Nottingham City

A page for information, news and comment in Nottingham City 

 

contents:

EHE Consultation Comments: News:

 

related links:

Meeting the LA Education Department

Guidance on improving LEAs

 

EHE Consultation

 

In response to a FOI request, the following information has been received:

 

NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

 

SANDFIELD CENTRE

SANDFIELD ROAD

LENTON

NOTTINGHAM

NG7 1QH

 

Local authority

 

1 Do you agree that it is helpful for the DfES to issue guidelines to local authorities?

 

Yes

 

Comments:

 

 

However the guidelines appear to offer, at times, ambiguous information that opens up wide interpretation regarding the definitions of the terms, ‘reasonable’, ‘suitable’, and ‘efficient’ education.  The lack of narrow definition of these terms may, potentially, enable an inappropriate, poor quality curriculum offer to be delivered to a child.

 

 

‘Parents are not legally required to give the local authority access to their home. Parents may choose to meet a local authority representative at a mutually convenient location or choose not to meet at all. If they choose not to meet they will need to provide evidence that they are providing an efficient and suitable education’ (para 3.7, p.9). This contradicts with the following statement in paragraph 2.8, page 6 which in regard to the local authority raising concerns on whether home-educated children are receiving a suitable education states, ‘The most obvious course of action if such a concern were raised would be to ask parents for information about the education they are providing…parents are under no duty to comply’

 

 

2 Do you agree that the description of the law (paragraphs 2.1-2.3) relating to elective home education is accurate and clear?

 

No

 

 

Comments:

 

 

As in No.1 we would welcome narrow definitions of the terms ‘reasonable’, ‘suitable’, ‘efficient’.

 

 

3 Do you agree that the description of local authorities’ responsibilities (paragraphs 2.5-2.11) is accurate and helpful?

 

No

 

 

Comments:

 

 

‘Parents are not legally required to give the local authority access to their home. Parents may choose to meet a local authority representative at a mutually convenient location or choose not to meet at all. If they choose not to meet they will need to provide evidence that they are providing an efficient and suitable education’ (para 3.7, p.9). This contradicts with the following statement in paragraph 2.8, page 6 which in regard to the local authority raising concerns on whether home-educated children are receiving a suitable education states, ‘The most obvious course of action if such a concern were raised would be to ask parents for information about the education they are providing…parents are under no duty to comply’.

 

4 Do you agree that the section on contact with the local authority (paragraphs 3.4-3.7) is accurate and helpful?

 

No

 

 

Comments:

 

 

The proposed guidelines do not strengthen the work of local authorities in attempting to support the right of every child to receive an adequate education. Problems still persist in meeting parents wishing to home-educate, gaining access to observe the quality of delivery and  view evidence of actual learning in some EHE cases

 

The  proposed guidelines do not make it a legal obligation of each parent electing to home-educate their child to;

 

·        Meet with the EHE service and establish a working partnership that ensures appropriate support for their child in receiving an adequate home education

 

·         Give entry to an EHE Advisor and enable a judgement to be made regarding the adequacy of the education offered

 

·         Provide evidence regarding the education of their child

 

 

 

‘Parents are not legally required to give the local authority access to their home. Parents may choose to meet a local authority representative at a mutually convenient location or choose not to meet at all. If they choose not to meet they will need to provide evidence that they are providing an efficient and suitable education’ (para 3.7, p.9). This contradicts with the following statement in paragraph 2.8, page 6 which in regard to the local authority raising concerns on whether home-educated children are receiving a suitable education states, ‘The most obvious course of action if such a concern were raised would be to ask parents for information about the education they are providing…parents are under no duty to comply’.

 

5 Do you agree that the section on providing a full-time education (paragraphs 3.11-3.14) – and in particular, the characteristics of provision (paragraph 3.13) – is accurate and helpful?

 

No

 

Comments:

 

 

Nottingham City Council welcomes the opportunities parents have under this set of guidelines to deliver a diverse and flexible range of learning opportunities within home education.

 

The City Council challenges the proposed guidance with regard to the lack of legal obligation placed on parents to;

 

·         Meet with the EHE service and establish a working partnership that ensures appropriate support for their child in receiving an adequate home education

 

·         Give entry to an EHE Advisor and enable a judgement to be made regarding the adequacy of the education offered

 

·         Provide evidence regarding the education of their child

 

 

 

In 2006-07 there have been, thus far, a number of unsatisfactory outcomes for children educated at home. These include;

 

• Twenty three visits recorded unsatisfactory provision in 2006-07.

   

• The cases of 17 children have been referred to EWS as a result of continued unsatisfactory judgements at observation.

   

• The delivery to 11 children has not been able to be observed as EHE Advisors have been refused entry. Of this 11, the curriculum offer and actual work of 7 children have been evidenced.

   

 

 

 

6 Do you agree that the section on developing relationships (section 4) is useful?

 

No

 

Comments:

 

 

The procedures and practises regarding EHE are reviewed on a regular basis. The City Council has a monitoring process that continuously reviews the standard of home education children are receiving. Emphasis is placed on developing a working relationship with each parent to ensure each child receives an adequate education.

 

However problems still persist in meeting parents who wish to home-educate, gaining access to observe the quality of delivery and view evidence of actual learning in some EHE cases.

 

7 a) Are the suggested resources in section 5 and appendix 2 useful?

 

Yes

 

7 b) Should any other contacts be included?

 

Comments:

 

 

The proposed guidelines do not strengthen the work of local authorities in attempting to support the right of every child to receive an adequate education.

 

8 Please use this space for any other comments you wish to make about the guidelines

 

 

Comments:

 

 

The proposed guidelines are contradictory to the RESPECT and safeguarding agendas. The proposed guidelines place children at risk by inhibiting the responsibilities of the Local Authority to fully track children missing from education.

 

 

 

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