Is this arrangement normal?

[Kmward36]

I’ve started to become more and more concerned for a close family members education and I’m worried they’re not actually having any sort of education. I just wanted an outside point of view in case this is very normal and I’m bring dramatic.

For context, I have 3 children. My oldest attends a mainstream school (at her request and loves it) and my youngest 2 are homeschooled. We vary our days between home ed groups available around our county, forest school days, a couple of tutors come in weekly and we follow an online curriculum. So we’re very pro home education.

Family member has 2 DD. Both now school age. They used to attend a childminder but now are home educated. They do not go to and home ed groups ( mainly as they don’t think socialising outside of close family is needed and they believe that children that have been vaccinated shed the vaccinations and don’t want to risk picking it up).

they have no resources at home, not even colouring pencils. They’re quite frugal and don’t believe in spending money and kids should have an imagination and play with what they have. But they don’t have books, paper or anything (unless it’s been bought as a gift from us or other family).

they don’t have a routine. They go to bed around 1-2am. Wake up at 11-12 and then just watch tv.

the oldest is 9 and doesn’t know her colours or numbers. She can’t read or write. They keep saying this is normal in Scandinavia but they don’t do anything with them to encourage any learning. Not even trips out.

I’ve brought it up a few times but they get very angry and it’s quite intimidating.

is this ok? Should I leave it alone? If not, how do I intervene?

any advice welcome!

Knowing colours is a pre-school goal and is part of the early years foundation stage.

Most children have learnt colours by the age of 3, some need to be taught them at nursery or very unusually at school

www.splashlearn.com/blog/when-do-kids-learn-colors/#:~:text=Between%20the%20ages%20of%202,naming%20at%20least%20three%20colors.

Recognising letters is also part of the early years foundation stage and most children from age 3 will be able to recognise some letters.

The government curriculum document for eyfs suggests that 3-4 year olds should be encouraged to use letters they already know eg using m for mummy.

If this child does not know colours and cannot recognise letters she is operating at about the 3-4 year old age level.

As you say she went to a childminder, the childminder will have had to deliver the two year old progress check and an eyfs final report. So her parents will have been told where her attainment was.

If this is where she is at nine, which is about 3-4 year old level it seems likely she was further behind at age 5.

You may believe there is no SEN. There may be no diagnosed SEN (would the parents tell you?). However even if this child has made no progress between the ages of 5 and 9 she was far enough behind at age 5 for most schools to be flagging it up as possible Sen and doing interventions and investigations.

I would also say that not reading at 9 is fairly common in unschooling families. Reading age is not as important in EHE as it is at school, it can be so different that the two are non comparable. My youngest did not read until she was 10 but got 3A's and B in her A-levels. A friends child who did not read until 12 read The Lord of the Rings for their first book and now has a Phd. We did not use any curriculum and my children learned to read at 8, 4 and 10 so vastly different.

However i would say it would be unusual for any child watching a lot of TV not to know colours and numbers as they are used so often on there.

I think each of your concerns individually, not reading, no resources, no trips, little socialisation are not concerning individually but as a whole there may be a lack of stimulation. However, i would also say visitors to my house when i was EHE and now my children's homes as they EHE my Grandchildren would not see us doing anything resembling education, so more may be happening than you think. And they may not want to talk to you at all about what they do if they feel you are questioning their parenting. In fact if they know you have spoken to EHE and LA I'm surprised they speak to you at all - i certainly wouldn't be.

But we did/do have a lot of resources around.

I would monitor from afar but i do know many adults who were unschooled as children several in a similar way and they are all doing absolutely fine, working, communicating with others, having stable relationships etc. And most are now unschooling their own children.

Thanks everyone. As an update, social service and the education authorities have been out to see the family and have decided a child in need plan is needed. So just waiting for a MDT meeting to discuss what the plan will involve.

thanks for all the advice!

That is not true. Section 7 of the 1996 Act requires parents to provide an efficient, full time education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude of the child and any special educational needs which the child may have.

The LA can require parents to prove that they are delivering this and if they cannot can issue a school attendance order.

Push back at the LA.

Thanks for updating and I'm so pleased you got a result. Hopefully this will mean good input for the children and whatever help and support the parents need, too.