Page 66 - SEN116 January-February 2022

66
What does this mean practically?
Aside from concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic, there are also other reasons why a parent may consider educating a child at home, such as:
1. Religious or cultural beliefs
2. Ideological or philosophical views
3. Dissatisfaction with the school system
4. SEN not being met within the school system
5. Health reasons, particularly mental health
6. A child’s unwillingness or inability to go to school 7. Distance to a local school
8. Bullying
9. As a short-term intervention for a particular reason.
Some of these reasons may provide a stronger basis than others and you should always consider other steps you could take before you commit to home education, so try to speak with the current school (or the LA if the school is not accommodating), to see if there are other ways around your concerns, or alternative schools that you can consider. You should also consider whether you have the time, resources and ability to teach your child properly at home and also look long term.
Contrary to popular belief, home education does not require a timetable, set hours, days or terms and will always depend on the facts of each case - although parents should at least be able to quantify and demonstrate the amount of time for which a child or young person has been educated. It is also a common myth that you require specific qualifications, must teach the National Curriculum through formal lessons, or provide a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum and try to reproduce school-type peer group socialisation.
“Should now be a mandatory register of electively home educated children”
Education must be delivered in circumstances which do not make it difficult to work (a common view is that you cannot work in very noisy premises) and should not lead to excessive isolation from peers and therefore impede social development. If you can show that you are doing these things, you are more likely to be able to show that you are providing a suitable education otherwise than at school.
What does the future hold?
It has been argued that there should now be a mandatory register of electively home educated children, with a fully funded duty on the LA to visit the child or young person on a minimal annual basis to not only see if the education is suitable for them, but to also ensure that safeguarding issues are being considered properly.
Although this idea is welcomed by Ofsted, there are concerns from the home education community that have chosen to educate their children at home, who object to state interference in family matters. However, it is hoped that this will lead to a process whereby parents who are home educating their children will receive additional support, not only teaching resources, but financial support too from LAs.
■ Lessons at home.
SEN116
senmagazine.co.uk
SEN law