In the UK, the Labour Party are pushing to create a register of children not in school. The Conservative government are also in favour of this, although apparently with less urgency: “We are committed to legislation for a children-not-in-school register and have committed to progress with this when legislative time allows.”
Excellent essay! The remarkable aspect of this whole discussion is that state controlled education is assumed by many as the default... rather than, as has been the case historically, the exception to the norm. It is as if all that stands between children plummeting into an abyss of ignorance and dullness is a platoon of nameless government bureaucrats and their clipboards.
I think it was G.K. Chesterton (though I can't find the quote??) who remarked on the redundancy of State education. 'twas something like: You [who argue for it] are like the fool who stands in the rain, under an umbrella, to water the flowers.
In Australia we are required to register as home educating by the time a child turns six. Each state has different stipulations to be adhered to, where we live in Victoria it is probably the most relaxed with no testing or benchmarks required, though a plan of how we plan to address the key areas of the Australian curriculum is required as a once off. We don't receive any benefits from the government as elective homeschoolers in Australia (that I am aware of anyway!) Last time I checked it costs the government $20K to school one child per year and yet there is no financial support provided to homeschooling families. I wonder does the UK provide any support or plan to if they succeed in setting up a register?
I hope you’d consider writing an op-ed about this in a widely- read publication? These well-thought out points, particularly making a distinction between home-ed and truancy, need to be understood by our lawmakers and the general public.
A great article Catherine, I agree with you. It is interesting, isn’t it, that the government doesn’t for one minute seem to consider why absenteeism is so high... Could it perhaps be because a) school is no longer enjoyable for our children due to the restrictive curriculum that focuses relentlessly (and too early) on the three Rs and performance in tests over everything else, leading to anxiety? And b) because our education system is incredibly inflexible and stuck in the (Victorian) past, for example, assuming that education only occurs in school between 9am to 3pm? And that parents are increasingly recognising these two facts and choosing to keep their children at home more, especially when schools are struggling with teacher absence and strikes (because, let’s face it, it’s not enjoyable for teachers either anymore).
No of course not, it can’t possibly be the government’s fault... It can’t possibly mean that we need to take an honest, hard look at education as we know it; that ministers need to actually listen to experts in education and scientific studies to overhaul the system and make it fit for the twenty first century... And restore a love of learning that occurs naturally in children but is sadly too often extinguished in the current system.
I agree with you. A compulsory register of home educators is not going to solve attendance problems in any way. It often seems that EHE officers in councils don’t really understand home education and a register would likely cause problems. Every so often I do hear of families where I think 😬 maybe some oversight would be useful in this case but then would they sign up to it anyway? And in some cases they are known so 🤷🏼♀️.
Really interesting and well researched post. I wish the majority of our MPs and councillors were only as dedicated to the wellbeing of children both in school and out of were as well informed. I have huge doubts as to the help this bill and register will do to help either home ed families or kids who need help inside of the school system. For me it seems that the money would certainly be better spent in the departments who already work in these areas such as social services, mental health and actually schools!
We used to go to school, so I filled our council's registry form after I deregistered. It was trivial to fill out and they were perfectly happy with it.
A person in my local home ed WhatsApp group found it difficult to fill out, however. I suspect ND on the mum's part. I am two minds about this; a parent who struggles to fill out such a basic form probably isn't going to be a competent teacher. However ND mums often have ND kids that can't cope in the traditional school system. I have first hand experience on how difficult this is, so even if Mum is incompetent, it still might be better for the child to be home educated than educated at school.
There is a certain subset of kids who do better at school than at home. I am not sure many of such kids are actually home educated. Perhaps it would catch some of these kids, but I'm not sure what criteria would be used. The new guidance specifically allows unschooling and like you say, there's no required curriculum. So how do you define educational neglect if nothing in particular is required of education? Registry in itself doesn't currently do anything.
I was going to write a longish reply but you've covered everything I would have done and probably better...
As Malatela touched on there are certainly many children with SEN in question here and some of them, from my anecdotal observations, look like they're doing damn all at home! (drawing, baking, playing board games) I think there is a definite issue that inspectors* are comparing what these kids are doing to what they might achieve in a well-adapted school system, and not taking into account that the well-adapted school system is NOT what was on offer and that that child is probably achieving more and will have a healthier outcome than they would if the status quo had been maintained.
Oh and I have zero confidence that it will be done competently. My LA know perfectly well my son lives here and is not going to school, he's never been registered with a school but he had funded preschool. Preschool reported that his onward destination was home ed. LA wrote about applying for primary, I wrote back and said no thanks, we're home educating. Heard nothing for six years. Letters recently about applying for secondary which I have so far ignored. Other parents in this LA have deregistered and had the LA contact them the same day!
* I know they are called "advisors" but let's be honest here
Excellent essay! The remarkable aspect of this whole discussion is that state controlled education is assumed by many as the default... rather than, as has been the case historically, the exception to the norm. It is as if all that stands between children plummeting into an abyss of ignorance and dullness is a platoon of nameless government bureaucrats and their clipboards.
I think it was G.K. Chesterton (though I can't find the quote??) who remarked on the redundancy of State education. 'twas something like: You [who argue for it] are like the fool who stands in the rain, under an umbrella, to water the flowers.
In Australia we are required to register as home educating by the time a child turns six. Each state has different stipulations to be adhered to, where we live in Victoria it is probably the most relaxed with no testing or benchmarks required, though a plan of how we plan to address the key areas of the Australian curriculum is required as a once off. We don't receive any benefits from the government as elective homeschoolers in Australia (that I am aware of anyway!) Last time I checked it costs the government $20K to school one child per year and yet there is no financial support provided to homeschooling families. I wonder does the UK provide any support or plan to if they succeed in setting up a register?
I hope you’d consider writing an op-ed about this in a widely- read publication? These well-thought out points, particularly making a distinction between home-ed and truancy, need to be understood by our lawmakers and the general public.
A great article Catherine, I agree with you. It is interesting, isn’t it, that the government doesn’t for one minute seem to consider why absenteeism is so high... Could it perhaps be because a) school is no longer enjoyable for our children due to the restrictive curriculum that focuses relentlessly (and too early) on the three Rs and performance in tests over everything else, leading to anxiety? And b) because our education system is incredibly inflexible and stuck in the (Victorian) past, for example, assuming that education only occurs in school between 9am to 3pm? And that parents are increasingly recognising these two facts and choosing to keep their children at home more, especially when schools are struggling with teacher absence and strikes (because, let’s face it, it’s not enjoyable for teachers either anymore).
No of course not, it can’t possibly be the government’s fault... It can’t possibly mean that we need to take an honest, hard look at education as we know it; that ministers need to actually listen to experts in education and scientific studies to overhaul the system and make it fit for the twenty first century... And restore a love of learning that occurs naturally in children but is sadly too often extinguished in the current system.
I agree with you. A compulsory register of home educators is not going to solve attendance problems in any way. It often seems that EHE officers in councils don’t really understand home education and a register would likely cause problems. Every so often I do hear of families where I think 😬 maybe some oversight would be useful in this case but then would they sign up to it anyway? And in some cases they are known so 🤷🏼♀️.
Really interesting and well researched post. I wish the majority of our MPs and councillors were only as dedicated to the wellbeing of children both in school and out of were as well informed. I have huge doubts as to the help this bill and register will do to help either home ed families or kids who need help inside of the school system. For me it seems that the money would certainly be better spent in the departments who already work in these areas such as social services, mental health and actually schools!
We used to go to school, so I filled our council's registry form after I deregistered. It was trivial to fill out and they were perfectly happy with it.
A person in my local home ed WhatsApp group found it difficult to fill out, however. I suspect ND on the mum's part. I am two minds about this; a parent who struggles to fill out such a basic form probably isn't going to be a competent teacher. However ND mums often have ND kids that can't cope in the traditional school system. I have first hand experience on how difficult this is, so even if Mum is incompetent, it still might be better for the child to be home educated than educated at school.
There is a certain subset of kids who do better at school than at home. I am not sure many of such kids are actually home educated. Perhaps it would catch some of these kids, but I'm not sure what criteria would be used. The new guidance specifically allows unschooling and like you say, there's no required curriculum. So how do you define educational neglect if nothing in particular is required of education? Registry in itself doesn't currently do anything.
A well-thought out post, clearly argued. I agree with you!
I love this, I agree with everything said!
I was going to write a longish reply but you've covered everything I would have done and probably better...
As Malatela touched on there are certainly many children with SEN in question here and some of them, from my anecdotal observations, look like they're doing damn all at home! (drawing, baking, playing board games) I think there is a definite issue that inspectors* are comparing what these kids are doing to what they might achieve in a well-adapted school system, and not taking into account that the well-adapted school system is NOT what was on offer and that that child is probably achieving more and will have a healthier outcome than they would if the status quo had been maintained.
Oh and I have zero confidence that it will be done competently. My LA know perfectly well my son lives here and is not going to school, he's never been registered with a school but he had funded preschool. Preschool reported that his onward destination was home ed. LA wrote about applying for primary, I wrote back and said no thanks, we're home educating. Heard nothing for six years. Letters recently about applying for secondary which I have so far ignored. Other parents in this LA have deregistered and had the LA contact them the same day!
* I know they are called "advisors" but let's be honest here
Brilliantly put Catherine! You raise all the points for us home educators that everyone should hear!