Saturday 21 November 2009

Oh, no, it's an eight hour interrogation!

Over on the HE-UK and EO lists there is much anxiety about the possibility of an eight hour visit from the local authority. This is because when the DCSF were working out the costings, they allowed for eight hours of time spent on a visit. They have to do it this way, so that they can work out the total cost of the enterprise. So some time will be spent in preparing for the visit and travelling there and back. More time will be spent by administrative staff in setting up the meeting and working out which lucky parent's turn it is to be so favoured. Writing up the notes from the visit and turning them into a professional looking report will take time. So will filing the report and forwarding annual returns to the DCSF. For example when we had visits, the woman had to travel from Colchester to the edge of London. She allowed two hour travel time just to start off with.

I am astounded that anybody could possibly imagine that a local authority officer would be arriving at the house at nine in the morning and setting up shop until five in the afternoon! I was always enthusiastic about talking about my daughter's education, but even I would have found conversation flagging after the first hour or two.

Actually, the notes which talk about this 1X8 hours business look as though they have been put together by some complete bloody fools. For instance they say;

"LAs tell us that home educators who avoid interaction with the local authority tend to be providing inferior education"

Now how on earth could the local authority know this if they were not having any contact with a family? More research needed there, I fancy. Similarly, they repeat this lame allegation;

"We do know, however, that post compulsory education, home educated young people are 4 times more likely not to be in education, employment or training than other young people."

All that this means is that the young people who have been home educated are not registered at a college or sixth form, nor are they working or in training. Their home education is probably just continuing between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, but as far as the local authority is concerned, that makes them a NEET!

7 comments:

  1. For once - and I've never said this before and might not ever again! - you are talking sense. Thanks for this.

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  2. 8 hours though does conjure some wonderful images, doesn't it? Since I know several families who are home educating 8 plus children it does suggest that the LA might want to move in for a bit.....

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  3. Make that two - another anonymous agrees with you on this (a thread for you to treasure).

    We have only ever met our LA "inspector" on LA territory and even then their attention fails after an hour and we are shooed out of the office. A barrage of information, difficult questions and a few complaints are usually sufficient to leave them drained.

    Now of course, this may get worse, but if LAs build fat into their costings in the same way that other state bodies/quangos do, then this will eat a lot leaving little for the "facing time".

    Even better if the Tories win the next election and slash LA budgets to the point where this kind of thing is on life support, LAs will have to learn to prioritise. In addition, the odd Ombudsman referral can also have have a painful impact.

    We should fight tooth and nail against the proposed legislation, but if anything is enacted, it will still be fought and there maybe loopholes that some parents might exploit.

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  4. I’ve decided as of today, I'm giving up on all other forums. The comment’s amaze me and I'm sorry the stupidity of some people make me wonder should they be Home educating, as a parent I’m slowly losing respect for some of these people and their exaggerations.
    How anybody could imagine an LEA sitting with a child for 8 hrs is beyond me you’re lucky if you can engage them for 2hrs while they fake interest in your children’s work.
    While I would have been happy without the recommendation it’s not been as bad as everyone’s has made out, for those who home educate all ready I honestly can’t see it will make much difference the only thing I can foresee as a problem is those that wish to home educate in the future.
    I think maybe it’s a good thing that the LEA’s get to them first rather than let them get there advice from forums?

    Which at times is downright awful and wrong.

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  5. I’ve decided as of today, I'm giving up on all other forums. The comment’s amaze me and I'm sorry the stupidity of some people make me wonder should they be Home educating, as a parent I’m slowly losing respect for some of these people and their exaggerations.
    How anybody could imagine an LEA sitting with a child for 8 hrs is beyond me you’re lucky if you can engage them for 2hrs while they fake interest in your children’s work.
    While I would have been happy without the recommendation it’s not been as bad as everyone’s has made out, for those who home educate all ready I honestly can’t see it will make much difference the only thing I can foresee as a problem is those that wish to home educate in the future. I think maybe it’s a good thing that the LEA’s get to them first rather than let them get there advice from forums? Which at time is downright awful and wrong.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Yes, the whole NEET thing is ridiculous. I hope you'll be writing to your MP about this.

    How nice to be able to agree with one of your posts!

    Mrs Anon

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