed any help to get in touch.

Several teachers turned up at your door this morning? Should they not have been teaching??

Several teachers turned up at your door. Really? We don't have time to knock on the door of kids who desperately need to be in school and whose education (and attendance!!) is suffering. Why on earth would they try and make you deck see. Surely it's no skin of their nose if you home ed?

The Head and SENCO so not class teachers. But yes I agree, maybe if they spent less time doing stuff like this and more time getting their act together in the last 4 years we'd have been able to leave him in!

Glad it's all sorted. Good luck with HE. If you need any suggestions for resources, please post and people can give you links/ideas!