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This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request
'in depth questionnaire-elective home education'.
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| Which team(s) have the main responsibility for supporting and monitoring home educated children within the local authority and other agencies? | List all teams / professionals involved in supporting home educating families | List all teams / professionals involved in monitoring home educating families. | Describe how you ensure collaboration and communication between these teams / individuals | How many children are currently home educated in your local authority of primary age (Registered with LA) | How many children are currently home educated in your local authority of primary age (Non-registered with LA) | How many children are currently home educated in your local authority of secondary age (Registered with LA) | How many children are currently home educated in your local authority of secondary age (Non-registered with LA) | Total (Registered with LA) | Total (Non-registered with LA) | Are these figures accurate or based on estimates? | If accurate, where do you get this data from? | If accurate, how do you know the data is accurate? | If estimated, what data have you used to arrive at this figure? (List all sources) | How confident is the local authority in the accuracy of this data? | How often does the local authority get updated data? (List frequency for each source separately) | What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is statemented for SEN? (please state whether accurate or estimate) | What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is non-statemented for SEN (please state whether accurate or estimate) | What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage (please state whether accurate or estimate) | What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is made up of other Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups | Please list which BME groups | Do you believe the local authority knows about all the home educated children in your area? | Do you think that you will be better able to track children in your area in the near future? e.g. planned changes to your own systems, ContactPoint, other system improvements? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | How does the local authority ensure families know about their rights and responsibilities in relation to home education? (List all approaches used) | What support does your local authority provide to home educating families? (List all forms of support offered) | How does the local authority let families know about the services provided to support them in home educating their children? (List all approaches used) | Following the initial assessment visit, are further monitoring visits made to a home educated child? | If yes, how often, on average, are these carried out? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | On average, how often is the child seen when a visit is made? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | If the child is seen, where is s/he usually seen? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | If you are not permitted access to a child, is any further action taken? | If yes, what further steps are taken? | How is the suitability of the education provided to the child assessed? (Please describe) | Is the local authority clear about what the definition of a 'suitable education' is? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | Does the local authority have systems in place to track the educational progress of home educated children? | Please use this space to add further detail to the answer you have just given | Of the home educated children in your area of whom you have knowledge, what proportion (as a percentage) in your estimation is receiving a suitable, full time (20hrs a week) education? (Please describe) | Does the local authority take any further steps if a home educated child's education was found to be unsuitable or not full time? | Please use this space to add further detail to the answer you have just given | Does the local authority face any challenges in assessing whether home educated children receive a suitable education? | If you answered yes to Q49, please describe the challenges and what you think could be done to overcome these | Thinking about your local area, in the last five years, how many cases have you come across that use the premise of home education as a 'cover' for child abuse, forced marriage or other aspects of child neglect? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given. Please include the number of Serious Case Reviews you know about that have a home education element. | Do you think the current system for safeguarding children who are educated at home is adequate? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | Do you think that home educated children in your local authority are able to achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes? Please say why you think that for each of the five outcomes | Do you think there should be any changes made to the current system for supporting home educating families? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | Do you think there should be any changes made to the current system for monitoring home educating families and ensuring that home educated children are able to achieve the five outcomes? | Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given | Has the Director of Children's Services and the Lead Member for Children and Young People seen and agreed with the answers you have given above? |
| Inclusions Services EWS Advisory SEN Admissions | Advisory Service EWS SEN Admissions | Advisory Service EWS SEN | Termly meetings to review process/procedure and cases. All are part of a strategy with linked roles and clear process routes | 51 | All kown EHE children are registered | 86 | All kown EHE children are registered | 137 | All kown EHE children are registered | Estimate | String Table Error | String Table Error | Referrals from Schools, EWS, other agencies. Data feeds from CME, S2S, Schools SIMS, PCT, child Index, EMS | Don't know | EMS/CME data feed each week | 5.1% accurate from our register | 94.9% accurate from our register | 6.6% accurate from our register | 2.2% accurate from our register | Any other mixed background Any other white background | We think we know about the vast majority of home educated children in the area | yes | We hope that Contact point will help; however unless ALL parents/carers are required to inform the LA, and Independent schools are required to share their data we will still have significant gaps | Policy available to all Leaflets provided for all enquirers Notification routes are clear for schools to signpost parents Web site | Admissions team provides info and signposts EWS undertakes an initial visit when a notification of intent to EHE is received Advisory Service consultant visit | See Q29 | Yes | Once a year | Frequecy of visits are agreed at the first consultants visit. More frequent visits are made if a concern is raised re the education being provided | Usually, but not always | Often parents are not present or seen when parents resent the LA visit and or EHE is not felt to be a suitable option | In the home | If parents erquest visits outside the home, this is facilitated | Yes | The consultant will inform the strategy meeting and/or inform the EWS if there is a concern. Checks will be made on the Chold Index and other agencies asked for their opinions/knowledge/concerns | THe consultant uses a report template that explores opportunities for learning; child's response and standards achieved; child's interests and social dvelopment; involvement of parents in monitoring progress; amterials and resources used | no | The guidance from the DCSF is ambiguous and does not provide a framework | Yes | using the report template (see Q41 for detail) on at least an annual basis | This is difficult to measure as the DCSF guidance does not lend itself to the LA being able to gather this info | Yes | 1)parents/carers are given timescales to demonstrate improvement 2) alternative options are explored with parents/carers/child/consultant/EWS 3) parents/carers/child are supported into alternative option - usually mainstream school 4) implimentaion of school Attendance Order if parents/carers fail to co-operate | Yes | 1) ALL EHE children should be required to regoister 2) ALL EHE children/parents/carers should be required to meet with the consultant (remove the option of providing a report) 3) parents/ LA's should have clear guidleines from the DCSF on required standards 4) opinions of child should be complusory | unable to produce this figure. There are small numbers of chi;ldren where the envirnment to receive educationa dn remain in 24 hours a day is unsuitable; where there is evidence of emotional harm; where we have had concerns that children at risk of abuse are unable to be monitored; where consultants have received disclosures | I have no information that would support the statement that EHE has been used as a 'cover' for abuse. | No | 1) As parents/carers are not required to inform the LA of EHE children 'drop out' of the system of protection and some may not be known to any agencies 2) The LA have no rights or power to see children at all 3) rights of the parents are greater than the child's in meeting need | Where parents/carers are committed to their child's education abd it is the right option for them all the outcomes can be met. In cases where EHE is sued to avoid attendance intervention or avoid other inadequacies all 5 outcomes might be affected. Be Healthy - children at risk are not monitored; unhealthy envornments affect both physical and emotional wellbeing; Stay Safe procdeures are not robust and abuse vcan be undected. Enjoy and Achieve - there is no mechanism to assess if ALL children are enjoying EHE; social and academic achievement is unable to be measured. Economic wellbeing - post 16 options may be impeded; Make a positive contribution - children in isolation are unable to do this | Yes | 1) ALL parents/carers required to register for EHE 2) Clearer guidelines and responsilities fro LA and parents/carers 3) ALL parents/carers considering EHE required to meet with a professional to explore if this is the correct option available and to be clear about their roles/reponsibilites 4)ALL children to be seen and their opinions sought 5) greater responsibility on parents to ensure that the provision they can provide is suitable 6) Clear achievemnt requiremets 7) I do not believe that funding from the lA should be directed to EHE families at the detriment to schools | Yes | 1) All parents/carers required to register 2) All EHE children have contact with consultant/advisor 3) remove option of report 4) clearere guidance etc 5) higher expectation of stardards achieved 6) quicker outcomes other than School Attendance Order where a return to school is best 7) greater responsibility on schools not to encourage EHE as opposed to exclusion etc 8) all children not to be removed from a school register until EHE has been approved | DCS |