As solid evidence of my contention that some home educating parents could start a fight in an empty room, I offer the following. It is Greenwich Council's advice to parents who wish to educate their own children:
http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/Learning/SchoolsAndColleges/EducatingChildAtHome.htm
Greenwich are currently being accused of misinterpreting the law, persecuting certain home educators and generally behaving in a way which would disgrace the Gestapo. Specifically, their website is supposedly suggesting that annual visits are compulsory. Let's see: 'a Home Education Officer will make a request to visit the family on an annual basis, if possible,' Does this sound like compulsion? 'Will make a request', 'if possible'. What Greenwich are saying really is that the passage of time is a change in circumstance and that what constitutes a suitable education for a five year old might not be quite the thing when that same child is eleven or even fifteen. For that reason they are asking to see what is being done from time to time. Many local authorities suggest that they would ideally like to visit every year; this is not illegal. Most of them, once they are sure that the child is actually being educated, will stop coming round after a while. My own council, Essex, when asking for an annual visit used to say in the letter that they would be happy with a written report instead and that visits were not really vital.
One cannot help feeling that if parents just spoke to their local authority and invited them round for a chat, a lot of the unpleasantness of which one hears might be avoided. Once the council know that a child is OK and that she is getting an education, they tend to leave the family alone. This strikes me as the most sensible policy all round for both parents and councils.
Simon said'One cannot help feeling that if parents just spoke to their local authority and invited them round for a chat, a lot of the unpleasantness of which one hears might be avoided. Once the council know that a child is OK and that she is getting an education, they tend to leave the family alone. This strikes me as the most sensible policy all round for both parents and councils.'
ReplyDeleteOne might feel this, but the way councils are supposed to behave is not derived from one's feelings, it is regulated in law. And the law, rightly, does not give councils powers to check out what's happening in private homes unless there is good reason to believe that the law is being broken in them.
And the fact that your own council 'tends to leave families alone' doesn't mean that all councils, do. A fact that you should be aware of.
'And the law, rightly, does not give councils powers to check out what's happening in private homes unless there is good reason to believe that the law is being broken in them.'
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true. Under the Weeds Act 1959, the local authority can enter gardens to check for certain dangerous weeds; ragwort, for instance. If my local authority contacted me and said that they thought I might have ragwort on my land, I could behave in one of two ways. I could refuse to deal with them, tell them that what happened in my garden was my own business and nothing to do with them. I could study the law, start a support group and appeal for help from others who were being harrassed in this way by councils who were trying to obtain access to their gardens to look for weeds. In short, I could act like a home educating parent who refuses to allow the local authority to visit. Ultimately, this would lead to legal action, because the council can obtain an order to enter my land to look for weeds. This is one way to behave. The other way would be to say to the council, 'Sure, if you think there is ragwort here, why not come and see for yourselves?' I could then have a cup of coffee with the local authority officer, part amicably and that's the end of the matter. Which would readers think of these two options is the best course of action to take? There are always those who prefer the hard way to the easy way and many of them become home educators!
'
But the council does not systematically check everybody's garden once a year for ragwort. If it did so, there would be an outcry about the invasion of privacy and the waste of public money.
ReplyDeleteThe council, might, however, ask to check your property if a neighbour had complained that their livestock were at risk of eating your ragwort, or your ragwort was repeatedly spreading into their property. That is, the council would make inquiries if 'it appeared' that you were in breach of the law.
In those circumstances you would be well-advised to co-operate. However, if would be unrealistic of councils to expect widespread co-operation if they decided to implement annual garden inspections just in case local residents were harbouring dangerous weeds, growing cannabis or had buildings over 6'6" high that lacked planning consent. That's not how the UK legal system works.
Where these methods have been used, they have been shown to have disastrous consequences. As Dave pointed out yesterday, government - local or central - has far more power than individuals, so the law has to counterbalance that power by erring, if it errs, in favour of the individual rather than government.
' As Dave pointed out yesterday, government - local or central - has far more power than individuals, so the law has to counterbalance that power by erring, if it errs, in favour of the individual rather than government.'
ReplyDeleteAnd parents have far more power than children, which is why we need counterbalances there to even things up a bit. That is often the purpose of the laws relating to children; to protect the powerless.
'And parents have far more power than children, which is why we need counterbalances there to even things up a bit. That is often the purpose of the laws relating to children; to protect the powerless.'
ReplyDeleteThe law intervenes *if* there is a problem. If there isn't a problem the law doesn't intervene. This principle hasn't been adopted by accident - it was adopted because of hundreds of years of evidence that it produced the best outcomes for most people.
You could argue that the purpose of the law is to prevent problems, but then that gets you into situations that tend to have less good, if not catastrophic outcomes for most people.
I would agree that some mechanism of protecting children from abuse by their parents is necessary, and we do have such mechanisms in place. Unfortunately, children are not protected by council involvement per se, and often council intervention itself has terrible outcomes for children.
Children, by definition are at risk. What we have to figure out is how to minimise the risk. The danger in trying to eliminate the risk completely is that the outcomes can actually get worse.
'The danger in trying to eliminate the risk completely is that the outcomes can actually get worse.'
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed hopeless to aim for this. Look at the Riggi case. Nobody could possibly have guessed that a sligthly neurotic mother would suddenly take it into her head to hack her kids to death. I have never bought the argument that if some intrusive measure 'saves just one life', then it must be adopted at once.
I have no issue with meeting with my Local Authority, I do, however, have an issue with having them in my home.
ReplyDeleteI think it is more appropriate to meet them at their office because it reminds all parties that this isn't a 'personal' appointment.
Schools don't do parents evenings in people's homes, they do them at the school, so why should Local Authority appointments be in homes? They should be at the LA's offices.
I don't get this English obsession with having home appointments. I resent having appointments in my home.
"What Greenwich are saying really is that the passage of time is a change in circumstance and that what constitutes a suitable education for a five year old might not be quite the thing when that same child is eleven or even fifteen."
ReplyDeleteOfsted visit schools every 5 years if all is well. This seems a more reasonable time to take account of changing circumstances caused by a passage of time. After all, it seems unlikely that a parent capable of providing a suitable education to a 6 year old will not be capable of providing a suitable education to a 7 year old.
"Schools don't do parents evenings in people's homes, they do them at the school, so why should Local Authority appointments be in homes? They should be at the LA's offices"
ReplyDeleteActually, many schools do do a home visit before a child starts school. Some preschools do it too and apparently it has been happening for years. My son's nursery started doing it 11 years ago.
I think some home educators might be surprised that families often have people from various departments of the LA visit them and no one seems to mind. It just seems to be HEers that take offence at this.
"I think some home educators might be surprised that families often have people from various departments of the LA visit them and no one seems to mind. It just seems to be HEers that take offence at this."
ReplyDeleteNot in my experience. We refused this visit as did several of my friends, not all of whom went on to home educate as we did.
"Actually, many schools do do a home visit before a child starts school."
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this before, what would be the purpose of such a visit?
"Never heard of this before, what would be the purpose of such a visit?"
ReplyDeleteIt is to develop a positive relationship between the family and school, to help the child make the transition into school by meeting the teacher before hand, and to help the teacher get to know the child in their own environment where they can feel safe and in control. This way when the child goes into school on the first day they will already know the teacher and will feel less anxious.
anon says-It is to develop a positive relationship between the family and school,
ReplyDeleteits just poking your nose in to other peoples lives! i dont want to visit other peoples homes so why do teachers?
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