Deregistered son for home education- Worried about form husband signed at school after meeting

[JustUmberWriter]

Hi, I’d really appreciate some advice from experienced home educators about my son’s recent deregistration from primary school for elective home education.

I emailed the school instructing them to remove him from the register after the last day of term and asked for written confirmation. Instead, they called shortly afterwards and requested a meeting with the headteacher, which my husband attended.

At the meeting, they discussed support to keep my son in school, gave information about home education, and then asked my husband to sign a form recording what had been discussed.From what he remembers, the form mentioned that the school suspects SEN, possibly ADHD/autism, although my son has no formal diagnosis. It also referred to concerns about “dangers in his environments”, apparently relating to his occasional difficulty recognising danger.The headteacher also asked whether we would accept LA visits. My husband said yes without giving it much thought, and this was written on the form before he signed it. I would personally prefer all communication with the LA to remain in writing.

My main concerns are whether signing this form could affect or complicate the deregistration/home education process, whether agreeing to LA visits makes them mandatory, and whether the wording about suspected SEN or “dangers” could be used to raise safeguarding concerns.

The school also still has not confirmed in writing that my son has been removed from the register. Is their confirmation required, or is our written deregistration instruction enough?We do not currently have a copy of the signed form, which is what is worrying me most.Many thanks for any advice.

I think a lot of people would assume that yes,

It means you are a much greater likelihood of hiding something

this isn’t about your preference - it’s about protecting children and you as a parent should put children first and that includes making it easy for people to rule you out as a potential problem , freeing up the time of authorities to focus on real problems

by making it difficult for them to do a first scan you are wasting their time and putting other children at risk

I disagree completely, and it is a frankly offensive assumption.

The LA have a responsibility to safeguard all the children in their area. You can't safeguard a child you cannot see.

No, the schools form doesn't bind you to anything, it just means that they have a record of their concerns etc.
I see you've asked for a copy which will be useful to you.
Schools have to complete a removal from roll form when a child is deregistered. This goes to the local authority and has to be accurate with regard to dates etc as the local authority have to make sure the school has followed statutory process.
The EHE team will then make contact with you, they will discuss how you're planning your child's education and that it is suitable. Different local authorities can do things slightly differently.
When you speak to your local authority, you can ask for communication by email rather than in person visits.
There are changes coming in (not actually in yet) requiring local authorities to track EHE children more effectively than they have previously so you may find that you have more communication from your local authority than you would previously have expected.

Why are you concerned about LA visits?

You can disagree all you like but the school and the LA have a duty to safeguard your child, which is far more important than your sense of being intruded upon.

As a loving parent who is willing to provide a high standard of education, I can’t see why you would object to normal procedures for the sake of all the children out there who are being abused. It’s a mild inconvenience, and you can always follow up any visits with an email if it makes you feel better.

This basically.

It is easier to hide harm done to a child being home schooled than one seen every day in school. Or to hide that they are not receiving adequate education or making the progress they could. Of course that doesn’t mean you are going to harm them. But I can completely understand why LAs want to see children in person and I’m glad they do. There have been some terrible cases of abuse highlighted on this thread and if home visits can help keep children safe then why wouldn’t you let them visit and move on.

@JustUmberWriter Schools aren’t just about education, we are also now asked to safeguard children, so if we see a bruise etc we are expected to ask the child how they got it. If they say something like they didn’t have dinner or breakfast, or don’t have a duvet in winter etc we are duty bound to flag it with the Designated Safeguarding Lead in school. It’s drilled into us that a child’s safety is everyone’s business and all staff have to read and sign the statutory legislation around it (Keeping Children Safe in Education). This isn’t personal, it’s to safeguard all children and ensure they and their families get what they need to thrive.

So if you remove a child from school, the LA has a duty to ensure your child is safeguarded and that may mean eyes on that child to ensure this. Once they see your setup at home is safe for your child and that the child is thriving, they’ll be satisfied.

I didn’t know the LA didn’t do actual home visits. What a shocking omission - although why I’m shocked I have no idea. I dare say their resources have been cut to the bone. We know that children who are abused are frequently de-registered.( Which is obviously not the same as home educated children all being abused). Sounds like the school were covering off all the potential risks from their view point.

Op, you may completely disagree but a lot of the population agree with PP and assume you have something to hide

What would the OP be hiding that daily school attendance couldn't pick up on but a one time visit could?

We opted for written communication only as my son had severe anxiety about school/teachers and anyone in authority. The EHE LA was quite supportive this way anyway and we sent pics etc of the work that we were covering.

Not sure about the form your husband signed, maybe they are covering themselves in some way to show they have offered support?

You can be as offended as you please, it won’t change it. Many people will think you’ve something to hide if you don’t wish the la visiting.

i agree with a pp, it is utterly appalling people can opt out of this, it should be mandatory, and anyone attempting to evade should be forced to return their child to mainstream education.

You can’t understand that having a child seen daily by teachers is less of a risk than a child who is never seen, their education never assessed, and parents who actively don’t wish the la to visit.

seriously?

I agree completely.

And the fact that lots of posters have jumped to implying that I must be hiding something, or harming my child, is extremely upsetting.

The Children's and Wellbeing Act got Royal assent in April and it has a few changes around EHE that im not so familiar with, but i think sime others are a bit out of date too. In some pilot areas you need a mandatory meeting with the LA to deregister. I also believe the la have been given the right to request a home visit and if its refused they can consider that as them not knowing that the ehe provided is adequate and can be consider that refusal as part of issuing an order to attend school. I dont know if that is sen children only but it read to me like all children.

It does feel intrusive /offensive but the aim of safeguarding is no exceptions. Everyone is under the same rules even if we know they are a good person as it was creating special classes of people who didn't have to follow the rules that led to some of the biggest safeguarding failures.

I know people say if you have nothing to hide let people in, but i have nothing to hide but I do have things I want to protect! My home was my child's safe space and an authority figure in thier home was hard for them. But that said the LA person we had was supportive and key to my child getting the right sen support in place.

I dont know that this potential visit is the hill to die on.

Its definitely best to keep it in writing. It’s not to do with hiding anything, it’s that sadly LA officers are often dishonest or behave without reference to their legal parameters.

It’s a bit like if the police come and interview you, if you have never committed a crime in your life and have done nothing wrong, you still ask for your solicitor.

Unfortunately, one can’t rely of the LA to act appropriately or honestly.

For my child (who actually attends a SEN school but many aren’t that fortunate) a home visit by an unknown person would be really, really distressing and not something I could agree to for his wellbeing.

The assumption isn't that you in particular are hiding something. It's that people who harm their children are known to take them out of school and refuse home visits.

No one is implying that. They are explaining why the school and the LA are not just going to leave you to it with no contact.

You do not exist in a vacuum. Surely if you are capable of home educating you can see why the school and the LA have policies that contribute to the safeguarding of all children?

It makes me very suspicious for one, what are you trying to hide that means you aren't willing to accept a visit. Home ed is a serious choice, and is used to hide children for the authorities -not saying that's what you are doing, but I think it should be a a legal obligation to allow visits, both announced and surprise. If you're doing all you should then you have nothing to hide and it shouldn't worry you.

Not all people declining home visits are harming their children but those who are harming their children are likely to prevent home visits. This is obvious surely. Accept a home visit, if one is offered, and it's the quickest way to move on.

No one knows you, it’s anonymous on here, but surely you know that children are deregistered and home education in a way that’s negative for the child in multiple ways, from a lazy parent who is clueless themselves to one who is neglectful to abusive. Those parents don’t tend to welcome the la visiting, as they don’t wish questions or visibility over whay they are doing.

im sure you are a good parent, and have his education fully mapped out and are perfectly capable. So the question then arises why on earth would you not wish the support of the la to visit and work with you. All you’ve said is some people on line said in writing is better.

personlly I also question those people.

Who knows that the school don’t have concerns ? OP says so? That’s not proof

OP your defensiveness and jumping to inaccurate conclusions are not healthy signs. You are misinterpreting people who have been quite clear and accusing them of making statements and assumptions that they have not. Step back and breathe.

I think you might underestimate how many home educators are nutters!