If you haven't already read it, please click HERE to see Part 1 of my read-through.
And HERE is the original report (all 67 pages!).
So, the Introduction starts on page 7 of the document. Paragraph 2 details that not much has changed since the recommendations of the previous inquiry and that there is indeed a "postcode lottery" - I said that myself in my submission.
The Committees Inquiry
"The inquiry sought not to debate the desirability of EHE, but rather to explore the extent to which current arrangements provide sufficient support for home-educated children to access efficient, full-time and suitable education, and to establish what further measures may be necessary in order to facilitate this."
Except, of course, it is obvious to all who read this, that the "desirability of EHE" for the ESC is that all HE kids get put into schools.
"We held oral evidence sessions in November 2020 and March 2021"
But did not hear from any home educators during this time, and only heard from a single HE organisation (Education Otherwise) and conveniently twisted their words, so much so that the EHE Alliance (a group of HE organisations and academics all working together for the same goal) had to put out a letter complaining about the behaviour of some during the hearing )this can be found HERE).
"6. The State should not view those who make the perfectly legitimate choice to home educate with automatic suspicion, nor should it put unreasonable barriers in their way. However, as a society we must seek to balance the right of families to make the best choices for themselves with the responsibility to promote good outcomes for all children and young people, whether or not they go to school. It is not unreasonable to seek some reassurance about the suitability of the education received by children who are electively home-educated."
This sounds all fine and dandy, I mean who in their right minds would complain about this paragraph? Well, me for one. Not that I have an issue with what it says, rather than what it doesn't say (though that may be in the document later on. This is my 'live' read-through, so it's perfectly possible I haven't got there yet).
LAs already have the power to check up on families who have deregistered their child from school, and for these children, they already receive annual updates: sometimes over the phone (or online this past year), sometimes in person and sometimes a written report. For children for whom there is evidence to suggest they are not receiving a suitable education, the LA already has powers to get further information and if they are not satisfied, they can issue a s437 and ultimately a School Attendance Order forcing that child into school.
"7. The Committee’s primary concerns centre on those children who are currently missing education. Indeed, our understanding is that children receiving an efficient, fulltime and suitable education at home would not fall under the Department’s definition of that category."
So basically, the government are getting battered because they cannot keep children in school, nor keep tabs on the children who are registered at school but not attending. Therefore, the obvious conclusion is to have a go at EHE children, drumming up more paperwork and therefore possibilities for people to slip through the net, rather than tackling schools with what is their issue.
Yes, makes total sense... <hugely sarcastic tone and eye roll>
The legal framework for EHE in England
"8. Parents in England have a legal duty to secure the education of their compulsory school age children “either by regular attendance at school or otherwise”. Those who choose to home educate are responsible for ensuring that the education provided is efficient, full-time and suitable to the child’s age, ability, aptitude and any Special Educational Needs. (SEN)"
And those who choose to school educate are responsible for ensuring that the education provided is efficient, full-time and suitable to the child’s age, ability, aptitude and any Special Educational Needs (SEN). Why isn't that bit mentioned???
"According to Government guidance, parents are not required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, follow the National Curriculum, or aim for children to acquire specific qualifications."
And (last time I checked), private schools are not required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, follow the National Curriculum, or aim for children to acquire specific qualifications, yet many people aspire to or do send their children to private schools.
"As of 2016, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that there were around nine million working aged adults in England with low literacy skills, numeracy skills, or both."
I would bet my bottom dollar that, of these, around nine million of them went to school.
"10. When the Department’s guidance is next revisited, it must indicate what level of numeracy and literacy is sufficient, in its view, to enable an adult who received EHE as a child to “function as an independent citizen in the UK."
So, there will be a minimum level of numeracy and literacy imposed on EHE kids, but not one for schooled children? Who can school-parents complain to when their child is unable to read or do basic maths, whether or not the child has SEND?
"11. Guidance for local authorities specifies that approaches such as autonomous and self-directed learning should be “judged by outcomes, not on the basis that a different way of educating children must be wrong.”
Would the ESC care to explain to me how a child can be monitored yearly and how a child can be "judged by outcomes" (which in England would be at age 18)? These are contradictory, and we know that the better scenario ("judged by outcomes") will be pushed aside by those proclaiming that children must be monitored annually.
Paragraph 11 also goes on about Fundamental British Values and how HE parents take financial responsibility.
"14. Compared with our European neighbours, the English model is relatively permissive. A 2018 survey of systems participating in the Eurydice network found that “home education at the request of families is possible in a majority of educational systems.” However, in a dozen countries—including Germany—“it is possible only in exceptional circumstances” and “in many cases, parents have to ask for authorisation from top level or local authorities.” Furthermore, students’ progress was “monitored and assessed everywhere except in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom”."
I don't see the point of this paragraph, since we're in England and we've been forced to leave the EU. Wasn't part of our sovereignty meant to be that we don't have to be forced to follow EU rules and whatnot? Unless, of course, the government wants to limit home education? Surely that's not the case? <more sarcasm>
Why do parents choose to home educate?
"18. Submissions from home educating parents and the organisations that support them told us that EHE could deliver a more personalised, individual education which moved at the pace of the child. We heard from parents who had observed huge improvements in their children’s mental health after being removed from schools where they were not kept safe from bullying, and from those who relished the opportunity to spend time together as a family, providing their children with a wealth of experiences outside the relatively narrow school curriculum."
Of course there are only 400-odd submissions that have been published of the 900+ this report has stated to have received. But anyway, this was a good paragraph, so to maintain the appearance of being balanced, I thought it best to include it here.
"19. The Committee unanimously supports the right of families to opt for EHE, provided it is in the best interests of the child and the education provided is of a suitable standard to meet the needs of the child. In the eyes of the law, the duty to secure an education for a child rests with parents. It follows that the choice to home educate should be afforded the same respect as the choice for children to attend a state or private school. However, without data on outcomes we cannot know how many children receiving EHE are getting a suitable education. For that reason, it is reasonable that local authorities have the ability to assess the suitability of education"
"20. The next iteration of the Government’s guidance for local authorities and parents must set out a clearer vision for a ‘suitable’ education - including the levels of numeracy and literacy which it would usually expect students to have achieved before they move on to later education, training or employment. This vision should take into account the different paths that children with SEND might take."
This paragraph must be super way* important for it to be italicised AND bolded!
* I've just read a series, starting Ugly Girl by Mary E Twomey, and the protagonist is always saying 'super way' instead of another descriptor.
Again, because of the different routes through home education for ALL children (whether they have SEND or otherwise), specifying levels of attainment in numeracy and literacy on an annual level does not make sense. And if there are sanctions for parents whose children do not achieve these attainment levels (because of course, a stick is what is needed for parents who are often already down to a single income and are financially responsible for everything), can these sanctions be given to schools who have children who fail to meet these levels?
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