FOI 1629
Request:
1.
Please supply me with an electronic copy of the Local Authority's reply to the
Independent review of Home Education recently conducted by Graham Badman at
http://www.myopinion.org.uk/dcsf/homeeducation/index.cfm/
2.
Please also supply any official reply made to the open consultation that was hosted
at the DCSF's e-consultation site, and any emails that have been sent direct to the
[email address] email address available for wider
comments.
Response: 1.
This survey was completed on-line via the DCSF website which would not allow us
to print, save or copy the data as entered. However, we did record the information
in a separate document for our own records and it is this that we are sharing with
you.
DCSF INDPENDENT REVIEW OF HOME EDUCATION IN ENGLAND Jan ‘09
Q1
Name of LA
Suffolk County Council
Q2
Telephone Number of main contact
Q3
Email address of main contact
Q4
Would you be willing to take part in the next phase of the research in
February/March (including in-depth interviews with key personnel in
your organisation)?
Yes
Q5
Which team(s) have the main responsibility for supporting and
monitoring home educated children within the local authority and other
agencies?
Home Education Consultants
Q6
List all teams / professionals involved in supporting home educating
families
Home Education Consultants
Traveller Education Service
Social Care
CAMHS
Schools (flexi-schooling)
Connexions
Children & Young People’s Services (including EOTAS Co-ordinators and
SEN and Advisory teams)
Q7
List all teams / professionals involved in monitoring home educating
families.
Home Education Consultants
Traveller Education Service
Social Care
SEN teams
Home Education Consultants, although ‘monitoring’ requires regular access to
information and current guidelines and case law do not give Local Authorities
a right to this. See Paragraph 3.6 of 2007 Guidelines which refers to the
ruling in Phillips v Brown (1980) “If a local authority asks parents for
information they are under no duty to comply although it would be sensible for
them to do so.”
Q8
Describe how you ensure collaboration and communication between
these teams / individuals
Home Education Consultants liaise closely with colleagues and other
agencies and share information with them and between themselves.
There are strong links across the Suffolk Children and Young Peoples
Services and with Partner agencies.
Q9
How many children are currently home educated in your local authority
of primary age (Registered with LA)
See grid
Q10
How many children are currently home educated in your local authority
of primary age (Non-registered with LA)
Not known
Q11
How many children are currently home educated in your local authority
of secondary age (Registered with LA)
See grid
Q12
How many children are currently home educated in your local authority
of secondary age (Non-registered with LA)
Not known
Q13
Total (Registered with LA)
See grid
Q14
Total (Non-registered with LA)
Not known
Q15
Are these figures accurate or based on estimates?
Accurate in the case of registered cases
Q16
If accurate, where do you get this data from?
Parents
Schools
Education Attendance Service
Social Care
Connexions
Traveller Education Service
A & E
Members of the Public
Q17
If accurate, how do you know the data is accurate?
EMS One Records of Parents informing schools of intent to educate otherwise
than at school
Sharing of information
Data kept by and shared between Home Education Consultants
Q18
If estimated, what data have you used to arrive at this figure? (List all
sources)
Non applicable
Q19
How confident is the local authority in the accuracy of this data?
Very confident for data on parents who have informed the LA or who have
been identified by CYP services and partner agencies
Q20
How often does the local authority get updated data? (List frequency for
each source separately)
Ongoing. Information received by families choosing to home educate is
entered on EMS regularly, as is data received from other sources.
Q21
What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is
statemented for SEN? (please state whether accurate or estimate)
See grid
Q22
What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is
non-statemented for SEN (please state whether accurate or estimate)
See grid. Figures can only be an estimate as School Action and School
Action Plus are institutionalised measures and we have to rely on parental
views and professional judgement and, in some cases, we do not have the
opportunity to see the child.
Q23
What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is
from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage (please state whether accurate
or estimate)
See grid
Q24
What proportion (as a percentage) of your home educated population is
made up of other Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups
See grid
Q25
Please list which BME groups.
GRT
Dual heritage
Bangladeshi
Other white European
Q26
Do you believe the local authority knows about all the home educated
children in your area?
We probably do not know about a significant proportion of home educated
children in the area. While there is no legal requirement for parents/carers to
register that they are home educating this will remain the case.
Q27
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, Contact
Point, other system improvements?
No
Q28
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
Whilst we can continue to develop our own systems and ContactPoint may
bring some benefits, until there is a change in the law, requiring parents to
register with Local Authorities that they are home-educating their children and
giving Local Authorities the right to seek information regularly from such
families, the current situation will not change. ContactPoint will only be useful
in this context if it provides a list of school-age children who are not on roll at
any recognised educational institution.
Q29
How does the local authority ensure families know about their rights and
responsibilities in relation to home education? (List all approaches
used)
Home educating families who become known to Local Authorities are issued
with written guidance which is also available on the Suffolk County Council
Website and from area education offices.
Q30
What support does your local authority provide to home educating
families? (List all forms of support offered)
Home Education Consultants give advice on request either over the phone or
at meetings with parents. This includes advice on resources, curriculum,
public examinations, teaching and learning strategies and information
regarding SEN assessment and mental health assessment and the role of
Connexions. They lead Annual Review Meetings of Statements and signpost
other organisations which support home-educating families. They also offer
support through the work of CAF panels, Social Care meetings and liaison
with schools and advisory teams.
Q31
How does the local authority let families know about the services
provided to support them in home educating their children? (List all
approaches used)
Via the services of area offices and Home Education Consultants
Through the Councils Website
Through Schools and by direct contact with home education groups
Q32
Following the initial assessment visit, are further monitoring visits made
to a home educated child?
Yes
Q33
If yes, how often, on average, are these carried out?
Once a year
Q34
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
The frequency of visits depends on the extent to which we judge further
monitoring and support are needed. We are concerned that current legislation
and guidelines do not give Local Authority officers secure rights to visit, to see
the child or to monitor progress, either initially or during subsequent visits.
Parents who do not wish to co-operate in the monitoring process seem to
have case law to support them (Phillips v Brown 1980).
Q35
On average, how often is the child seen when a visit is made?
Usually, but not always
Q36
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
Some parents request that all communication be in writing, so the child is
never seen. Local and national EHE support groups provide advice to parents
on their rights and on the limited powers of the LA. Even with County Legal
Services involvement some families identified by the team appear to have
been supported to evade contact. This situation is not acceptable and requires
a change in the law.
Q37
If the child is seen, where is s/he usually seen?
In the home, occasionally at the request of less co-operative parents meetings
have taken place in area education offices and public libraries.
Q38
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
We remain concerned that current legislation does not ensure access to the
child at any point in some cases. This denies the child a voice. In some
cases where the Home Education Consultant sees a child, he or she is the
only outside agency with access to that child.
Q39
If you are not permitted access to a child, is any further action taken?
This depends on the circumstances.
Q40
If yes, what further steps are taken?
We have no right to insist on access to the child on the basis of an EHE
enquiry, Only if there are other safeguarding concerns can this be followed up.
Q41
How is the suitability of the education provided to the child assessed?
(Please describe)
Professional judgement of the Home Education Consultant, sometimes in
consultation with a wider team of professionals.
Q42
Is the local authority clear about what the definition of a 'suitable
education' is?
Yes
Q43
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
Yes, see paragraph 2.3 in the 2007 Guidelines. However, we do not feel that
DCSF Guidelines are robust enough to ensure that the objectives of ‘Every
Child Matters’ are achieved consistently for this group of children.
Q44
Does the local authority have systems in place to track the educational
progress of home educated children?
No
Q45
Please use this space to add further detail to the answer you have just
given
The Guidelines give us the right to enquire about the nature of the provision
only. Visits are not statutory unless Local Authorities have information to
suggest that provision does not exist.
Q46
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)
We are not in a position to judge as we work to the DCSF Guidelines. See
Paragraph 3.13, ‘There is currently no legal definition of “full-time”.’
Q47
Does the local authority take any further steps if a home educated
child's education was found to be unsuitable or not full time?
Yes
Q48
Please use this space to add further detail to the answer you have just
given
Further monitoring and support is put in place. In some cases referrals are
made to the Education Attendance Service with a view to serving a school
attendance notice.
Q49
Does the local authority face any challenges in assessing whether home
educated children receive a suitable education?
Yes
Q50
If you answered yes to Q49, please describe the challenges and what
you think could be done to overcome these
1. The unwillingness of some parents to respond to requests for initial
information about their provision.
2. The reluctance of some parents to provide information (eg annually)
after supplying initial information.
3. Not being able to see the child in some cases.
The law needs to be changed to allow Local Authorities to monitor adequately
the quality of education provided and to assess the welfare of each child. The
law appears to support families that wish to avoid contact with Local
Authorities. The latest review of guidance to Local Authorities weakened their
already limited powers (eg the expectation of annual monitoring was
removed).
Q51
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?
We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this directly in a follow-up to this
survey.
Q52
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.
See above. No Serious Case Reviews.
Q53
Do you think the current system for safeguarding children who are
educated at home is adequate?
No
Q54
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
Current legislation and case law do not give Local Authorities enough power
to fulfil their responsibilities in terms of ‘Every Child Matters’. Current law
appears to protect the right of parents to home educate rather than the rights
of the child to a broad and balanced education and to be protected from
neglect or abuse.
Q55
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
Current law and guidance do not allow Local Authorities to collect this level of
detail.
Q56
Do you think there should be any changes made to the current system
for supporting home educating families?
Yes
Q57
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
Change in the law is needed to guarantee the right of home-educated children
to receive a broad and balanced education for the 21st Century and to be
protected. In order to ensure this, Local Authorities need clear powers. In
some other European countries children’s rights to a minimum level of
education are more effectively enshrined through legislation.
Q58
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?
Yes
Q59
Please use this space to add detail to the answer you have just given
It would be in the interests of children if there were a clear definition of a
“suitable education” linked to ‘Every Child Matters’.
Grid in respect of Questions: 21, 23 and 24 above:
Northern Area Southern Area Western Area
Numbers
Numbers
Numbers
Total
Primary Pupils
39
37 (+ 3
43 (+2
potential new
potential
119
cases)
cases)
175
Secondary Pupils
76 (+ 6
44 (+ 1
55 (+1
potential new
potential new
potential new
cases)
case)
case)
Pupils with Statements 14
10
5
29 (9.9%)
(Accurate)
Pupils with SEN
18
18
8
44 (15%)
Travellers/Gypsies/Ro
12
9
7
28 (9.5%)
ma
Other BME
1
14
1
16 (5.4%)
2.
We have not issued any replies nor sent any e-mails.
