School Attendance Order - legal fight for London family

[Aucklander]

We have been home educating our two children for the last six years. It's been a very happy time. We have not had any inquiries from the local authority. If we did we would ignore them as they can only require information 'if it appears' that a suitable education is not taking place.

I am appalled at how this family is being treated:

Parents of Matilda star: We're prepared to go to jail in home schooling row
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/25/parents-matilda-star-prepared-go-jail-home-schooling-row/

They have more than obliging to the local authority but apparently on the basis that the LA has not seen the child they have issued a school attendance order.

The law is quite clear in Britain. You don't even need to tell the LA if you child has never attended school. They have no right assume your child is not being educated and make speculative enquiries. I hope this family win their case.

I don't understand why the parents wouldn't oblige the LA with the information they require. Everyone has the best interests of the child as the most important thing so it's a no brainier to me. From what I read (which I take with a pinch of salt and know the LA won't be able to be able to give full details so it's rather one sided re facts) the parents are being awkward and not providing what's been requested so this has flagged concerns.

I have friends who very successfully homeschool and they're amazing but I also have a family member who home schooled for very wrong reasons, badly, nothing in place and is continuing to control the "child" who is now 19. The LA should have been involved.

Children outside of the education system can slip off the radar so this to me shows the LA are ensuring a good education and safeguarding a child. Parents are handling it badly but getting their "child star" daughter newspaper columns!

I think they're choosing to very publically make a point about this. Westminster LA are unusual in insisting on a visit/independent verification, though; most LAs will accept samples of work and an ed phil.

It's the way it's going, though, I think; I think there will be compulsory registration and periodic meetings/home visits before long.

I’m amazed at the attitude that the parents should simply bend to the will of the LA. All they have to offer is a school attendance order and an ordeal of questioning.

Public servants (i.e. teachers and social workers) also abuse children. Schools ill educate many children and do nothing about it. We do not live by permission of the state in Britain. The British Human Rights Act says quite clearly that we have a ‘right to respect for private and family life’

In any case it is parents who have legal responsibility for the safety and education of their children. Sure, if there is evidence of abuse or lack of education then the LA can make enquiries but they can’t just assume there’s a problem because the child is home educated.

This family are entirely right to stick up for themselves and the law is certainly on their side.

I'll be interested to see the outcome if this does go to court. I can't read the article written by the mother, unfortunately, as it's their 'premium' content.

Poor kid to have such "principled" parents.

I'd prefer regular inspections of all home educated children, having been in the position to try and undo the damage done by incompetent parents. It should be mandatory. If you're doing a good job, prove it.

having been in the position to try and undo the damage done by incompetent parents

In what capacity, Ellie?

Teacher.

Only can speak of my LA. Every so often they like to either see DC or you can send in examples of work so I don't know why sending in the work wasn't enough.

I'm a bit on the fence with this. Some LAs are very confrontational and invasive where they have no right to be so. Children's educations are the responsibility of the parent. We're seriously looking in to home schooling as I do not believe that our current curriculum is suitable or necessary for the age if children and just being in school does not mean children learn what is needed or expected. If the LA tried to tell me how to educate my child, I would be less than impressed. However, as a teacher, I have also encountered children who are in no sense educated and this has to be neglect to an extent? I have also seen parents pull children out because the school have welfare concerns and they think if they 'home school' they won't be followed up.

It's the way it's going, though, I think; I think there will be compulsory registration and periodic meetings/home visits before long

Good.

And parents like this who are trying to prove a point of principle will hasten that policy change.

I had to undo the damage from incompetent teachers.

Having had to work to undo the damage from incompetent teachers I can see that the assumption that the state is always best is deeply deeply damaging. This is a further erosion of the right to a family life and intrusion by requiring parents to justify and prove they are good parents. Maybe if kids in the care of councils were not being abused and abandoned then I might have more sympathy.
Yes I know not all councils are like this but I resent having to prove I am a satisfactory parent. The burden is that the state should be required to prove I am not based on hard evidence not just the desire of the state to make my life difficult as I am an easy target.

The A&E question "who is your social worker?" fills me within dread, as if it's a necessary part of life. Maybe "do you have a social worker?" Might be more ... engaging.

gluteus. You beat me to it.! Brevity is best. And when the council comes calling the brief response is "What legal power do you have to request this information?"

I simply don't understand why any good parent doing the right things to ensure a good education for their child would have an issue with some basic checks.
I have no problem with good home education and I'm well aware the vast majority of home educators do a great job but some home educated children are dreadfully vulnerable. In my opnion it's too easy for parents with their own issues and agendas to isolate a child and for abuse to occur unchecked.
Making sure that the children are healthy and progressing should be an absolute necessity. I would have thought any successful home educator should be proud to share how well their child is doing.

Have you taught many ex-HE kids, Ellie (am genuinely interested, not looking for an argument)?

I think home educated children should follow same curriculum as those who are schooled. In my experience curriculum work would take about 30/40 mins a day maybe increasing to 3/4 hours a day at GCSE level. Plenty of time to do other activities in the day including sports, forest school, music, going to plays, etc etc.

It's possible that the LA are power hungry,bigoted bullies and are trying to railroad the parents due to their own agenda.

It's also possible that things are not as they seem and there is a reason for this,either because of genuine concerns,the parents refusal to cooperate or both.

I do find the mother's insistence that her daughter being successful in the play means her education is up to scratch a bit odd.

I worked in special ed. Some children were brought into the system when they were still unable to read or do the most basic maths by the age of 11. My task was to try to teach them the basics and then integrate them into mainstream if possible.

One child needed glasses but his parents had never taken him to an optician. He was reading very quickly after he could actually see the words.

I know HE can work well but firmly believe that they children should be seen every year to make sure all is well. Sometimes it isn't and I don't want to go into those cases.

martellandginger I couldn't disagree more. Why on earth does a child need to be able to write a full sentence using punctuation at 5 when other countries have shown time and time again that waiting until 7 gives better results? Why does an 8 year old need to understand different types of determiners and name the type. Could you honestly do that, and a does it in any way show your level of intelligence? As a parent, your job is to inspire your child to want to learn and give them the tools and ability to be able to find out these things when they are ready and when they need them. I have no interest in cramming my children with pointless facts that some old men have decided they knew when they were at school and therefore our children should also be able to recite. The world has moved on and we need to guide our children to the future using current neuroscience and educational philosophies.

HE can work well with motivated parents and kids. We have friends who are HE'ing their four kids. All bright as buttons.

Given the kid in this case got a highly competitive role in a west end show I seriously seriously doubt there's an issue. Some parents however are probably awful. Their likely known to SS already......

tbh I don't think it's unreasonable that a he child is seen by the la.
alternatively by hv or gp to certify that the dc is well.

Do you think these parents are acting wholly in the best interests of their child by refusing to provide the LA with evidence that she is receiving the education to which she is entitled in law? The article you link to quotes the father as saying "Perhaps we could end this easily by letting a qualified tutor sign off on her work. But there is a crucial principle at stake." Does he really think his child is better served by her parents making a point and risking legal sanctions than just providing the requested assurances? Really?

I'm not entirely unsympathetic to parents who feel that the state has too much say in how their children are parented, educated and cared for. In the main, though, I think that in trying to balance the rights of parents to make decisions with the need to protect children means that at times it is entirely reasonable to require parents to provide certain information to statutory agencies. Most people who home educate do so with their child's best wishes in mind and make a good job of it. But we all know that there are some people who absent their children from school to avoid detection of abuse, or to ensure that they don't get a decent education. This needs to be made as difficult as possible, and one way of doing that is scrutiny of the education provided to all children who are registered as being home educated. That may be a bit inconvenient. It may seem somewhat intrusive. It might raise the hackles of those who resent anything they feel diminishes their 'rights' as parents. But it may also make some very vulnerable children safer, and that, to me, is worth an awful lot.

The thing is that she you have a child who performs there are extra checks in place. It’s just something you put up with whether they attend school or not in order to facilitate their performing.

They would rather go to jail...who would educate their kid then? Who would look after her? How could they look her in the eye and say "Sorry love,I know you miss us and your life has been turned upside down but our principles matter more".

They're either counting on this never going as far as jail,or they're willing to fuck up their kid.

Principles my ass!

But the parents sent off examples of work at home. Why isn't that enough?