Tuesday 22 March 2011

Are the numbers of children being educated at home still rising sharply?

There can be no doubt at all that in the decade or so between say 1998 to 2008, the number of children being educated at home in this country rose dramatically. I have seen it suggested that there was an exponential rise in numbers from the time that access to the Internet become common. Some interpreted this steep climb as being evidence that home education in Britain had become an unstoppable force and that the numbers would eventually rival the proportion of children educated in this way in the USA. That this will actually happen, seems less certain now.

Home educating in this country is more like some fashionable and slightly cranky minority interest than a major educational movement. Those who pursue it, and I include myself firmly in this category, tend often to be the same kind of people who oppose the fluoridation of drinking water, think that vaccines cause autism, do not trust GM food and believe that we should rely upon windmills rather than nuclear power stations. There are those who become home educators simply because it is a sound educational choice, but there are many more for whom it presents just one more aspect of an 'alternative' lifestyle. Of course, this is not always the case. There are ordinary parents who have been driven half mad by the bullying to which their child has been subjected at school, or have resorted to home education because the school is not sufficiently catering for their child's special educational needs. Even in these cases though, it is very frequently the cranky parents who sees the solution in home education. Most of the normal ones stick with the school system.

In America, the rise of home education has been massive and steady. Follow the American home education scene on the Internet and you will find a completely different set of concerns from parents in this country. Opposition to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, for example, does not often appear on the HE-UK list! In Britain, activity on forums and lists waxes and wanes, with various concerns rising and falling. Numbers of children being deregistered from school sometimes soar and at other times drops. This often happens due to the season of the year or depending upon whether home education is being featured a lot in the newspapers. Some local authorities report that the number of home educators registered with them can drop by around a third between September and January.

I have mentioned the importance, as I see it, of having a clutch of good GCSEs at the end of a child's education. I am not alone in viewing the matter in this light; it is increasingly how the average person sees education. This may be due to government propaganda of course, but the fact is that ordinary parents are now convinced that without those formal qualifications, their child's life will be ruined before it has even begun. This is not a view shared by some militant home educators, but it is certainly the common perception. This cannot but have an influence on those parents who are considering the deregistration of their children from school. A recent television series by Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Dream School, begins each episode by restating the educational mantra that these young people failed to gain five 'good' GCSEs and are therefore educational failures. As the years pass, this concept sinks deeper and deeper into the national psyche; successful education equals good GCSEs. I am well aware that this idea is rank anathema for some of those who run home education lists and forums, but they are fighting a losing battle about this.

How will this affect the numbers of home educated children in this country in the future? Very simply. As it becomes more and more accepted as dogma that children without GCSEs are failures, so too will parents be more and more reluctant to take their kids from school lest they miss out on those all-important qualifications. Teachers and local authority officers will only need to demonstrate that children being educated at home are handicapped in gaining GCSEs and this alone will be enough to discourage many parents from trying home education.

I have a suspicion that the rise in numbers of children not at school in this country has slowed and perhaps peaked. This is only a guess of course; there are no hard data. The best way to see if this is so will be to keep extracting the figures from local authorities over the coming years and also to see whether or not Internet support groups are as popular in a couple of years as they are today. I fancy that there has been a decline in use on many lists since Schedule 1 of the CSF Bill was abandoned last year. I would be interested to know what others think about this.

47 comments:

  1. There was a flurry of activity around the Bill, of course, but the group I own and moderate has grown by about a fifth every year. That does not mean I believe that the numbers of HE'ers has grown by that much. I just think it means people like being connected to eachother via the internet.

    My own suspicion is that there are many fewer HE'd kids than self-styled leaders in the HE movement would like us to believe.

    However, we have no way of knowing how many kids are being effectively excluded from school by LA's keen to shove them onto the HE books. Of course, the likelihood of that category of 'HE' child getting 5 good GCSE's is pretty small.

    Lots of different issues going on.

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  2. one of the reasons we have had a rise in parents teaching children at homne is because many school/teachers have failed the child and the parents! something webb does not see as Webb always blames the parents is it because your married to a social worker? until real action is taking over schools/teachers we will contine to have many children home educated!

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  3. I think you are a little confused here peter...Simon is actually suggesting that the number of HEers is falling, not rising!
    Anyway, this is what I believe. Since it is not in the governments best interests to publicly advertise the numbers of families turning to HE we will never have true access to the hard statistical data which could give us a better insight into the actual annual numbers.
    However, if I am to only go on what I have personally experienced, I would say that increases and decreases in numbers are not only controlled by seasonal factors (if indeed they are) but also geographical ones.
    Without meaning to be stereotypical (Gods forbid), it would appear that numbers are increasing amongst those who are more financially stable as opposed to those who have been hit hardest by recent economic failings.
    Perhaps numbers will increase on the whole, as economic stability increases?

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  4. 'Without meaning to be stereotypical (Gods forbid), it would appear that numbers are increasing amongst those who are more financially stable as opposed to those who have been hit hardest by recent economic failings.
    Perhaps numbers will increase on the whole, as economic stability increases?'

    'Gods forbid'; is this an attempt to display some sort of sensitivity to polytheistic religions such as Hinduism? I think that you are right about the decline in numbers during economoic recessions. It is hard from a financial point of view to home educate. My wife and I both had to work part-time, which certainly reduced our income dramatically. When people are struggling to survive, they are less likely to make any move which will further reduce their income. The rules which prevent single mothers from staying on benefits until their kids are sixteen will also have had an effect on this.

    ' I would say that increases and decreases in numbers are not only controlled by seasonal factors (if indeed they are)'

    This is what many local authorities told Ofsted when they were looking into home education. Many people start in September, full of enthusiasm. By Christmas, they have had enough and send the kids back to school! Who can blame them; it can be harder work than one expects.

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  5. Loz says-I think you are a little confused here peter...Simon is actually suggesting that the number of HEers is falling, not rising!

    I am often confused by Webb and his daughter!(those 2 are a real danger to home education in England) but i hear you Loz!

    you also say-it would appear that numbers are increasing amongst those who are more financially stable as opposed to those who have been hit hardest by recent economic failings.

    yes i would agree with that and the better off family are doing home education the right way! governments dont mind if some better off familys do home education but their dont want very working class or lower class doing home education one these family will do it wrong and who will be the next army of burger fippers? it is a class thing if these poor lower class family get away government is scared it will not be able to control them!

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  6. ''Gods forbid'; is this an attempt to display some sort of sensitivity to polytheistic religions such as Hinduism?'

    As much as I would love to go into my religious stance on life, I don't think it would interest many others in the slightest, and would only detract from this post. So you'll just have to remain in the dark about that one. :) lol

    I have to agree with you about the financial strain on HEers.
    I can quite imagine that it is often a case of 'sounds like a great idea' but once the reality of it sets in - the constant search for new and interesting resources, the day trips etc etc - one can't really blame many for bailing out.
    However, would I be completely out of line by suggesting that I think it is probably best that those who can not...should not, for the sake of those that can?

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  7. Loz says-However, would I be completely out of line by suggesting that I think it is probably best that those who can not...should not, for the sake of those that can?

    so those that can not or do not do home education the right way must just send their child back to the system that failed them? would you force them back? we know Webb would as he does not care about children but would you force a child back to a system that had failed him or her?

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  8. steady on Peter, that's not what I am saying at all.
    Everyone is entitled to a choice, right?
    However, that choice...for the sake of the child...needs to be an informed and realistic one.
    If it is impossible for the parents to meet the financial demands which HE creates, then it is surely not advisable for those parents to continue creating financial difficulties for their family.
    There are many options available for those who are having difficulties with the education system, HE is only one of them.
    Surely you must agree that all options should be explored before a decision is made - For the sake of the child?

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  9. "Teachers and local authority officers will only need to demonstrate that children being educated at home are handicapped in gaining GCSEs and this alone will be enough to discourage many parents from trying home education"

    It's interesting. A few days ago someone on this blog who I presume was from the US asked why there appeared to be an absence in the UK of all the things one easily finds in connection with home education in America - ie the subject specific home schooling curriculums, books, suppport lists that are primarily about education etc.

    I am a person who withdrew my children from school mostly because I was not satisfied with the standard of education they were receiving, and private school was unattainable.

    It seems to me that in the USA the homeschooling parent can have more confidence that when she chooses to HE, her child will not be educationally disadvantaged as far as formal education is concerned. I think the point of view is more likely to be that 'we can do it better than the schools' In America, the sheer amount of resources soley dedicated to enhance home schooling is breath-takingly large, it includes almost everything you can think of including Lab equipment and other things that are very difficult to get your hands on here. There are thousands of HE blogs - a lot about education. This allows for confidence that SAT tests and entries to college can actually be more easily achieved than at school.

    The situation is completely different in the UK. I don't think there is enough support for home educators who have children approaching GCSEs or who really want to give their child a formal education. The Exams list is very good, but there appears to be nothing that cators for those who aren't sure how to go about these things. You have to work it out for yourself. And most blogs are done by autonomous home educators.

    So naturally, as there doesn't seem to be much public information about how you would give your child an education that is at least as good, if not better, than that which the schools provide, the teachers and the government of this country will always be able to use the argument that your childs formal education is likely to be blighted if you withdraw them from school. And from what I see on many lists, where people are constantly advised to de-school even if they have just withdrawn their 13/14/15yr old I can't ever see the situation improving.

    Of course this may just be my view and have nothing to do with falling numbers of HE children. But there it is.

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  10. Loz says-Everyone is entitled to a choice, right?

    depends what kind of choice? back to the same system that failed you? that is the Webb way!

    you alsoThere are many options available for those who are having difficulties with the education system, HE is only one of them.
    Surely you must agree that all options should be explored before a decision is made - For the sake of the child? say-

    there are many options avaiable such as? you have 3 choices in England 1 private school most people cant afford this 2 state school many state schools are not very good and often fail the child and parents 3 home edcuation so in truth you only habe one choice when the child is failed by a school LEA and that choice is home education.

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  11. Loz said

    'Everyone is entitled to a choice, right?'

    Parents are obliged by law to cause their child to have an education suitable to age, ability aptitude and any special educational needs they might have, so the type of education is driven by the child's educational needs, not by 'choice'.

    Also, although there is much rhetoric about 'choice' in education (or any other sector come to that) what parents actually have, in law, is the 'right to express a preference' in relation to their child's place of education.

    So actually, as you point out, the kind of education a child gets is not just a matter of choice - in fact there's often little choice involved.

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  12. I think that HE in the UK actually looks a lot like the HE movements of the late 1980s and early 1990s in the US, around the time that the unified movement was just beginning to split into fundie protestant and 'inclusive' streams and Grace Llewellyn released the Teenage Liberation Handbook.

    Back in the 1980s and 1990s, "How will he/she ever go to college??!" - the US version of the qualifications question - was a major question for US homeschoolers. Now, I don't know of a single US university that doesn't accept homeschoolers, and most have set procedures.(You can call in advance and ask for the 'homeschoolers' packet' of information.)

    It's very easy for US HE students to get qualifications because there was demand for them, so people started offering services for registration and preparation materials...and as that demand rises in the UK, the same should be true here. I predict that in 10 years time, UK Unis will have a 'home ed packet' to send to prospective families, too.

    Simon..You may be allergic to AE, but many US home educators who don't practice radical AE still call themselves 'unschoolers' and I fear that by avoiding them you are getting a very odd, Quiverful-and-HSLDA-flavoured picture of home ed in the US!

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  13. 'there are many options avaiable such as? you have 3 choices in England 1 private school most people cant afford this 2 state school many state schools are not very good and often fail the child and parents 3 home edcuation so in truth you only habe one choice when the child is failed by a school LEA and that choice is home education. '

    Perhaps I am being a bit old fashioned, but I thought maybe it would be a good idea to consider trying to resolve any problems one may have with whatever educational route one may have chosen for their child before making the decision to swap and change to others?

    I am probably very alone in this line of thinking.

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  14. Simon where has my post disappeared to?

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  15. Loz says-Perhaps I am being a bit old fashioned, but I thought maybe it would be a good idea to consider trying to resolve any problems one may have with whatever educational route one may have chosen for their child before making the decision to swap and change to others?

    I am probably very alone in this line of thinking.

    im afraid you can not resolve a problem if the head of a school wont listen and the LEA who in truth dont understand but tend to back the head/school so what is a parent supposed to do? wait and hope?(how long would you wait for your children day?week? month? years? im pretty sure you take action fast! some things can not be resolved and you have to take action at once other wise the problem will only get worse!

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  16. 'Samantha said...
    Simon where has my post disappeared to?'

    Sorry, Samantha. Blogspot has helpfully enabled a spam filter which hides posts from time to time. I need to check more often.

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  17. 'The Exams list is very good, but there appears to be nothing that cators for those who aren't sure how to go about these things. You have to work it out for yourself.'

    This is bound to happen if once we take on full responsibilty for our children's education. Taking responsibility means just that; no help from anybody except what you may find here and there. The alternative would be help from the government or local authorities; help which would be unlikely to come without massive strings attached. We can't have it both ways. It is either do it all ourselves or hand over the job to the state or an independent school.

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  18. "The Exams list is very good, but there appears to be nothing that cators for those who aren't sure how to go about these things."

    Well, it's like everything in home ed - you do have to work it out for yourself. There's heaps of info out there if you just look a bit. I can't imagine how much harder it must have been in pre-internet days. Personally, I'd rather fend for myself than be catered to by an LA but I know that not everyone feels that way.

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  19. old Webb says-It is either do it all ourselves or hand over the job to the state or an independent school.

    No it does not have to be like that the trouble with you Webb is you cant think outside of the box. you would fail in a modern bussiness where new ideas are always needed to keep ahead and to contine to make a profitt you be the guy in the back ground and you always get one saying oh we cant do that lets stay as we are! change scares you why?

    the system needs changing such as when a school fails a parent/child far more should be done to sort this out? your way of just sending children back to same failing system is why we are in this mess in the first place! people wont do this like in the old days! people parents want far more for their children and wont put up with shoddy service any more from LEA or teachers/schools maybe that is what you dont like more and more people demanding a far higher lever of service?
    strings dont have to come with help if the money being spent on the child education whats the problem? dont you want children to get a frist rate education? you want most children to get a 2nd rate education in my view and only allowing a very few to get a first class edcucation why is this?

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  20. @Loz

    A choice has to be a real choice in order for it to be a choice. If you can't afford private education and the state sector can't meet your child's educational needs, HE becomes a necessity rather than a 'choice' as such.

    I trained as a primary teacher many years ago and was lulled into a false sense of security by the two first schools attended by my children, that were very like the schools I was familiar with. Resolution of problems didn't appear to be on the second school's agenda - there weren't any problems to resolve with the first ones. And my LA is up front about the fact that it can't compel schools to do anything.

    There are serious flaws in the concepts underlying the system - a market competition model driven by hypothetical customer choice - and with the structure of the system itself that puts pressure on schools and LAs to behave in certain ways that are often not in the best interests of the child. Dispute resolution is difficult if the problem is a systems problem rather than a problem with the school or the child.

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  21. "The alternative would be help from the government or local authorities"

    I think I've failed to communicate my thoughts clearly. I agree that one takes on full responsibility for their childs education when they choose to HE. However, just as there are many HE support lists whereby one may share information about day trips, HE family life, LEA protocol, and autonomous methods of education, there does not seem to be the equivalent in terms of how to go about preparing a formal set up for children. Instead you are right: one has to work this out for oneself and ones child without advice from anybody in a trial an error fashion. Now I am confident enough to work this way. Others new to the Home ed scene may not be, and not find suitable support within HE circles. If I lived in America there would be may places I could turn to for advice, curriculums I could try. The same is not true here. HE in this country is therefore more contingent upon you being a certain kind of person - slightly anarchist for e.g. It does not appear to be one in a set of educational options open to the lay (normal?) person. More a radical choice made by those who are slightly radical - nothing wrong with being radical but that's my point.

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  22. suzyg-There are serious flaws in the concepts underlying the system - a market competition model driven by hypothetical customer choice - and with the structure of the system itself that puts pressure on schools and LAs to behave in certain ways that are often not in the best interests of the child. Dispute resolution is difficult if the problem is a systems problem rather than a problem with the school or the
    child.

    well said you put that into words really well! that lies at the heart of the problem something Webb refuses to accept and wants to just blame the parents!

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  23. Simon my second post has also disappeared. Is this just routine? Or am I only person to end up in your filter?

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  24. 'There are serious flaws in the concepts underlying the system - a market competition model driven by hypothetical customer choice - and with the structure of the system itself that puts pressure on schools and LAs to behave in certain ways that are often not in the best interests of the child. '

    The market competition model kicks in here, in that you are being offered an inferior service which you feel that you could accomplish better yourself. You are free to do so. This is essentially why I also chose to edcuate my own child. If enough people did this, then presumably the poor service providers would eventually be forced to change their ways!

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  25. 'Samantha said...
    Simon my second post has also disappeared. Is this just routine? Or am I only person to end up in your filter?'

    No, you are not the only person; but what criteria blogspot uses, I have no idea. Sorry, I will check this section more often.

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  26. @suzyg

    I agree with you. However, there still remains the issue that HE is not for everyone.
    One can choose to send their child to school, or educate them at home if this suits better.
    If one has had problems with the mainstream school system, they can 'choose' to HE.

    No one is forcing people to educate their children in schools or private homes.
    I made the 'choice' to HE my son.
    I also made the choice to keep my other son in mainstream school.
    If mainstream school became an impossible option, then I could 'choose' to either try and resolve whatever problems there were, change schools, or HE.

    I never claimed that the choices were good ones, or easy ones, I merely stated that there ARE choices. And some of those choices are going to suit some better than others.

    What we don't want is for the choice to HE to be seen as an easy route out of mainstream education, as opposed to resolving matters the old fashioned way.

    If fewer and fewer people are willing to try and resolve matters within a mainstream setting, and opt out of it altogether favouring HE instead, then actually being able to resolve things becomes a harder thing to do, because the mainstream system becomes less experienced at having to.

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  27. 'HE in this country is therefore more contingent upon you being a certain kind of person - slightly anarchist for e.g. It does not appear to be one in a set of educational options open to the lay (normal?) person.'

    In short, home educating parents in this country often end up taking advice for cranks and complete maniacs. This is true.

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  28. "However, just as there are many HE support lists whereby one may share information about day trips, HE family life, LEA protocol, and autonomous methods of education, there does not seem to be the equivalent in terms of how to go about preparing a formal set up for children. Instead you are right: one has to work this out for oneself and ones child without advice from anybody in a trial an error fashion."

    From the little research there on the subject, it looks as though most home educators use a mix of parent and child-led education with a few at each end of the spectrum providing primarily parent-led or primarily child-led/autonomous education. If, as you say, autonomous educators write more about their methods than parent-led educators (can't say myself as I've not looked), I can't help wondering why the AE end of the spectrum are more willing to share their experiences online than the parent-led end of the spectrum. I believe Simon and Loz both follow a more parent-led approach. Maybe you should be asking them (and others who follow similar approaches) why they don't give as much help and information about their methods to fellow home educators?

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  29. Loz says-I never claimed that the choices were good ones, or easy ones, I merely stated that there ARE choices. And some of those choices are going to suit some better than others.

    so we can have choices knowing full well that choices are not very good? and if we dont like the choices to bad? where is the forward thinking wanting to inprove things for all children from you?

    you alos say-If fewer and fewer people are willing to try and resolve matters within a mainstream setting

    people do try to resolve matters but often the School and LEA wont listen what would you do if a school refused to listen to you? and you then find that the LEA wont listen to you what would you do? just wait and hope? im afraid in many cases the LEA/schools are just not intersted in resolving a problem and you can tell when you talk to them that there do not care about the problems you may be having so it is no wonder that parents say i had enough of this and with draw their child! what we want is a frist class education system not the shoddy service we often get!

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  30. Interestingly, we are "losing" 2 of our home ed families this term - both bright, motivated children, but both with families who are worried about whether they can get all the grades the child needs at home. One (who is aiming for medicine) has got a 13+ place at a good public schol (and a bursary!) the other will go into their local schoool, which isn't great, but the girl is well motivated and will hopefully flourish.

    At the same time,their places have been taken up by children coming out of school....

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  31. Simon said

    'The market competition model kicks in here, in that you are being offered an inferior service which you feel that you could accomplish better yourself. You are free to do so. This is essentially why I also chose to edcuate my own child. If enough people did this, then presumably the poor service providers would eventually be forced to change their ways! '

    Market competition works only if there are multiple producers, multiple suppliers and customers have equal access to all of them. That's why food and household goods and books and some commodities fit the supply and demand model well.

    But if there are bottlenecks in the system - only one railway line or one set of cables or school system; or if consumers can't access alternative producers or suppliers - other schools are too far away or oversubscribed, for example, then the market model breaks down.

    Many parents aren't in a position to move house or change schools or home educate their children - so they don't have a choice to exercise.

    And, as we have seen, when the number of children being home educated is sufficiently large as to come to the attention of government, the response is not to address the issues that are moving parents to make this 'choice', but to regulate home education!

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  32. Loz said:

    'What we don't want is for the choice to HE to be seen as an easy route out of mainstream education, as opposed to resolving matters the old fashioned way.'

    I'm intrigued as to why you would think of HE as an easy route and at what point you think sufficient effort has been put into resolving matters.

    The impression I get is that most of what Simon would call 'ordinary' parents would freak out at the thought of educating their children at home, and many home educating parents would baulk at the idea of calling it 'easy'.

    Many parents report doing so only as a desperate last resort, often resorted to only when they and their children were at the end of their tether. Perhaps the home educators we've met are a different bunch to the ones you've met.

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  33. 'But if there are bottlenecks in the system - only one railway line or one set of cables or school system; or if consumers can't access alternative producers or suppliers - other schools are too far away or oversubscribed, for example, then the market model breaks down'

    Well of course, this too is true. For many, the state education system is about as tightly a run monopoly as one can find; rather like the old Soviet Union. It is true that under such circumstances, 'choice' is a chimera.

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  34. Obviously I can't be sure because I don't know everyone but in my experience (for the county I live in) there has been a huge rise in the numbers of home educators over the last year/18 months. Interestingly (to me at least) the biggest rise seems to be in the number of people home educating their children from the start. Prior to that it seemed to be a huge rise in those taking their children out of school to home educate.
    6 years ago when I started visiting home ed groups with my daughter there were 2 groups a month and maybe 3 or 4 trips a month organised county wide. A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the list and there were 4 meetings and 10 trips in the one week. Obviously not everyone does all of them but that is a normal week where we are and is only sustainable because of the massive increase in the numbers of home educators.

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  35. old Webb says-For many, the state education system is about as tightly a run monopoly as one can find; rather like the old Soviet Union. It is true that under such circumstances, 'choice' is a chimera.

    But you and your daughter wanted to force many home educated children back to that Soviet union style education system.

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  36. "I can't help wondering why the AE end of the spectrum are more willing to share their experiences online than the parent-led end of the spectrum."

    You do have a point. However I would say from personal experience that the reaction to those who attempt to do that is not always favourable.

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  37. 'You do have a point. However I would say from personal experience that the reaction to those who attempt to do that is not always favourable.'

    This is putting the case mildly! Those who advocate structured education are sometimes viewed as being little better than child abusers on certain lists.

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  38. 'I'm intrigued as to why you would think of HE as an easy route and at what point you think sufficient effort has been put into resolving matters.'

    I didnt say I thought HE was the easy route..I said what we DONT want is for the choice to home educate to BE SEEN as the easy route out of mainstream education.
    In other words..we dont want people to be sitting at home thinking
    "golly gosh..this homework is terrible hard for my little jonny..so I think I'll home educate him, as he wont have to do homework then"

    or

    "Crikey, the teachers are expecting alot of my little jonny these days...I think I'll home educate because I wont ask as much of him"

    or

    "Heavens above, my little jonny is always getting called names, and I just dont know how to approach the teachers about it...so i think I'll home educate him, because then I wont have to bother with trying to resolve matters at the school"

    or

    "Oh crumbs..My poor little jonny just doesnt like his school, because he is shy, and the teachers have far too many other children who are more demanding of their time to even notice him. And I've tried asking them to help, but they can't for numerous reasons...so I think i'll home educate because then little jonny can continue being as shy as he likes"

    I could go on all day, however the point I am trying to make is that there are people out there, that just can't be bothered to put effort into anything these days, and THEY are the ones most likely to see HE as being an easy option, compared with having to try other things first.

    I juggle both worlds...I know the difficulties, and would consider myself the last person t claim HE is an easy route.

    Hope that makes sense. :)

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  39. Simon wrote,
    "This is putting the case mildly! Those who advocate structured education are sometimes viewed as being little better than child abusers on certain lists."

    I've seen a few posts about structured style learning on the UKHE and EO list recently and the reaction has been fine. What list/s are you talking about?

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  40. Lozsays I could go on all day

    im sure you would! at the end of the day who really cares if a few kids are not geting an education? our M.Ps? dont think so their to busy looking after their kids/family what about the public? dont think their care to much so long as their kid can get to school! the truth is no one really gives a dam! and does it really matter if a few children are not geting an education? how many people we got in UK over 70 million?

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  41. @Loz

    So by people who can't be bothered to put any effort into anything you mean people who can't be bothered to sort out problems at school? Hmmm. Still not sure I can see any of them wanting their kids at home all day.

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  42. 'So by people who can't be bothered to put any effort into anything you mean people who can't be bothered to sort out problems at school? Hmmm. Still not sure I can see any of them wanting their kids at home all day. '

    Thats actually my point...lol

    ReplyDelete
  43. they aren't the sort of people we actually want to be HEing...

    ReplyDelete
  44. "No one is forcing people to educate their children in schools or private homes.
    I made the 'choice' to HE my son.
    I also made the choice to keep my other son in mainstream school.
    If mainstream school became an impossible option, then I could 'choose' to either try and resolve whatever problems there were, change schools, or HE."

    In some circumstances the removal of a child from mainstream school is not a choice but an obligation.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Technically we would be breaking the law if we left a child in a school that was failing to provide a suitable education. How long is it acceptable to leave them there whilst the parent attempts to sort out the problem with the school?

    ReplyDelete
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