SERVICES TO HOME

EDUCATORS

(S.H.E)

Guidance Notes for Families

Director of Education:

Bryan Slater

County Hall

Norwich

NR1 2DL

Manager of S.H.E: Wendy Thrower

EDUCATION OTHERWISE THAN AT SCHOOL

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR FAMILIES

INTRODUCTION

These notes of guidance have been put together to help those families who are thinking about educating their child or children at home. The information which follows should clarify the way in which the Local Education Authority works with families who are educating ‘otherwise’.

If after you have read this information, you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Manager of Services to Home Educators on 01603 764707 or write to The Education Services Centre, Boardman House, Redwell Street, Norwich NR2 4SL.

There are several common questions which families ask when they are considering home education. The following examples are meant to help you come to an informed decision whether or not home education is an appropriate alternative to school for your family and your child or children.

Do Children have to go to school?

The 1944 Education Act states that it is the duty of parents to secure an appropriate education for their children. This can be done either by regular attendance at school or ‘otherwise’. Successive governments have seen education as of prime importance and have invested considerable sums of tax-payers money in providing schools and employing highly trained teachers to provide a high quality service. For most children in Norfolk this means that they will attend the school which serves their local community, but for a wide variety of reasons a small minority of parents decide to take on the ‘duty to educate’ their children themselves. This, it must be said, requires an enormous commitment of time and energy often without access to the kinds of facilities, resources and expertise provided by the schools.

How many other people are educating their own children in Norfolk?

There are currently about 300 children, out of a total school population of around 110,780 being educated by their parents in Norfolk. Some do it all themselves and some provide education co-operatively with other parents, neighbours and/or tutors. Some use materials and ideas from outside agencies such as "Education Otherwise".

NOTES

keep your options open, as your child’s needs may change at different ages and stages. Older children need more challenging and sophisticated materials across a range of subjects if they intend to make good progress. We will always be willing to find a place for your child at a school which can best provide for his/her needs or assist in post-16 placement.

Don’t

Take your child out of school simply because

you have a disagreement with the school or a

teacher. In such circumstances, seek an

opportunity to talk to the headteacher or

consult the Local Education Authority if you

think it is necessary.

If you decide that Education Otherwise is not the best course of action, then the Local Education Authority will be glad to talk to you about your child’s entry into one of our schools. You might like to discuss this with The Manager of Services to Home Educators or The Admissions and Eligibility Department at:

County Hall

Norwich

NR1 2DL

Tel No: 01603 222146

14.

What is the parents’ actual duty?

Under Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act, it is the parents’ duty:

To cause (the child) to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his (her) age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he (or she) may have either by regular attendance at school or ‘otherwise’

What is ‘efficient’ and ‘suitable’ education?

Unfortunately, these words are not defined in the Act. However, education has been held to be efficient if it achieves what it sets out to achieve and ‘suitable’ if it prepares the child for life in our society and also enables the child to achieve his/her full potential. Certainly what is provided need not be the same kind of ‘lessons’ as are provided at school but must be of a high quality if it is to be effective.

It will be up to parents to show the Local Education Authority:

that the programme of work is helping the child

to learn;

that the child is developing according to his/her

age, ability and aptitude;

that any special educational needs he/she may

have are being met.

What is the National Curriculum and does it apply to me?

Although the National Curriculum does not apply to children educated at home, it does provide a useful checklist of skills and knowledge which one would expect of a balanced curriculum. You may wish your child to enter or re-enter state education at some point in the future and re-integration will be easier if you take the requirements of the National Curriculum into account. The 1988 Education Reform Act states that every maintained school will, in future, be obliged by law to provide a basic curriculum, consisting of religious education and, for pupils of compulsory school age, the National Curriculum.

The curriculum must:

be broad and balanced;
promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at school and of society;
prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

The following subjects are covered in the National Curriculum.

Finally?

Do:

realise that opting for Education Otherwise is

opting out of the state system in its entirety. The role of the Local Education Authority will be largely advisory and you will have no access to any of the broad range of teaching services

offered, including, for instance, access to exam entry or specialist teaching services such as music.

think long and hard about it. It is a great

responsibility and a considerable commitment of time and energy.

plan what you intend to do for your child before making a decision to opt out.
look at the costs involved for example, for educational visits, equipment, books, exam fees and subject tutors.
provide opportunities for your child to be involved in social activities, contact with other children and joint activities with other children and groups. The impetus which comes from such activities may provide a useful social setting and improve your child’s motivation to succeed with his or her learning.

13.

What happens if the Local Education Authority is not satisfied?

If the Local Education Authority feels that the education you are providing fails to offer the child an appropriate education, you will be told the reasons and given the opportunity to put things right. You will be given a reasonable period of time before a follow up visit is made to re-assess the situation.

And then?

If no improvement is attempted, the Local Education Authority will require you to register your child at school. Failure to comply will lead to a School Attendance Order being issued. But we would stress that this is rare. It will only happen if the LEA is convinced that you are not educating your child according to his or her age, ability and aptitude, and that you have consistently failed to remedy the situation by ignoring advice and guidance.

12.

KS1 KS2 KS3 KS4

Age 5-7 7-11 11-14 14-16

Year Groups 1-2 3-6 7-9 0-11

English n n n n National

Mathematics n n n l Curriculum

Science n n n l core subjects

Design & Technology n n n l

Information and

Communication n n n n

Technology

National

History n n n

Curriculum

Geography n n n

non-core foundation

Modern Foreign n l

Languages subjects

Art & Design n n n

Music n n n

Physical Education n n n l

Citizenship s s

Statutory from August 2000

Statutory from August 2001

Statutory from August 2002

What constitutes a curriculum?

A curriculum consists of everything which is done in order to educate the child. It should cater for the child’s physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual development.

The Government White Paper, Better Schools (1985), recommends that the curriculum should be broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated.

In other words:

Broad: It should introduce the pupils to a

wide range of knowledge,

understanding and skills.

Balanced: Each part should be allotted

sufficient time to make its special contribution, but not so much that it squeezes out other essential

parts of the learning.

Relevant: Subjects should be taught so as to bring out their application to the pupil’s own experience and to adult life and to give due emphasis to practical aspects.

Differentiated: What is taught, and how it is taught, needs to be matched to the pupil’s abilities and aptitude. It should also be sufficiently challenging so that a child can show that some progress

is being made.

What kinds of evidence will satisfy the Education Authority?

It can be a written programme of work. It might be an interview with parents. The best evidence, of course, is a combination of the above plus a discussion with the child. Recent (usually dated) examples of the child’s work will usually be taken into account. We would expect evidence of serious intent by you to educate your child and evidence of a coherent educational philosophy. But the real criterion is that the evidence should convince an informed professional in the field of education that the child is receiving efficient, full-time education suitable to his or her age, ability and aptitude.

11.

Have a programme of educational visits and broadcasts planned. Make sure they are prepared in advance and followed up afterwards.

Provide opportunities which help with physical development and ones which allow social interaction with adults and children to take place in different settings.
Keep records of educational progress and dated examples which show it.
Make learning enjoyable by varying the style and content, and the processes it involves.
When necessary, give opportunities for independent study and research and provide a quiet area for sustained study/work.
Public examinations and regular testing are available to children in our schools and colleges. Pupils educated at home might need these opportunities to demonstrate their progress and attainments.

What if I don’t’ inform the Local Education Authority but just keep the child out of school?

Under Section 437 of the Education Act 1996, Norfolk Education Authority must satisfy itself that parents are fulfilling their duties. If you don’t provide any evidence of this, either in written form or by discussions with the Department of Services to Home Educators, the Local Education Authority may conclude that your child is not being effectively educated and we would then take legal steps to get the child back to school.

10.

It is important for your child to mix with other boys, girls and adults to learn from and with them.

Unless the family has philosophic, medical or religious reasons for not doing so, a broad balanced curriculum should include personal and social education, health education, outdoor and environmental education, economic and industrial understanding, citizenship, careers education, home economics and Information Technology.

How do I go about it?

If your child is of pre-school age then you are not obliged to do anything, though it would help us considerably in keeping track of those who are being educated at home if you were to write to the Manager of Services to Home Educators. State that you intend educating your child, (name, date of birth, address and telephone number), at home as from such and such a date. Many parents take advantage of this initial contact with the LEA to ask for advice and assistance. Once a pupil is known to the LEA, a representative will offer to call on you at least once a year to help to guide the education process.

If you are withdrawing your child from the school and he/she is of statutory school age you should write to the Manager of Services to Home Educators, stating that you intend to educate your child at home.

Once you have made contact, a simple exchange of letters and documentation will commence, which will include a home visit. At the end of this process the LEA will usually approve the proposed programme.

The Annual Visit

The purpose of this visit is to monitor the quality and range of the curriculum being offered by you and to offer advice for the year ahead. Issues around school re-entry and post 16 provision can also be discussed at these visits. The meeting will be written up and a copy sent to you. This document will carry recommendations

which you may wish to implement. It can also serve as a valuable record of achievement for the pupil’s portfolio when approaching a training provider, employer or further education establishment.

Your Timetable

Your timetable does not have to be rigid or detailed or comply with state school dates, but you should be able to show that you are serious and systematic about what you are doing. It is your responsibility to plan and carry out your arrangements. The Department of Services to Home Educators may be approached to offer informal advice but cannot undertake either to specifically direct your child’s learning or to provide resources.

You may like to consider the following points when you plan your timetable.

Try to see that the learning process is as active, practical and participative as possible and systematically planned.
Try to take full advantage of educational text books, workbooks and all the resources available in your locality and in your home.
Give great importance to a wide range of reading,

writing and discussion in your programme.

Give a substantial amount of time to all aspects of numeracy.
Keep your curriculum as broad and as balanced as possible.
Be prepared to develop and encourage any particular skill or interest shown by your child.