Concerns about suitability of Elective Home Education provision

The request was successful.

Dear Breda Connolly,

Please find attached the text of a FOI request I made to Hackney Council in the mistaken belief that they were responsible for the provision of education in the Hackney Area. I have been informed that they are no longer responsible, and that requests for information must be directed to you at 'The Learning Trust'.

Yours sincerely,

L Thorn

<<Dear Sir or Madam,

I read that you had 38 children registered as Electively Home
Educated in 2007. This request concerns children currently
registered as receiving EHE in Hackney - for the purposes of this
FOI request , these children are either de-registered from a school
or have never been registered with a school. Please could you
therefore state how many children are now registered as receiving
EHE in Hackney and of those children:

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,

Louise Thorn>>

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 The Learning Trust's handling of my FOI request 'Concerns about suitability of Elective Home Education provision' on the grounds that a response is overdue.

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

Yours faithfully,

L Thorn

Breda Connolly,

1 Attachment

Good morning Ms Thorn,

Please see below response to your FOI request which I sent to Tania
Berlow to upload on the 6 August 2009.

You will note that this response was well within the deadline of 30
August 2008 and was actually provided immediately.

You can see clearly from Tania's email below that she has uploaded the
response.

Please confirm by sending me an email that you will again upload this on
the website.

Regards

Breda

Breda Connolly
Trainee Solicitor

(T) 0208 820 7054 The Learning Trust
(F) 0208 820 7234 1 Reading Lane
Email: [1]mailto:[email address] London, E8 1GQ

From: L Thorn <[FOI #16042 email]>

Sent: 08 September 2009 21:19

To: Geoff Carter <[email address]>

Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Concerns
about suitability of Elective Home Education provision

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 The Learning Trust's

handling of my FOI request 'Concerns about suitability of Elective

Home Education provision' on the grounds that a response is

overdue.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is

available on the Internet at this address:

[2]http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...

Yours faithfully,

L Thorn

From: tania berlow [mailto:[email address]]
Sent: 06 August 2009 16:08
To: Breda Connolly
Subject: RE: FOI response 204 - Louise Thorn- please upload

Uploaded Breda.

that is a really high percentage 11 out of 54 kids= 20%

I will now ask on my lists what the experience has been for families who
are following child led autonomous education - which may appear to lacjk a
structure but is indeed a valid philosophy of education.

blessings Tania

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Show your support please sign our petition on Home Education

[3]http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EHErevi...

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The Learning Trust is a company limited by guarantee number 4424743
registered in England and Wales. The registered office is The Technology
and Learning Centre, 1 Reading Lane, Hackney, London E8 1GQ. This message
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References

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Dear Breda Connolly,

I do not understand what you are trying to tell me has occurred. I asked The Learning Trust for some information, and it has not been provided to me. I am not Tania Berlow.

Yours sincerely,

Louise Thorn

Breda Connolly,

Ms thorn,

Your original request did not provide a clear web address to respond (one of the requirements of a FOI request is to provide a clear email address). Tania Berlow who contacted my from "what do they know" had a number of queries. I spoke to her and told her that I have trouble putting responses on the website. She said that she would upload on to your website. I have just looked up the website and note that my response was indeed up loaded on the 6 August 2009.

I have copied the response below in this email.

Regards
Breda

From: [email address]
To: [email address]
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 15:51:19 +0100
Subject: FOI response 204 - Louise Thorn- please upload

Your ref:

Our ref: FOI 204

Direct Dial: 020 8820 7382

Fax No: 020 8820 7234

E-mail: [email address]


06 August 2009


Email to:



Dear Ms Thorn


Freedom of Information Request – Suitability of Elective Home Education Provision

Thank you for your email, which was passed to me by London Borough of Hackney. I acknowledge receipt of your request for information. I should firstly point out that The Learning Trust is not a “public authority” under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”).

The Learning Trust is a private company limited by guarantee which carries out the majority of the functions of Hackney Council as a Local Education Authority under a Contract entered into pursuant to a Direction of the Secretary of State dated 31st July 2002.

The Learning Trust was incorporated in May 2002 for the sole purpose of carrying out the functions transferred pursuant to that Direction from 1st August 2002. There is a power under Section 5 of the Act for the Secretary of State to designate a company such as The Learning Trust as a public authority but to date that power has not been exercised in respect of The Learning Trust.

Consequently, The Learning Trust is not bound by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. However as a body exercising public functions The Learning Trust is committed to doing so openly and transparently. The Learning Trust has developed a policy which, so far as its constitution allows, complies with the provisions of the Act.

With regard to your request for information, please see below questions and answers in blue.

They are 45 families in the London Borough of Hackney who are registered as receiving elective home education. The total number of children are 57 of which 35 are of secondary age and 22 of primary age.

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?
11 pupils where concern exists about whether education is satisfactory to child's age ability and aptitude

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?
5 pupils where it appears at present that no education is taking place / no details of education provided by parents.

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'?
We do not collect information under such a heading - judgements are not made on whether a child is learning 'enough', but whether the education provision is suitable to the child's age, ability and aptitude.

3. whether there are concerns because the family have not implemented a structured approached?
6 pupils where there is concern that there is limited structured approach.

4.or whether the fact that the national Curriculum is not being followed is causing concern?
We cannot measure whether the national curriculum is being followed as DCSF guidance states that parents do not need to follow the NC (see section 3.13, pp 10 of guidance - 'Elective Home Education / providing a full time curriculum) - we consider age, ability and aptitude.

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?
There are no current cases where further steps e.g. SAOs are being taken.

D)Please also indicate if any Education Supervision Orders are currently in court for this population.?
There are no ESOs in place (or planned) for any of this pupil 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?
we have referred one family to Social care as we had no response / contact and no information as to the wellbeing / whereabouts of the children. The children were seen following Social care intervention.

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)
Social Care would refer any child who is not receiving education, or without a school place to the Learning Trust. It would be unlikely that Social care had involvement with a family electing to educate at home that was not referred to the Learning Trust, for either information or action.

Yours sincerely,

Breda Connolly
Trainee Solicitor

(T) 0208 820 7054
(F) 0208 820 7234
Email: mailto:[email address]
The Learning Trust
1 Reading Lane London, E8 1GQ

Breda Connolly
Trainee Solicitor
 

(T) 0208 820 7054
(F) 0208 820 7234
Email:  mailto:[email address]
The Learning Trust
1 Reading Lane London, E8 1GQ
 

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Dear Breda Connolly,

thank you for providing this information to me.

Yours sincerely,

L Thorn

Breda Connolly,

I am out of the office from 17 - 21 September. If the matter is urgent, please contact Marcia Van-Loo on 0208 820 7111 or Tom Brooke on 0208820 7114 in my absence.

I will respond to your email on my return .

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