Friday 11 June 2010

The third spike

There have always been two very popular times to deregister children from school in order to educate them at home. The first of these is in Reception or Year 1, soon after the child has started formal education in fact. The other favoured time is before or shortly after the transition from primary to secondary school. Of course, children are taken out of school at any and every age, but these two periods in the child's school career are the commonest ages at which to make the decision. Local authority officers have in recent years been talking of a third 'spike', round about the age of fourteen, just when the child is, or should be, settling down to serious study for examinations. This was mentioned by the local authority officers who had an informal meeting with members of the Children, Schools and Families select committee on November 4th last year.

Now it is pretty easy to understand why Reception and Year 1 would be common ages for deregistration. The parents have sent the kid to school, given enough time to see if the enterprise is working out and when it is plain that it is not, they deregister her and she becomes home educated. Similarly, it is not hard to see the significance of the change from primary to secondary school. Many children find this a stressful and somewhat unpleasant experience and it is not hard to imagine that a sensitive child might find it unbearable. Some parents, anticipating this, just don't send their children to secondary school. This is also a time when many primary school who have just moved to Year 7 first make the acquaintance of that delightful old English tradition of bullying. So in both of these 'spikes' on the graph, one can see the reason behind them without too much difficulty.

Looking now at the third 'spike', matters are a little more puzzling. These children have usually been at school for almost a decade. Presumably, their parents are not that mad keen on the idea of home education or they would have been teaching them themselves before this age. School phobia usually manifests itself a little earlier than fourteen or fifteen. It is rare for children suddenly to develop special educational need at this late stage and there is no particular reason why bullying should suddenly become a problem. And yet there it is; an increasing number of parents are pulling their kids out of school at thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. What can be behind this?

If we assume that the motive is educational, then we are faced with a real poser. These children are now gearing up for their GCSEs; the next couple of years are pretty crucial for them. Their parents have not wanted to home educate for the last decade and yet suddenly, they are taken out of school. What educational benefit could the child be receiving from this? It's a tricky question.

If, on the other hand, we forget about education completely and just look at the dynamics in a typical family containing a child of around that age, the thing becomes a good deal easier to understand. Now I am sure that many parents are genuinely concerned about the stress that studying for ten or twelve GCSEs might cause their children. It is quite possible that their concern for an overworked child might cause them to take drastic action. There is of course also the natural friction between parents and teenagers about homework and school. This often reaches a crescendo a year or two after puberty, right at the time in fact that these deregistrations are actually taking place. It must sometimes appear to parents that if school were removed from the equation, family life would become a lot easier and there would be less conflict between them and their children. No more insisting on early bedtimes, no more shouting at the child to get her up in the mornings, no more fights over homework, arguments about truancy; the advantages are clear, at least in the short term. It is impossible to state with certainty what motivates parents to deregister their children from school at this age, but it seems likely that self interest and the avoidance of trouble with their children often play at least some part in the decision.

Of course, this may not be the whole story. There may very well be perfectly sound educational reasons for leaving a child in school for ten years or so and then pulling her out before she sits her final exams. It's hard to think of the educational benefit here, but it may exist. It is curious though that when parents who have taken this extremely serious step post on the lists, they seldom seem to be doing so because they wish to share the academic advantages of this course of action with other home educators. Almost invariably, their main concern appears to be avoiding trouble with their local authority. This is not conclusive, but it is certainly suggestive.

Quite a few local authority officers are now worried about this trend and I would be grateful to hear from anybody who can explain the educational rationale behind such a move as this. Clearly, at least some of these parents must feel that this sort of thing will help their child's education, but it is hard to see how.

20 comments:

  1. Well, I do have dealings with quite a few families in this situation (either because they contact us directly or because they are referred by the LA) so I can contribute to this discussion.

    First of all, although the action (ie withdrawal) typically happens in year 10, it is not a rash reponse to a sudden emergency. Most of these young people have had problems with school for a number of years. Some have had issues with being bullied and some are the bullies themselves. Most of the incidents on both sides are not considered major but the result has been that the parents concerned have often gone back and forth to school for a year or two either to complain about the incidents or because the school has called them up to complain about what their children have done. Many of the young people themselves have some sort of learning difficulty - possibly dyslexia or are somewhere on the autistic spectrum. They are the sort of child about whom it has either been said that are "bright but underachieving" (mostly boys), or in the case of girls are "very pleasant but find learning difficult".

    The series of incidents and the constant going back and forth to school has two effects on the families. The parents become more and more frustrated with their inability to solve the problems and the young people concerned become more difficult at home and school. Eventually somehow the family hears about home education and that is how they deregister. If the young person has already not been attending school, then they may have already had EWO involvement and typically it is the EWO who "suggests" home ed - probably to get this difficult family off their books; but if not,the parents may have found out about HE on the internet.

    This all may sound far from ideal, but it needn't be a route for disaster. Admittedly the "already persistent truant" category may be difficult to engage with anything, but most of the families are very keen to help their children achieve. Most of them identify what they want to be aiming at post 16 and work towards those goals. For some that includes at least a few exams and others seek out entry level courses that don't need any formal qualifications, but they do try and work at finding something to support their application.
    Around here there are a few schemes that work with teenagers who are "at risk" of exclusion and some of these still do weekly activities with these schemes even after they are withdrawn from school. We have a link with one of the youth sailing trusts and many have had (highly subsidised) sailing experiences through that. One of the girls who was aiming to get on a child care apprentice scheme was found some "work experience" with group activities for younger children, so we could support her application in that way.

    I am sure that all these families would appear on the LA stats as withdrawn at this age; (none of the families I can think of post on national HE lists though,) and the majority have made an excellent job of home educating their children even with a difficult start.

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  2. That's all extremely interesting Julie. Thanks. As usual, you have plenty of solid fcts at your command. You seem to be saying that in your experiece the decision to deregister at around this age tends to be the culmination of a series of problems which might become increasingly acrimonious. The parents then feel that the only option open to them is to take thei kid out of school. I am guessing then that a natural corrolary of this is that if the schools had been able to deal effectively with the initial problems, then matters would not hvae eached crisis point in this way and the child would have remained in school. This sounds to me very much like the sort of situation which Graham Bad described as 'home education by default', where parents choose home education not as apositive decision, but rather as the least worst choice.

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  3. Julie said...

    Well, I do have dealings with quite a few families in this situation (either because they contact us directly or because they are referred by the LA) so I can contribute to this discussion.

    What right does HCC have to refer a family to you?

    What does the nice LA say to you when it refers a family to you Julie? this is a problem family? or the parents are no good?

    Julies also says-it is the EWO who "suggests" home ed - probably to get this difficult family off their books; b

    if that is ture that EWO do this a complaint should be made at once to HCC do we know the name of the EWO officer?

    Weird Simon says-No more insisting on early bedtimes, no more shouting at the child to get her up in the mornings, no more fights over homework, arguments

    Did you have to shout at your Daughter to get her to do those GCSE you forced her to do from age 12?

    you think shouting having arguments is a good way for a family to have to live? or what about threats to get child to do what it is told or worse useing cane or stick to get child to do GCSE?

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  4. but schools are never wrong are they Simon? and LA officers never tell lies do they Simon? its always the parents fault that is what you belive and that is what Crazy Badman thinks to! thanks goodness he now history and has lost one of his jobs!

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  5. Oh Peter - do stop repeating yourself - everyone who deregisters in south Hants gets our leaflets, and again anyone who has a home visit from either a "consultant" or an EWO gets one then; if the family are having problems home educating the LA will suggest they contact us. That works pretty well - because actually most families do want to do the best for their children and so welcome support. We also do a lot of "outreach" things - regular displays at a couple of local libraries at which we hand out leaflets, and this weekend for example, we have a big display of craft work at a local flower festival, again with leaflets.

    Honestly, people complain about Simon being out of touch with home educators, but you seem to know nothing about what actually happens at all.

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  6. Simion - it may be "HE by default" but surely you of all people believe that school isn't the best place always for children (or you wouldn't have home educated?). I can not foresee that all the issues which cause these families to home educate can ever be solved however worthy the attempts of the schools may be - for some children withdrawal may not have been their initial plan but the results are entirely positive.

    One mum actually spoke about this at a meeting with the LA recently. The whole family are not what you would probably consider natural home educators. She is a single parents from a traveller background witha number of children; she told us (in this meeting) how her son had been the bully at school. He had SLD, had become uncooperative at home and school, was frequently excluded and she was forever in meetings about it all. Withdrawing him has enabled him to both make more academic progress, but also (since he continued to access help from various support groups for boys in "trouble")he has managed to change his life around. The LA helped with some volunteering opportunities, a charity paid for some concentrated dyslexia support, we have helped him gain a few GCSEs and he is off to an agricultural college in Spetember. Now Badman (and you?) may have felt that sort of family should not have to HE, but it is an imperfect world, full of imperfect human beings. This boy's mum freely admits that he was the trouble maker in school, and this families decision may have been made in desperation, but I am not sure that even the perfect school, full of teenagers would have ever "done better" for this boy.

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  7. Curious that Mr williams should start talking about canes and sticks. I have heard rumours from mutual acquaintances in the chess world that his methods of child rearing lead somewhat to be desired. I wonder if he has unwittingly revealed a little more here than he intended about his own son's home life?

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  8. Julie said...

    Oh Peter - do stop repeating yourself

    looks like im being told off again LOL!

    Julie also says-if the family are having problems home educating the LA will suggest they contact us.

    you said the family was refered to you by LA? and EWO tell a family to start up home education? that cant be right? a complaint should be made at once about these EWO? why are you not doing this Julie?

    Julie also says-We also do a lot of "outreach" things - regular displays at a couple of local libraries at which we hand out leaflets, and this weekend for example, we have a big display of craft work at a local flower festival, again with leaflets.

    unpaid outreach work i hope? not many children are going to go to a flower festival are they? it full of old people like Simom!

    Julie also says-Honestly, people complain about Simon being out of touch with home educators, but you seem to know nothing about what actually happens at all.

    old Simon is well out of touch i think he still upset about children's bill going down drain!

    nothing happens here with home education ive seen no outreach work or leaflets? i have no idea if they are any other home educators in this town? the only one i knew lived 3 miles away but her children are now 16! i often wonder if they are any other home educators in this town LOL like looking for a needle in a haystack?

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  9. I agree with you completely Julie, that school is very definitely not the best place for a large number of children, including of course my own! I am also sure that some of these children who are deregistered later on in the last years of secondary school may well have more optimistic outcomes than the ones who remain. I am honestly interested in this particular aspect of home education. At the same time, I am pretty sure that some parents do take their children out because they wish to anticipate by a year or two the end of school. I am also pretty sure that some of those parents do not really mean to do much. Of course, until a few years ago, fifteen was the legal school leaving age and there was alot of fuss when it was raised to sixteen. there may be no reaon at all why children of this age should not leave school a little earlier than sixteen.

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  10. Simon says-Curious that Mr williams should start talking about canes and sticks. I have heard rumours from mutual acquaintances in the chess world that his methods of child rearing lead somewhat to be desired. I wonder if he has unwittingly revealed a little more here than he intended about his own son's home life?

    no i was thinking more of you maybe using the threat of canes or sticks or your daughter? what threats did you use on your daughter to get her to do GCSE? you said yourself your daughter did not know her own mind at 12 so you had to make it up for her!

    any concerns about Peter you know who to phone Simon? why wont you? i dare you to phone? you want the number?

    i have seen some bad parenting from school teachers simon and heard rumours about how bad Local authorthy are as parents some care home have allowed sex abuse!

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  11. "looks like im being told off again LOL"

    Am I alone in noticing that Mr Williams seems to have some sort of fetish about schoolteachers? (To say nothing of an unhelathy interest in teenage girls being slowly crushed to death!) I have observed that he has a problem with schools and teachers in general, but some of the stuff he comes out with to Julie really makes me wonder about him. Several people have emailed me off list about this and asked why I don't block his more sleazy and suggestive ramblings. I have been reluctant to do this, because I am bitterly opposed to any sort of censorship. Still, this unhealthy fixation with teachers, combined with the latest reference to canes and sticks, may force me to reconsider the position. This is not of course a rare perversion among the English. Indeed, on the continent it is known as the 'English Vice'. Ann robinson on the Weakest Link receives many comminications from people like this who view her as an exotic and forbidding dominatrix.

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  12. What a load of old crap you talk simon! am i supposed to be sacred Simon?


    ban us go for it tough guy? or better still report us to HCC LA or soical services tell them that man is mad and should not home educate or will you bottle out like you always do!
    and why dont you tell any of those who email you to phone HCC as well?

    hope i do get baned that will be good!

    your views on home education and LA officers are crap!

    your such a fool its amazing any one listens to you! no wonder you upset so many home educating parents with your support of crazy old Badman!

    lets hope your book is a flop!

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  13. "It is curious though that when parents who have taken this extremely serious step post on the lists, they seldom seem to be doing so because they wish to share the academic advantages of this course of action with other home educators. Almost invariably, their main concern appears to be avoiding trouble with their local authority. This is not conclusive, but it is certainly suggestive."

    The majority of people who make the decision to HE at this crucial stage do so because school has become impossible for all the reasons Julie mentions, and also because children who have always found school difficult but managed to cope, often crack under the pressure of adolescence and/or GCSEs. I've seen it many times, and my oldest child was one of them. He developed social anxiety and became extremely depressed. For these parents, academic advantage is the last thing on their minds; all they want to do is rescue their children from an intolerable situation.
    Their situation is often made more difficult by the fact that the only solution offered by local authorities is to get the child back into the situation that is intolerable for them; the child, or the family, is seen as the problem. These families often go through years of EW intervention which does nothing to improve the situation, until they are left with no alternative other than to withdraw the child from school, and when they do so they are often assumed to be doing it for an easy life, or to avoid prosecution for truancy, and treated with suspicion by the local authority. None of the families I know has done it for these reasons, all have done it for the sake of their children's wellbeing, in every case the result has been a huge improvement in the mental health of the children, and the educational outcomes have been no worse, and usually much better than they would have been if they had not made the decision to withdraw the children from school. My own son managed to get a few good GCSE's (A and A*) in his area of interest, and on the strength of those and his obvious talent and resourcefulness, has been offered a place at college to start his A levels in September. The college is aware of his mental health issues and hopefully will deliver the pastoral support which has been promised. Their positive attitude towards my son, which is in sharp contrast to the attitude of his school, gives me some confidence that they will.

    A better solution would be to offer positive alternatives for these children: more small pupil referral units, more support for education out of school, and more opportunities to sit GCSE's as external candidates. All too often these families are left to struggle on their own, with no support at all unless they are lucky enough to tap into the HE network and find people like Julie. We had the good luck to find a small local out of school project which my son attended three mornings a week, and which gave him the opportunity to rebuild his confidence and self-esteem in a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment. Sadly, this project has now lost its funding and closed down.

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  14. Agreeing with Jean above here....one of the issues
    that I am sure isn't helping some families in this situation is that some Govt edict ( whether just the last Govt or carried on by this one) is that PRU's aren't allowed to see themselves as permanent solutions to the problem - so they too are meant to be getting children back in mainstream schools, preferably within 3 months. This is a ridculous target for many of the children they get, most of whom will never be able to cope (or be coped with) by the mainstream sector. Mind you having bumped into some of the PRU young people last week (as they were coming out of our PRU, we were going into do a science session) I am certain that I wouldn't want any of my children to have been there in the first place, HE must be a better option.

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  15. There were about 8 or 10 children involved in the project that helped my son. It wasn't a PRU, it was set up by a wonderful youth worker and all the staff were volunteers. Three of the children were HE, one long-term HE with learning difficulties, one (my son's friend) who had been very badly bullied at the local secondary school, and my son. The others were either excluded or still in school but having problems. Like you, Julie, when I first saw these kids I wasn't sure if their company would be good for my son, or for his friend, but the staff were so brilliant, and created such a calm, nurturing and creative atmosphere that all the kids relaxed, and obviously the tougher ones felt safe enough to drop the bravado and the attitude that had got them there in the first place. There was no pressure to perform, although expectations of their behaviour were high and almost always met by the kids. They did no academic work at all, they cooked for the after-school cafe (which the building was used as in the evenings) and produced a cookery book which I still use at home, made a short film, made music, and did lots of artwork. They spent a lot of time outdoors as well, and a couple of visits to places of interest. At the end of the year they had an open day, and all the kids were friendly, polite and welcoming, and so proud to show off their achievements.
    It's such a shame, to my way of thinking, that the authorities spend so much time, money and manpower trying to fit square pegs into round holes, and there is none for inspiring, joyful, creative projects like this, when the outcomes can be so good.

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  16. That is actually very interesting Jean. I suppose that what is being said here is that for some children, school is simply not the best place at the age of fourteen or fifteen. Round here the options are either, (a.) deregiseter your child and just get on with it without support, (b.) send him back to school with the vague promise of pastoral care which in most cases is inadequate or (c.) a place at the local FE college. I would not personally recommend our local FE college for a sensitive and stressed child! It is noisy, rough and some pretty awful things go on there by all accounts. My daughter refused point blank to consider it and now makes a round trip of thrity miles each day to another college.I think that if there were another option, it would be eagerly taken bu some parents. I have had dealings with a few parents locally who have recognised me from the local paper as a home educating parent. Three of them took their child out of secondary school for various reasons such as bullying and stress, but have not the remotest idea about how to provide any sort of education. They receive one annual visit from an EHE advisor based forty miles away. These parents want their children to take examinations and so on, but the children simply cannot cope with the local large comprehensive. There needs to be an alternative, but what it is and who will set it up and pay for it is another matter entirely.

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  17. Julie and Simon, why on earth do you respond to Peter? Why not do as I do and skip through his messages and any replies to them?

    Thanks for your replies here Julie and Jean. It's really good to hear that things work out for children in this situation sometimes. It's a shame the same doesn't appear to be the case elsewhere if Simon's evaluation is correct. Maybe an idea for a new charity Simon?

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  18. I tend to reply because Peter is local to me, so I would like him (and his son) to be able to benefit from a constructive relationship with HCC, rather than just irritating them....but you are right, I am getting nowhere and will be forced to leave him to wallow in his own frustrations.

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  19. Julie and Simon, why on earth do you respond to Peter? Why not do as I do and skip through his messages and any replies to them?

    what a good idea just ingore him

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  20. Julie says-I am getting nowhere and will be forced to leave him to wallow in his own frustrations.

    its not frustrations Julie HCC told lies about Peter what would you do if a lie was told by HCC about your daughter? or do you belive like Simon that LA never tell lies?

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