Please sign our flexischooling petition!

[flexischoolingUK]

Flexischooling is an arrangement where a child of compulsory school age is registered at school full time, but the school agrees the child can be educated at home for part of the week. Flexischooling is a full time education, just like full time school or full time home education. This is a legal option in England, Scotland and Wales, but isn’t very well known (even in schools).

In England and Wales, flexischooling, if agreed, is marked as Code C, authorised absence. The trouble with this is that code C still
affects the school’s attendance data, which can put schools off agreeing. Before 2019, Code B (educated offsite) was allowed and this code did not negatively impact attendance data.

In December 2024, the head of Ofsted, Sir Martyn Oliver, voiced the concern in his end of year report, that we have no way of knowing how many children are being flexischooled, as Code C is a generic authorised absence code, and it is impossible to differentiate between flexischooling absences and other authorised absences.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill proposes that flexischooling be managed by LAs. This seems like an inefficient and costly duplication of oversight and data retention, as flexischooling children are already registered at school full time, seen in school on a weekly basis, and schools are already recording attendance of flexischooling pupils on a twice daily basis!

We believe our proposal makes more sense logistically and financially. For schools to continue to manage flexischooling arrangements, but for a specific flexischooling code to be used (Code F) giving the government quantifiable data on the number of flexischooling children. Ideally, this code would not impact attendance data, as flexischooling pupils are legally receiving a full time education and it seems unnecessary for schools to be penalised for agreeing to a flexischooling arrangement in the best interests of a child. This is the current system in Scotland, flexischooling has no negative impact on attendance data.

We are aiming to reach 10,000 signatures to get a response from the government, but more than 10,000 would be a fantastic testament to the interest in flexischooling. We currently have at least 1 signature in all but 5 constituencies in the whole of the UK! It would be absolutely amazing to be able to say that every constituency in the UK had signed.

We are currently missing a signature in Nah-Eileanan an lar in Scotland, and 4 constituencies in Northern Ireland:

Mid Ulster - Mr Cathal Mallaghan MP

East Antrim - Rt Hon Sammy Wilson MP

Lagan Valley - Sorcha Eastwood MP

Belfast West - Paul Maskey MP

Whilst this petition isn’t directly aimed at Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales, signatures from these countries do count and the petition data will be available even after the petition ends, and could be used to demonstrate the high levels of interest in flexischooling in these countries.

And of course, if every single constituency signs, that’s a statement everyone in the UK can use, that this petition demonstrates the universal support for flexischooling in the UK, with every single constituency having signed! 🤞

Please consider taking 2 minutes to sign and verify your email (please check your junk/spam folder) as unverified emails do not count.

Thank you!

Happy to answer any question regarding flexischooling 🙂

Flexischooling petition link

@Babyboomtastic no, that is not what I am suggesting. I am suggesting parents need to know all the information and options available in order to make an informed decision.

Absolutely they do, but could you explain how your suggestions would be better for the child than flexischooling?

Re a ECHP for example, that's a very long and complicated process, which (in your example) would just formally lost the need for flexi schooling. Or the school could just agree to flex.

My son's SEN is exactly why he flexischools - and without it his attendance would be much worse, in fact I'm not sure we'd actually get him into school - he was showing all the signs of EBSNA and I think flexischooling from the time we did has prevented this progressing and we get him in for his 4 days a week consistently. He is also doing really well academically.

We're lucky that his schools is big on wellbeing and very collaborative - they'd never heard of flexischooling until we made our request and they were very happy to discuss how it would work practically with us and then implement a formal agreement that is regularly reviewed. His Head of Year even spoke with me before year 8 started to see how we could accommodate his flexiday into his timetable to ensure he didn't miss any core lessons. He does miss one geography and one English lesson a fortnight - but at the recent parent's evening his English teacher told me the missing lesson is not impacting his performance as he has such a high reading age and large vocabulary that he picks up on the lesson straight away, despite having missed one.

Please consider signing this petition, all we're asking for is that children with flexischooling agreements in place have these absences coded as what they are, flexischooling, and not a vague "other authorised absence" as they currently are - something that would help both the school and anyone who wants to collect data on flexischooling.

Flexischooling is a practical solution for many of our children - but this petition is not about whether flexischooling is practical or worthwhile, it's about correctly registering on the national attendance register that pupils are doing it. Surely that is a good thing whether you are supportive of the practice or not?

Not that your post is related in any way to my point, but some parents aren’t able to flexischool because of their work pattern &/or financial situation. Some parents can’t flexischool because their DC needs provision in excess of what they can provide. Some parents are separated and the family courts rule against flexischooling. Some schools won’t allow flexischooling or won’t allow the pattern that is best for the child’s needs.

An EHCP can provide far more than ‘just’ not needing the school to agree to flexischooling.

That's true - but have you tried getting one? My son was refused for EHCNA in year 6 and was transitioning to secondary. We could reapply for ECHNA but what support would he get in the meantime? Also, EHCPs can be restrictive - I've read horror stories of pupils not getting any provision because educational settings are telling them they can't meet the needs set out in the EHCP when often the documents haven't been updated or accurately written.

We decided not to pursue the EHCP because the emotional strength, energy and time needed to pursue one, I felt, was better invested in working with my son's school to support his needs immediately, not in 2-3 years time when an EHCP had finally been agreed. Fortunately, my son's school is hot on inclusivity and wellbeing and responded amazingly to our flexischooling request - even suggesting ways it could be enhanced, to ensure our son's needs were met and that he could access education.

@Littlefish are you a teacher? My opinion is based on direct lived experience. What do you imagine are the factors contributing most to teacher workload? Class size and related issues (such as behaviour and the massive spread of abilities within one class) are huge contributors.

Any teacher answering honestly to the question about whether one student absence will make a big difference to their daily workload would surely say “it depends on which student!” Even one student can make a huge difference depending on the behaviour and learning needs of that student so to say that having “marginally fewer” students 1-2 days a week wouldn’t make a difference is just false.

I didn’t see anyone say the teacher would need to do extra liaison. Most schools and teachers communicate to all parents information about the curriculum and what children are learning in the classroom. In a flexischooling agreement the parent is responsible for planning and carrying out the learning, so the teacher does not need to set work. It absolutely does not need to mean a higher workload for the teacher and indeed could mean a lower workload!

@SuperSue77 yes, I have 3 DSs with EHCPs, 2 of whom have EOTAS/EOTIS, and I have helped numerous others to secure them.

Many have to appeal, but it is possible to secure a good EHCP.

EHCPs don’t have to be restrictive, and provision detailed, specified and quantified in F can be enforced - ultimately it is the LA who is responsible.

It is absolutely your choice not to request an EHCNA. If you did pursue it though, DS wouldn’t have to get less support in the meantime and it wouldn’t mean you couldn’t work with the school.

My point wasn’t that everyone has to go down that route. My point was parents need all the information to make an informed decision. Not incorrect information.

Well that was 15 years ago so too late to close it now

It's currently a popular and thriving school due to the flexischooling it offers.

My grammar suggests I’m not originally from the uk and I have adhd and I speak 5 other languages. I have more Uk degreees and qualifications than 99% of teachers too . My child went into P1 advanced 3 years in English and 2 in math , she is clearly more advanced than any other kid in her class too .
If you are a teacher I would say your bullying tactics are vile .
Now have a good day with your British superiority that only exists in your head , I wonder how your grammar would be in Greek , French or German !

What, having a distinct register code isn't practical? Why is that?

Flexi schooling is clearly a practical solution for the schools and families that do it.

Why do you want to remove headteachers' autonomy to run schools as they wish? That's very disrespectful of the teaching profession.

No head would want flexi-schooling - they give in to parental demand.

Do you not have any respect for head teachers at all?
How arrogant.
There are hundreds of schools that have flexi schooling arrangements, and lots of schools that offer whole-school flexi arrangements.
And you feel justified in claiming all these teachers are just weak and stupid?

It’s very easy for a headteacher to say no, and many do. I imagine the ones that do agree because they think it is best for the child and something they are able to support. The headteacher is also able to end the agreement if they feel it is no longer working for the child or school. The parents actually have very little control over the arrangement as it is all up to the school whether to agree and how
much time the student can spend in home
learning.

Where in the world are you getting the idea parents have the ability to bully a headteacher into this type of agreement?

Lots of posters weirdly seem to think that as this is something they personally don't want to do, they should be able to control what other schools that have nothing to do with them offer their own pupils 🤔

@legoplaybook if you read my post you’d see it was a regular occurrence, not just the show. Although it was technically due to illness, it was, to all intents and purposes, flexi schooling. Again, I’m sorry you seem to be struggling to understand my posts.

Not rtwt but education is devolved in Wales and I hope they don’t entertain this batshit idea.

i have no issue with homeschooling as long as appropriate safeguarding is applied, but flitting between home and school just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

No, random absences for illness is nothing like a planned and consistent flexi schooling agreement.

It might not be for the teachers, but for the other kids that is exactly how it felt. Some days she was there, some days she wasn’t. Anyway, you seem desperate to show that flexi schooling has zero impact on other kids, and therefore other parents have no right to have an opinion. I’m trying to tell you that it does have an impact on other kids. I really don’t know why you can’t grasp this 🤷‍♀️

@legoplaybook

Lots of people taking a stand against high teacher workloads without seeming to have any idea what teachers actually do all day!

It’s actually really depressing. I have very little hope that the dire state of state education in the UK will improve in my lifetime. I don’t know how it ever will when everyone has an opinion but no one cares enough to actually learn about the issues in education.

Sorry to disappoint but flexi schooling is already well established in Wales
https://www.gladestry.powys.sch.uk/news-events/open-morning

The petition is purely about a registration code, flexischooling is already happening.

Sure, your random anecdote about something else from decades ago is super relevant

I struggle with the numbers point. When I went to school many many many years ago I had 30 kids in the class. This isn’t a new phenomenon. What is newer is the poorer attitudes, helicopter parents, over worked teachers and over testing of kids.

@Devonmum29 please come back and update us when your son is doing his GCSEs!