LA Visit

[agjuka999]

Hello all,

Did anyone had a home visit with LA about EHE provision? Any advise of what to expect?

Some LAs like to do this, but you aren't required to agree to it. From your point of view it is not a good idea. It would be difficult for them to form an accurate understanding of the education you are providing in a visit lasting an hour or two. They may easily form subjective impressions based on what they see on the day, and bring their personal prejudices to bear.

If you don't provide them with any information whatsoever in response to their informal enquiries, they might conclude that there is an appearance that you aren't providing a suitable education, and start legal proceedings against you. If you got good advice then you would probably win in court, but it would be stressful. Home ed advocacy groups recommend never ignoring any communication from the LA. You can submit a report instead of allowing a home visit. That way you are in control of the evidence and you have a useful paper trail.

Another reason not to allow them in your home is that you can't predict how they will behave. Most LA home ed officers have little or no training in home education. As a result, they may have strange ideas and could say things which will upset you or your child. For example, some families report that the LA officers have threatened to send their child to school if the child doesn't attain a certain level of maths. This is totally inappropriate - would a child who struggled with maths be kicked out of a state school? - and can be frightening for a child who left school because of bullying or unmet special needs, who needs to feel safe and supported.

Education Otherwise has some useful factsheets and a template for writing a report. www.educationotherwise.org/ Members of EO can get help with writing their report to ensure it includes everything needed.

Saracen - I replied to every single email and letter that they send me. I also send a report probably 4 months ago.
I did not receive any feedback until now. The person who emails stated that until she does not meet me and speaks with me - she is not gonna be confident that I provide suitable education. Also if I will not agree with meeting she will consider next steps to be taken.

This is not lawful behaviour on the part of the LA. They must consider all information available to them, and may not dictate the format in which you supply information. Specifically, they cannot demand meetings or telephone calls. They are trying to bully you.

If the report you submitted four months ago was adequate, they should not be seeking additional information from you within a year. They have no remit to monitor home education, but should only intervene if it appears the education is unsuitable.

Did they state in writing exactly what concerns they have about the education you described in your report? If they have, you can answer them in writing. It may be that you didn't give enough detail in your report, in which case you can do so now. However, it is strange that they have left it so long to get in touch: if they had genuine concerns they should have told you promptly, so this is more evidence that they don't know what they are doing. If they haven't said what their concerns are, ask them to do so. ("We want a meeting" does not count as a concern!)

To be honest I did not receive any information about concerns. I asked already three times that they would provide me details of concerns that they might have that I could adress it. No reply. Just that they have statutory duty and I could adress my concerns on the visit.

That is absolutely not on. You've asked three times and they won't answer?? Big red flag. They probably don't HAVE any actual concerns. An LA which is so underhand is definitely one to keep at arm's length. If you let them in or talk to them on the phone, they could twist your words or tell lies about who said what. Make sure you have a good paper trail. Has this discussion all been in writing?

If it hasn't, I suggest you write telling them you don't want to meet with them, telling them to keep everything in writing, and asking yet again for a letter listing their concerns about the report you sent, so you can address those concerns.

Let them in. Some people are very anti establishment on here ahem!

They might be useful and offer guidance

Everything is on writting. I assume they don't have because I didn't hear any. I do not want to get in to arguments with them and I am more than willing to provide information that they need - but if I do not receive response how I can do that? By meeting them?

@Quitelikeit

Let them in. Some people are very anti establishment on here ahem!

They might be useful and offer guidance

The LA might be useful and offer guidance, yes. But that isn't very likely. There is no mandatory training for LA staff who deal with elective home education. Most are completely untrained save for perhaps a safeguarding course. As can be seen from their correspondence and from their published policies, they seldom understand the law, though home ed law in the countries of the UK is not complex. They may have a teaching background, which they may believe gives them some insight into home education. That can be worse than useless, as home ed is so different from school.

The best LA staff are those who have been in post for some time, listened to and learned from home ed families, and read up on home education in their own time - their bosses won't provide any paid time to do it. If it's support you want, that is on offer from other home educators, without being bundled up with "inspection" and possible legal action against you!

I doubt you'd find a solicitor in the land who would advise you to let the LA in so they can form a subjective opinion of the education and potentially use that in court against you. I mean, I also wouldn't let the police in without a search warrant whenever they fancied having a nosy round - especially if, as in this case, they wouldn't even explain what grounds they had for believing I'd broken the law. I hardly think that makes me anti-establishment.

From what you say, it sounds like you've been doing everything right.

I am more than willing to provide information that they need - but if I do not receive response how I can do that? Exactly. You can't. They are being ridiculous.

If I were you, I would simply keep writing back to say that you are happy to answer any concerns they may have based on your report, and you require them to state specific concerns in writing. Letting them visit isn't advisable, particularly if they start throwing threats around.

However, of course it would be a bad idea for you to just take the word of some miscellaneous person on an anonymous forum about this, and dig your heels in accordingly! Why not contact the main home education charity in your country to confirm what I'm advising.

For England and Wales that is Education Otherwise: www.educationotherwise.org/
In Scotland it's SchoolHouse: www.schoolhouse.org.uk/
For Northern Ireland, HEdNI: hedni.org/

Good luck. I'm sorry you are getting this hassle. I'm sure you have better uses for your time - such as educating your child!

You know I already asked and they advised similar to your posts. It just one of those - when it is difficult to decide. I feel there is no other choice just to meet with her and hope for the best. Like I mentioned before I do not want to end up in battle with them. Of course I do not appreciate the way they communicate with me.

This is something I was speaking to a friend about this earlier today. I’m not on Facebook but these are screenshots she sent me of a post by Michael Charles, an experienced SEN solicitor, yesterday.

Last part

@Quitelikeit

Let them in. Some people are very anti establishment on here ahem!

They might be useful and offer guidance

And why is that such a bad thing? Without people who have been anti-establishment your life would be much harder.

OP You do not have to have a visit and most experienced home educators advise against as we know just how frequently these go wrong.

When talking it is so easy to say something that is interrupted a different way than you meant or to miss something out.

I would go so far as to say in 30 years of HE - first my children and now supporting my Grandchildren the only people i know who have had problems with their LA are those that have had visits or phone calls and it has normally arisen from miscommunication.

If they are not responding to you asking for more details about their concerns and ignoring you i would simply put in a formal complaint to the council about unprofessional behaviour.

The only concern for them is they statutory duty. That is the only reason for them. She stated that she is not gonna be confident that I am providing suitable education until she meets and speaks with me.

Also I received letter where she said if I fail to meet she will go for SAO.

In our La visits are usually offered when parents don’t provide enough information on how there child is learning e.g what topics they are covering, current level child is working at . No mention of resources, social activities, websites etc one word answers, lack of engagement from family. Or if the La is concerned for the child ( safe guarding) Visits is one way the la is trying to support families and keeping EHE open to them as it’s sometimes just easier to talk face to face etc of course none of the families have to agree to these visits . But lack of engagement can result in child being closed to EHE team as they can not make a judgment on suitability of the education being in place and full time so the families are then passed to the attendance teams.

P.s. EHE team have no legal power to issue an SAO that would be the attendance team of LA . So she would have to close you to EHE with good reason and refer you to the attendance and children missing education teams

Apple you can’t be closed to the EHE team in the way you post, EHE families aren’t receiving a service or support from the LA in that way.