There is an interesting thread on the HE-UK list at the moment. It was started by a mother who is angry that her 15 year old son is not entitled to a free place at an FE college, but will instead have to pay £3000 in tuition fees. On the face of it, this seems outrageous. But is it really?
One of the best things about home educating for me has been the complete freedom which it meant for us. If one does not want to take GCSEs, that's fine. If one does wish to do so, then there is none of that nonsense of choosing "options" at the age of fourteen; a process which all too often seems to compel children to study things in which they have no interest at all. If, as we did, you prefer to do International GCSEs, rather than GCSEs, then that is OK as well. It's great!
There is a downside to this glorious freedom; it is accompanied by complete responsibility for the child's education, including of course financial responsibility. In my case, this meant paying £120 for each examination taken. Had I wanted to send my daughter to college at fourteen or fifteen, then I suppose that I too would have been obliged to pay £3000 for the privilege. This is irritating, but quite fair. After all, if rather than teaching her myself at that age, I wanted to send her to an educational institution, then there are several free establishments in the town to choose from. They are called schools.
There is free educational provision for every child in this country up to the age of 18. A child can take GCSE's for nothing and then go on to do A levels at college if that is what is required. All completely free. If we choose not to take advantage of this provision, but instead wish to pay for an independent school or do the job ourselves, then we are at liberty to do so. What we cannot reasonably expect is for the state run educational system to bend over backwards to adapt itself to our wishes. Why should it? After all the whole structure is geared towards children attending school until 16 and then going on to college or sixth form. It would be rather as though we rejected the NHS in favour of treating our own illness, but then insisted on jumping the queue to see a specialist when something tricky cropped up. Those who had stayed in the system would get a bit tetchy about it! If we want to use the state's educational system, then that is fine; it is there for the taking as long as we follow the rules. If, on the other hand, we want to do the job ourselves, that is also fine. We can't really expect to nip in as and when though and expect preferential treatment for bits that we quite fancy the look of.
I shall be posting a piece in the next few days specifically about GCSEs and the possibility of the DCSF giving home educated children access to them. In the meantime, I will remark that I have the distinct feeling that FE colleges and also perhaps the OU are beginning to get a little tired of home educating parents and their children! It strikes me that more and more colleges are sticking to the rules and that there have been signs that the OU too seems to be making life a little more tricky for home educators. Whether this is due to pressure from the DCSF or local authorities, I don't know, but there seem more stories lately from parents who are finding these institutions less accommodating than has been the case in the past.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hmm, I am fence-sitting as usual. It seems obvious that for any commodity, someone has to pay, and under the present system since the money that would have been attached to a child were he to have been in school disappears when the parents HE, a state school can't be expected to provide free exam access for those not on the roll. The system could change a la Badman - indeed if we do face big changes in legislation it would be good if that bit was included too, since doubtless LAs would be happier with exams as a measurable outcome. I do think though that it could be easier for home educated pupils to take exams, and whilst it is obvious that private tutorial colleges are going to charge enough to make a profit, there seems no reason why more state schools couldn't do it at cost or near cost, £25 is much more likely to be achievable than £120 for many parents. I don't think that is a case of the "state run education system beding over backwards" just a bit of jiggling. However I do have to qualify this with the recognition that "some' home ed parents are tricky characters to deal with- as someone who has been the link person between an independent school and parents for entries this year, I can only despair at how difficult some parents have been to deal with- the only consolation is that I have managed to absorb all the flak - I am sure the centre would be already closed to us if the school had to deal with any of it directly. To balance things though....many parents were lovely - and I have the bottles of wine to prove it!!
ReplyDeleteI can understand the frustration though of parents who see their deserving shildren rejected on financial grounds from things like college placements only to see the excluded get them free as some sort of reward; but as you say, since the route for funding is through schools, if we remove our children from schools we automatically get the negative consequences as well as the positive; and if we campaign to be treated equally with school children - then if we get what we ask, we may be saying yes to more parity in ways we don't want!! Part of Somerset already has a scheme where if the LA approve your education you can have funded exams - but do home educators really want that for all? That is great for those who want; likewise the much hated Bedford scheme...but few wnt that rolled out nationally, so they?
Julie, I think you must be a Liberal! You always seem to find the middle path and take everybody's point of view into account. Your mention of some home educating parents as being difficult for schools to deal with is very interesting. The real reason that so many schools and colleges won't allow private candidates is that experience of home educators is such a nightmare. (I know all about this, because I have been a very difficult and awkward customer myself like this about examinations). One difficulty is that this is a system which works smoothly if all the people involved understand it and entries are based on large numbers; a hundred for this subject, two hundred for that. When it involves having to explain to parents about higher and foundation tier and basic stuff like that, it quickly becomes expensive as far as time is concerned. Also, most home educating parents seem to want odd subjects that nobody else wants and also special conditions for their child. A number of school have opened themselves to private candidates and then stopped after they have actually had to deal with home educators in person!
ReplyDeleteJulie-The government does not mind taking our taxes which is our money! and where does the money that followed the child in a state school go when he does home education?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean home educated parents tricky? what because we will not do as we are told? its the other way rounds its the DCSF/Balls/Badman who are tricky and who go out of there way to upset home educators as does Hampshire County council who employ officers who do not tell the whole truth.
Simon if we independent as you claim then why does the government not f off?
You think your get a job with DCSF or Badman on his panel? What did you say to him when he come to your house did you show off your daughter to him? did Badman take a close look at her? did she perform for him? why do you suck up to uncle Badman? he looks very creepy to me!
I think it comes from having a large family - and always trying to take into account everyones point of view! I still think the exam system (ie ease of entry) could be made a lot easier though without too much compromise on the part of home educators and without too much expense for LAs.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of dealing with home educators though for exams is tricky - as you say; the system isn't exactly easy - it can be a lot for mnay parents to get their brain around- I find it difficult and I was a teacher! Take my new group at home ed group doing science - what exam board should we enter? My dd did mostly CIE exams - but no nearby centre.We could aim at Edexcel IGCSE sep sciences ...but th nearest current centre is £120 a go and some of these parents could never afford that. Then can all the young people actually cope with the work load? An easier option would be AQA science GCSE--- but then they have to deal with 3 practicals which need authenticating and 3 extra practical written tests - and the 6 exam papers are multichoice - so then that is 9 sep exams for I gcse - may be able to use a cheaper local centre but that is a lot of admin and turning up just for one measly GCSE...and so the dilemmas go on. That saga is replicated so many times for each student if they aim to take a full set of exams.
Then it all keeps changing - what is possible one year isn't the next. Our group did Edexcel GCSE maths, and there is a simple parallel Statistics qualification - but that is closed to private candidates..so to that it means doing AQA.
Home educators have got better I think about sharing info about all these things which means some knowledge is passed on, but I can see why some families ask the centres so many questions!
(PS - last comment was response to Simon further up the page)
ReplyDeleteAnon - the "pupil age weighted allowance" disappears if you aren't at a state school. It could be allocated - either to the family (I think the Canandian system has something like this) or to the LA - in fact Badman laments that it doesn't - but surely with any money comes conditions - ie they can't, for example, offer you money if you don't register because they won't know who you are! Most home educators don't want money because they know it comes with strings attached!
Best bet is to tell the LEA to F off. them you can get on with the real job of home education.
ReplyDeleteThe examination entry system for most schools is a well oiled machine. The same subjects each year, roughly the same numbers, the whole thing rolls along very smoothly. How different, how very different, is the situation when once you allow home educating parents to become involved! They want peculiar subjects like astronomy, they don't know the procedures, their children need more time during exams or a separate room because they are sensitive to noise or a keyboard because they have dysgraphia. As the head of an independent school put it to me, politely, "Home educating parents tend to be time consuming and very labour intensive". One cannot blame the staff of a state school for not wanting to put up with extra fuss of this sort; after all these are children whose parents don't even want to be involved with schools normally. Finding a school or college where home educated children can sit exams is very hard and this is why. Home educating parents are hard work and troublesome. I know, I am one of this troublesome breed! I wouldn't wish myself on my worst enemy, if you see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I realise that the above post does not really apply to you, because I gather that you make one entry for a group of kids. When individual parents approach schools though, it can be a real pain for them. A lot of parents are not able to choose between boards, do not know if they want Foundation or Higher Tier and a lot of basic stuff like that. I think that is why the schools charge so much extra.
ReplyDeletewhat did you say to Badman when you met him?come on dont be shy simon tell all of us?
ReplyDeleteTo Simon again - yes it is me that gets the stress...and it is stressful!! I have said I will do it for 2 more years...I am hoping that by then someone will have waved a magic wand and sorted it all out!
ReplyDeleteDon't you think though that all parents have become much more up front about "their rights" and generally more demanding of schools and teachers anyway...it is not just home educators?
To Mr Anon; It is all very well for you to tell the LA to go away if you are not wanting them to do anything for you - but I do know lots of home educators who would be willing to compromise (your) ideals to get what they want for their child - especially help with exam entries. I am not suggesting that everyone wants to do exams, or that some of those that do need outside help to sit them - we paid, just as Simon did. Yet for some parents money is in short supply and they can't do it alone if they have to pay some of the prices quoted.
ReplyDeleteYes You're right Julie, it isn't just home educating parents who are keen to assert themselves with schools these days. It isn't just schools, either. I think it is part of a wider trend. When I was younger, parents would not have dreamed of being pushy with the school. Then again, in those days doctors were treated as infalliable, God-like figures too. Times have changed and authority figures like teachers, doctors and politicians just don't command the respect they once did.
ReplyDeleteSimom that is because the teacher lost the respect by the underhand way there go about things and in some cases telling lies about children/parents those days have gone and your never bring them back! teachers dont care about the pupils only doning for the money and safe job! lets look at politicians shall we grabing all that money off of the tax payer duck pond being cleared moat cleaned!
ReplyDeleteJulie- but it has to be by choice and our choice is to tell them to f off. which they did!
ReplyDeleteIt's possible (probable) that the large number of HE'd kids needing special requirements during exams is because so many HE'd kids were removed from school because their SEN's were not being dealt with in school. (My dd's autism comes to mind.)
ReplyDeleteBTW 'sensitive to noise' is a common symptom of autism. I know that you are very sceptical of this dx, but it does exist, Simon.
We never required special assistance in exams but friends did. The schools/colleges don't seem to have any problem providing for them.
Also, our experience with local 6th forms and FE colleges is that they have been pleasantly surprised by their formally HE'd pupils. There seems to be good relationships and experiences in our area. Again, our experience has differed from yours.
Mrs Anon
I know all about autism(!)....however I am not sure that home ed children do need more "specisl measures" than school children - in fact wasn't there some stats recently on the BBC saying that 25% of children in schools now got extra time? The groups I have entered haven't has this amount of candidates needing that; but what does make the difference that for an internal candidate the school knows the need and it is all documented somewhere. For an external candidates, different boards have differing requirements about evidence and whether this needs pre approval or whether an existing report will be neough. Two local-ish centres to us will allow extra time (for extra cost) but not other requirements such as laptops, sep rooms or rest breaks- despite all these being in the ed psych reports. So it is not always easy, although personally we have had a smooth ride.
ReplyDeleteI also ought to add that in all the cases where I (on entering a group) have encountered problems it hasn't been with the candidates, whose behaviour has been impeccable - it is the parents. But in most cases I think it happens because the parents have got into a habit of fighting for their childrens rights over the years - often with unhelpful schools etc - and this spills over into aggressive behaviour with exam centres.
I'm not sceptical about autism Mrs. Anon! I also think that there is a higher proportion of special needs in home educated children. I had to make a nuisance of myself in order to get my own daughter to sit the IGCSEs, so I'm not criticising parents for doing it, only pointing out how it sometimes presents to the schools and colleges.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Julie about the kids being fine and the parents the ones who can be difficult. I know about this syndrome from two angles, firstly as a home educating parent and also because I used to be a chess parent. I think a lot of home educating parents do get into this mindset, of not standing any nonsense and being ready to confront authority. I certainly plead guilty to it. My wife tells me that I used to get a look on my face that she dreaded, which meant that I was going to argue with somebody about what my daughter could or couldn't do. She said it made days out very stressful. If I thought that Simone should be allowed in the deep end of the pool when she was three, I would argue with the lifeguard. Or if I had trouble getting her vaccinations from the GP instead of the school nurse, that sort of thing.
its not the parents who are difficult it is the LEA DCSF/Balls/ and unlce Badman who wrote that crap report.When Badman came to your house why did you not tell him to F off? and tell him to shorve his report where the sun does not shine!
ReplyDeletePS...Mr Anon, I don't think Simon had Mr Badman around for tea...he, like other home educators and groups of home educators that I know, arranged to meet him in his office to share their views on HE.
ReplyDeleteI think Simon mentioned elsewhere that his main aim was to show Badman that academic achievment and qualifications were achievable for home educators.
Yes, that's right Julie. I actually wanted to press for the right for home educators to have access to school facilities and in particular free examinations. I also wanted to demonstarte that home education was a practical proposition which could deliver results at least as good as those achievable at schools.
ReplyDeleteJulie- we have no idea what the trater simon said to uncle Badman or where he met.how come he got to met him but MANY other home educators and children where just ingnored by that cun! repeated efforts we made to met him and not a word form that shi! your a trater to home educators simon crawling round badman did your daughter perform for him.
ReplyDeleteWe wanted to tell him to f off! and shorve that crap report up his ?
and simon wanted to tell him to have home visits you told him that your a trater to home eudcators!
I don't think that bad language helps anyone here, Mr Anon. But I do know that other home educators did meet him too - including two I know personally who are extremely opposed to Badman on ideological grounds (although they would both be classed as highly structured home educators- went on holiday with one of their families this year - lots of Greek and latin done so it isn't that they would have conflicted with Mr Badman on the definition of a good education!!) And...I am sure that they wouldn't have supported home visits either....so Badman did get to meet some home educators other than Simon!!
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right about this Julie, Graham Badman met a number of other home educators and went to visit several HE groups; one in Kent for instance. Accounts of these meetings were posted on both the HE-UK and EO lists. There was nothing hole and corner about it, it was just what was happening for a few months around February to April. It is by no means impossible that Mr. Williams alienated Graham Badman by his wild and intemperate manner. I should not personally wish to find myself in the same room with this individual, not unless there was a panic button and a couple of sturdy men ready with nets and tranquiliser darts.
ReplyDeleteyou scared Simon thought you where a tough guy?thought you worked in the east end? maybe uncle Badman could hold your hand.People are upset with crazy Badman we never alienated him Badman did that all by himself with his you got into Badman bed. crap review! Badman started it with shi! review
ReplyDeleteJulie those friend of yours did a rubbish job if there did meet badman he took no notice of them,
where is Badman simon needs you to protect him
I totally agree with you, Simon. For me, a life of independent education means independent in every respect.
ReplyDelete