Elective Home Education- suitable education

Dear Sir or Madam,

I read that you currently have 33 children registered as Electively
Home Educated.
Therefore for the purposes of this FOI request , these children are
either de-registered from a school or have never been registered
with a school.

A) I would like to know of these children how many are there where
the visiting person has concerns that a 'suitable' education is
being provided?

B) I would also appreciate it if this information could be broken
down into categories:
1)whether they feel that no education is taking place?
2)whether they feel that the philosophy of education is inadequate
-for example in the case of autonomous or child led learning , that
particular child is not appearing to be learning 'enough'?
3)whether there are concerns because the family have not
implemented a structured approached?
4)or whether the fact that the national Curriculum is not being
followed is causing concern?

C)If there are children in the above 4 categories , please indicate
if further steps are being taken- for example , issuance of a
School Attendance Order?

D)Please also indicate if any any Education Supervision Orders are
currently in court for this population.?

E) Please can you confirm whether any children who fit into the
above categories of concern about 'educational provision
suitability' would also therefore be referred to Social Services?

F) Lastly is it possible in your Local Authority that Social
Services are involved with a family but that The EHE department do
not know of this involvement (This involvement would be on an
on-going basis rather than a one off referral which is found to be
of no genuine concern)

Yours faithfully,

Tania Berlow

Dear Egerton, Paula,

please can you clarify what is meant by 'unable to make contact
with'. Does this mean that
1) not enough time has passed for the process to be completed
2) There has been contact through a letter and a response has beeen
recieved from the family which indicates their educzational
philosophy and plan
3) in the above instance there are concerns about the plan
or 4) a family has sent in a plan but is not accepting an visit?
thank you

Yours sincerely,

Tania Berlow

Dear Egerton, Paula,

before i input any figures may I clarify if the 4 cases you have
been unable to make contact with refers to families where they are
refusing visits but have supplied information to the lA regarding
the philosophy and plan of education or whther these families
referred to have refused to communicate or respond thus far to any
enquiries? thank you

Yours sincerely,

Tania Berlow

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Salford City
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Elective Home Education-
suitable education'.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/el...

Yours faithfully,

Tania Berlow

Dear Egerton, Paula,
I am sorry but still needs clarification. I will put my questions
in capitals(I am.Please could you get a response ot this as soon as
posisble-its been 2 months)

1) No longer of compulsory school age, brought to the attention of
Locality teams because mum was requesting a return to mainstream
school. Difficulties arose as this was mid way through year 11. SO
SURELY THIS CHILD IS NOT A CURRENT CONCERN-

2) Attempts to make contact through home visits. Family have moved
with no forwarding address. Investigated through `remove no trace'
protocol (This Protocol ensures that every avenue has been
investigated to trace before passing on to the Children Missing
Education officer and recorded on the CME database). Entered on the
CME database. WERE THERE CONCERNS ABOUT THIS FAMILY PREVIOUS TO THE
MOVE WHICH WOULD EXPLAIN THE CONCERN NOW OR IS THIS A FAMILY WHO
SIMPLY HAVE MOVED HOUSE AND HAVE NOT INFORMED SALFORD?

3) Traveller family. Awaiting return to Local Authority. WAS THIS
FAMILY OF EDUCATIONAL CONCERN PREVIOUS TO TRAVELLING OUT OF THE
AREA?

4) Parent refusing to cooperate with services. Home visits made.
Access refused. Case being actioned through Child in Need meetings.
If non cooperation continues initial assessment will be
initiated.HAD THIS FAMILY SENT IN A STATEMENT AND PLAN OF EDUCATION
WHERE THERE WERE NO CONCERNS AND NO RPEVIOUS CONCERNS OR IS THE
CONCERN ONLY THAT THYE ARE REFUSING A VISIT?

Yours sincerely,

Tania Berlow

Dear Egerton, Paula,

sorry but this does not clarify what this LA means by 'make
contact'.
I have been told that Greater Manchester has a new policy regarding
visits and that a safeguarding policy is instituted if a parent
refuses a visit whether or not they had previously had submitted
letters and evidence or had even in the past had visits.
What I am trying to ascertain is whether these families had
submitted plans and intentions or whether these families simply
ignored ALL attempt at ALL forms of communication between
themselves and the LA.
It is a very important distinction.

Yours sincerely,

Tania Berlow

Dear Sir or Madam,

sorry but i must add that actually another important distinction is
whther 2 of these families who have moved or are travelling were of
concern previously.
After all would you like it idf you merely moved house and suddenly
became a 'concern' with remove to trace protocols enacted?
Currently families have no onus to inform an LA if they move house
any more than do families who send their children to school. If a
family were of concern previously then they are on the register as
a concern regardless of house move and shall be counted as thus.

Yours faithfully,

Tania Berlow

Dear Walsh, Terry,

clearly this is yet another LA which thinks that certain law
abiding sections of the population who happen to have made a lawful
and equal choice not to use your education services, must let them
know when they move house -this is in contradiction to current law
and guidelines .

Yours sincerely,

Tania Berlow