Over on the HE-UK list, there is some discussion about the idea that local authorities will have 10% of the funding available for school children, which they can use for children who are educated at home. It is being suggested that this is some new scheme, but that is ridiculous. Eight months ago, on February 17th, I posted about this subject. It is pretty widely known. I said;
'In the letter to local authorities, the DCSF says, apropos of home educated children;
"We would count each such pupil as 0.1 for DSG funding purposes, and review towards the end of the next spending review period whether this is an appropriate level. We plan to make this change for the 2011-12 DSG period."'
0.1 is of course 10%. I cannot imagine why people are pretending that this is a startling new development. Mike Fortune-Wood is apparently anxious because this money has been referred to by one local authority as relating to a 'pupil'. He feels there is something sinister about this, saying,
' this is something new, not yet funded. I would be careful of them calling your children pupils as a whole different set of rules apply to pupils as opposed to HE children.'
Nothing of the sort.The reason that the word 'pupil' is used is that this is 10% of the Age Weighted Pupil Unit or AWPU. They have to talk of pupils, because the finance is a percentage of a pupil related allowance from the DSG.
This post illustrates the other side of the phenomenon to which I draw attention below. Just as local authorities and the Department for Education are to be portrayed in a poor light wherever possible and the worst motives attributed to them, so too when they do something good, we must be suspicious and mistrustful of them. I have not the least doubt that this initiative of the DCSF was known to Mike Fortune-Wood months ago, just as it was to many others. However, this is good news, showing the DfE doing something worthwhile for home educators. Better keep quiet about it! If some parent does ask, then we had best sound a note of caution and make her think that there may be a catch. For instance, why are they calling this woman's kid a 'pupil'? Something fishy there. I know, I'll wind her up about this and suggest that there might be something to worry about in this innocent terminology. Perhaps I can persuade her to forget about the money being supplied for her child's education and instead promote an atmosphere of suspicion and animosity between her and her local authority.
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But it's not just an Either One Extreme Or Another situation, is it? I'm not talking about this specific case, because I don't know anything about it. I mean dealing with the LA, MP's, government etc
ReplyDeleteThe extreme suspiciousness you describe is clearly unhelpful, but so is being naively accepting of LA's intentions. I think I fall into the 'healthy scepticism' camp myself, exercising open-eyed, informed caution.
Mrs Anon of the Third Way. LOL!
' I think I fall into the 'healthy scepticism' camp myself, exercising open-eyed, informed caution.'
ReplyDeleteWell of course Mrs Anon, that is the only sensible course of action. I may not belive that local authorities are devils, but nor do I believe that they are angels either. I am usually prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt though and attribute many of their failings to ignorance and poor communication rather than hatred of home education. However when three or four hundred pounds a year is coming through for every home educated child, I think that this is grounds for rejoicing and not suspicion.
Wasn't this specifically for SEN children? Or am I remembering a different 10%?
ReplyDeleteThe term 'pupil' is significant in the Education Act where they are defined as registered at a school. Many laws and regulations apply to pupils that do not apply to home educated children which I suspect is the cause of alarm.
"Wasn't this specifically for SEN children? Or am I remembering a different 10%?"
ReplyDeleteAnswering my own question. The document from February refers to home educated children with SEN. If the new information says that the 10% applies to all HE children, this would be new information.
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/14700/Home-educated%20children%20with%20SEN.pdf
The information was contained in a letter sent to Directors of Children's Services and the letter was about children with special needs. However the paragraph which mentioned the 10% funding did not seem to apply only to SEN children. It said;
ReplyDeleteWe are also planning to allow local authorities to access DSG funding where they do not
provide significant financial support but permit young people to access some school services and
fund them to take their GCSEs if they opt to enter as private candidates. We would count each such
pupil as 0.1 for DSG funding purposes, and review towards the end of the next spending review
period whether this is an appropriate level. We plan to make this change for the 2011-12 DSG
period'
There was a good deal of debate about this and it was later clarified that this also referred to all home educated children.
This was written by the old free spending government though. Is there any reason to believe the new austerity government will follow through with this plan? Is there new information from the current government about this?
ReplyDelete'Is there any reason to believe the new austerity government will follow through with this plan?'
ReplyDeleteI think that this has been budgeted for 2011/2012. Some local authorities are volunteering this, others might perhaps need to be reminded.
Have you or anyone else managed to find documentary evidence of this budget so that home educators can query their LAs spending plans? Or is this a rumour?
ReplyDeleteThe Department for Education say;
ReplyDelete'Where significant financial support is being provided, the LA can claim funding from the Department through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The Department has sought to make clear to LAs the circumstances in which they can count home-educated pupils for the purposes of funding through the DSG. Revised guidance for the Alternative Provision Census on 21 January 2010 was sent to LAs on 26 November 2009.'
The main circumstances are if a child has SEN or is at an FE college. there is some felxibility though.
Where do they say this?
ReplyDeleteAhh, found it, thanks Simon. They also say:
ReplyDelete"The current financial responsibility for home-educated children has not changed, namely, that parents who choose to electively home educate their children assume financial responsibility for their education. This is set out in paragraphs 5.1- 5.2 of Elective home education: Guidelines for local authorities.
However, funding may be available where an LA provides significant financial support for a home-educated young person in two specific circumstances. These are, first, where the young person has SEN and secondly where the young person attends further education college to take GCSEs or other courses. It is for the LA to decide whether to fund the provision: they have the discretion to do so but are not required to do so."
http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/specialeducationalneeds/a0061362/current-position-on-home-education-and-sen-funding
This was issued in June, so whilst not really new information, it's more recent than February.
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