Response 693883633

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Questions

1. The purpose of this guidance is to set out the relevant law, to provide advice on the roles and responsibilities for local authorities and families in relation to home education; and to encourage the development of trust, mutual respect and positive relationships.

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know

2. The law does not foresee flexi-schooling, or make provision for it. Flexi-schooling is not the same as home education. Is this made sufficiently clear in paragraph 1.4?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please give us your views
Flexi schooling can be a useful tool and had a valuable place in a child's education. This should be considered and allowed as part of home education. I successfully Flexi schooled my youngest child in 1996 it was a useful experience.

3. How can local authorities hear the individual and collective voices of home educated learners?

Please share your examples here
Back in 1995-2005 I home educated my 3 sons in the Western Isles. Although I had no legal requirement to inform the local authority I did. We accepted visitors to our home who were polite and mostly encouraging. This should be a choice, other methods would include written reports. It is very necessary to educate those in contact with home educators in the diverse methods used.
All three sons are working, and married with young families. One has a PhD in Theoretical Physics. We used a very unstructured and learner led approach.

4. Please share examples of collaboration and involvement in the delivery of support and guidance for home educating families.

Please share your examples here
I think it is important to remember that many home educators do not need support or guidance and what many local authorities have on offer is detrimental rather than useful or helpful.

5. Do you have any comments on paragraphs 3.1 – 3.11?

Please give us your comments
I do not believe that the requirement to gain permission to deregister is useful.
This should not be a requirement.
Care needs to be taken when suggesting that home education should not be used as an alternative to local authorities providing support to stay in school and discussion needed to insure strategies and support has been explored. School does not suit some children, this section implies school is the best option.

6. Is it helpful for a local authority to provide a structure for parents to use to provide information on their education plans. For instance, broad questions or a template to support parents to think through their planned provision?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please share your examples here
Details of planned provision should not be required. A broad outline of philosophy should be sufficient. The best education is delivered when led by the child. Schools often try to replicate what home education does best. They do not succeed.

7. Does 6 weeks provide sufficient time for a local authority to issue a decision regarding consent to withdraw a child from school?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please provide details here
Six weeks is far too long! I took my eldest son out of school in England when permission was not required. He was close to mental breakdown and possible suicide. He needed the reassurance that he was safe and school was no longer in question. He needed that immediately 6 weeks may have been catastrophic.

8. Do you consider in-person contact between the local authority and home educating family to be important?

Please select one item
Yes
No
Don't know
Please give your examples here
I allowed in person contact, but it was my choice not their right it made polite interchange possible and made for cooperation and understanding.

I had a friend whose child was on the autistic spectrum. My friend communicated with the local authority by written reports the child was extremely disturbed by strangers and needed to come to terms with his fears in his own time. He is now perfectly integrated in society, working and coping well with life well.

9. How can local authorities best keep general data on the numbers of home educated children and young people within their area?

Please give us your views
I don't believe it is important that they do.

10. What is your opinion of a national approach to information management, for example, a national register?

Please give us your views
A register of home educators is unnecessary and invasive. It channels funds away from education.

11. What factors can facilitate home educated learners to access qualifications? What barriers or solutions may there be to accessing qualifications?

Please provide details here
My children used international general certificates of education standard grade level. A and AS level advanced qualifications. It wasn't possible to do highers or advanced highers. The local college offered facilities to take exams.
Please provide details here
Barriers include coursework.
Self employed can survive well without qualifications.

About you

14. Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?

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