Parents fined for non school attendance ...

I think that the reason is, ReadyMeals that it's the parent's legal responsibility to ensure that their children gain an education "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise".

It's not the child's responsibility. Or their legal obligation.

There's a recent article here about home education including how one single mum makes it work, Jaxjacky

www.theguardian.com/education/homeschooling

In the old days when I was a teenager my mother's friend kept her youngest 11yr old son at home for company. He didn't like school anyway.
The school board took her to court and he was removed and placed in a secure boarding school over 200 miles away until he was 15 and could legally leave school. She was fined by the court. I think that was a much better deterrent than just fining parents. She made sure his 2 brothers went regularly after that.

Thank you NoSpaghetti I agree it can be done, the lady in the article is self employed , not possible for all and it takes time to establish such a business, but well done her.

I have known quite a few single parents who have home educated over the years - women mainly.

Yes, several worked for themselves - but these days with so much more flexibility in the workplace I think it would probably be easier.

We used to have a friend's daughter every Friday when she went back to work. Lots of families help each other out (and work to their particular skills on those days).

My friend was an Educational Psychologist and worked just three (long) days.

The child’s mother works in a school, inflexible hours NotSpaghetti, if she could home teach she would believe me!

I will just say it again that homeschooling is an option that parents take in which the child is taken out of the responsibilty of the LEA.

It is not an alternative for parents who want their children to attend school but the child itself sometimes for very complex reasons, cannot do so.

The two things are not the same and I wish people would recognise the difference here.

One of my relatives is a primary teacher. Children who have been home educated and then joined their class are always at least 2 years behind the rest of pupils in a yr 5 class. Most are struggling with reading, English and maths. Unless you have a good knowledge of the National Curriculum or some teaching experience Home Teaching severely limits the child's success at GCSE, A levels Uni etc. There aren't enough staff or enough time to get them up to the required levels before senior school.
People should bear this in mind and see Home Education as a very last resort not something that is an equal way to educate. Things I learned in first year grammar school are now being taught in primary schools so the levels are much more advanced.

keepingquiet Actually it is the parent's legal responsibility to see their child recieves an education - suitable to their age, ability and attitude (and any special needs they may have).

But when a child is registered at a school, the parent's responsibility is simply to get them there - as they are delegating the education to the state.

I expect you know this.

Obviously a parent can take their child out but then the education is up to them.

sazz1 - my children all took GCSEs early.
Not unusual.

Families who home educate are all very different you know.

Yes, maybe I should have stated that more clearly.

Parents are free to educate their children at home with minimal intervention from the state.

When I was teaching we had one person whose job it was to monitor the home-schooling in the entire county!

The system is open to abuse by parents and there is very little that can be done about it.

The system is very different now in fact.
My home-educating family have it way less flexible than it was in my day.

It's the same local authority too

In what ways is it less flexible?

keepingquiet

In what ways is it less flexible?

Home ed schedule, timetable is the decision of the educator. If you’re using zoom lessons, that might mean structuring the day .
I’d be interested to know about the less flexible too.

NotSpaghetti
I think you are the exception rather than the rule.

sazz1

One of my relatives is a primary teacher. Children who have been home educated and then joined their class are always at least 2 years behind the rest of pupils in a yr 5 class. Most are struggling with reading, English and maths. Unless you have a good knowledge of the National Curriculum or some teaching experience Home Teaching severely limits the child's success at GCSE, A levels Uni etc. There aren't enough staff or enough time to get them up to the required levels before senior school.
People should bear this in mind and see Home Education as a very last resort not something that is an equal way to educate. Things I learned in first year grammar school are now being taught in primary schools so the levels are much more advanced.

One of mine started school at 9. We encountered this prejudice with the Head saying she would need individual help with the SENCO to catch up. She was assessed by class teacher who said she was the most advanced reader in the class and only one child was her equal in maths. She was also grade 5 piano, grade 3 music theory and great on he computer. She went on to get 12 top grade GCSEs, four top grade A levels, a first from a top university and has post grad qualifications.

I find it hard to believe that every child was two years behind, I knew lots of home ed families and that certainly wasn't my experience.

NotSpaghetti

sazz1 - my children all took GCSEs early.
Not unusual.

Families who home educate are all very different you know.

Too true. My only regret is sending her to school, we originally intended to home educated till secondary. Hindsight is great.

sazz1

NotSpaghetti
I think you are the exception rather than the rule.

No there are/were lots of us.

I see home education or rather less orthodox schooling becoming increasingly usual or common in future.

After all for the most part going to school has really been all about allowing parents to get on with other stuff -such as going to work rather than the true education it could be.

It is just ingrained in our culture but as with many work place changes such as work from home or hybrid hours, education will gradually evolve away from school buildings to being more about the child’s prospects.

Well, Granmaderby, that's put my forty year teaching career, my degree and post graduate qualifications, and my passionate interest in children, young people, and their future in its place - I was just " allowing parents to get on with other stuff".

Chocolatelovinggran

Well, Granmaderby, that's put my forty year teaching career, my degree and post graduate qualifications, and my passionate interest in children, young people, and their future in its place - I was just " allowing parents to get on with other stuff".

This sums up the way a lot of people think about education these days... I wonder why countries elsewhere in the world (not including the US here) value education so highly when we treat it as just another form of day care?

It's enough to make you despair really.

Strange that.
I thought parents working from home meant that they actually did work, but apparently it will be reconfigured so that the parents may spend their work hours educating their children, obviously so much better than trained, experienced professionals.

eazybee
Don't you remember all the complaints during Covid, from parents who had to work from home and were also expected to supervise, help or even administer the online or paper lessons?

Granmarderby10

I see home education or rather less orthodox schooling becoming increasingly usual or common in future.

After all for the most part going to school has really been all about allowing parents to get on with other stuff -such as going to work rather than the true education it could be.

It is just ingrained in our culture but as with many work place changes such as work from home or hybrid hours, education will gradually evolve away from school buildings to being more about the child’s prospects.

😲

I do hope not.
Some parents home school because they believe it's best for their children, it could be, but there will be others, as evidenced during lockdowns, that use it as an excuse.

I'm not in favour of home schooling myself, leave it to the professionals, especially at secondary level.

I’ll be interested to watch the evolution described by Granmarderby10. We are often expected to produce a curriculum specific to every child’s needs.
Schools and teachers do their best by differentiation and provision of support where possible.
Even in early years where a group of children might all have different schemas of play, providing opportunities for all those children to develop their learning in these different ways needs time, organisation and adult support.
With home ed, where parents are educating their own one or few children each at different age groups and stages, it would be easier.
For some children, it might well be the best thing.
Over my time as a parent and teacher I’ve known parents with time to spend with their children and the money and opportunity to obtain and arrange resources, teach their children and arrange meet-up groups with other home ed children.
Some of them have been successful, others less so. You do tend to only hear from those whose children have been successful after home ed, which is great, but it isn’t true for all.

I’ve seen parents who opted for home ed asking me for work for their child whose sibling I taught previously and other parents who have asked for a place at school because home ed isn’t working. That can be difficult if there are no places available, especially if their other child is already at the school.