HED0363

Written evidence submitted by Miss Sophie Neville-Taylor

Response to the Call for Evidence Re Home Education

I am a former Primary School teacher specialising in the Early Years Foundation Stage and have 9 years experience before leaving to bring up my own children. Neither of my children are CSA yet (my eldest is 5 in September 2021) but we have always planned to follow the Elective Home Education route.

• One of our main reasons for wanting to EHE is the belief that the current expectation on children to begin formal academic instruction at the age of 4 or 5 is to the detriment of many other areas of learning and development. There is a huge amount of research into the development of young children’s brains, bodies and emotional constitutions that suggests that academics starting before around the age of 7 can have a life-long negative impact on their attitudes towards learning and their self-confidence. We want our children to be able to develop through free play and interactions with a wide range of people who can support their interests and follow their lead and their own pace.
• We feel that allowing children to follow their own interests improves the quality of the learning taking place and can lead to the development of true passions that may well lead to career opportunities. EHE allows the time for these passions and interest to develop and be focussed upon. In addition to the excellent quality of the learning taking place at these times the motivation can then be directed towards other areas of learning and development that may be less appealing when looked at in isolation (maths and literacy skills for example.)
• Socialising with a wide range of people of different ages, genders, races, religions etc is another possible benefit to EHE that we feel cannot always be gained in a school setting.
• We have no objection to being known to and having interactions with our local authority. We understand this can be an issue of contention for some EHE families but we have no concerns about a possible register and will be happy to communicate with our LA (Derbyshire) when the time comes.
• We do feel that all local authorities should have proper training and an understanding of a wide range of educational philosophies to properly support EHE. I hear from other local EHE families that interactions with the Derbyshire LA EHE team are positive and supportive so perhaps they could be used as a ‘good/best practise model’ if needed.
• I have no experience of looking for additional support for EHE or for assessments (such as ASD diagnosis etc) so I cannot comment on this from personal experience though I do know others who found it hard to know who to speak to and it took a long time to get the support needed. Perhaps a named EHE officer could be assigned to enable clearer and more efficient communication in this area.
• On the subject of safeguarding I think there is a need to monitor EHE through supportive communication and careful interaction between families, LA officers and other services as necessary. For this reason I think the register for EHE children is a good idea as this would hopefully ensure that the very few unfortunate children who are under the care of adults who do not have their best interests at heart could be protected from harm.
• On the point about unregistered schools I feel that this is an issue that could also be tackled with a register and a requirement to report (perhaps yearly) outside support for your child’s education e.g. forest schools, EHE groups, sports/arts clubs and tuition etc.
• I do not feel that the LA/government should have any say in the use of curricula or any particular educational philosophies used by EHE families. The fact that there is very little alternative option for education in this country given that many private schools follow the same curriculum as state schools are required to do (this point applies particularly to rural areas where educational choices are even more limited due to geography) means that if families want to follow a different path (even those internationally recognised such as Reggio, Montessori and Steiner Waldorf) have no choice but to home educate. Support should be provided for families by their LA should they ask for it or if there is concern that the children are not receiving an appropriate education to enable them to develop into confident and able adult members of society,
• Excluded or ‘off-rolled’ students should be supported by LA officers to either return to a school setting that is able to meet their needs (including PRU and SEND schools) or support should be provided as requested/required by the family to continue to EHE effectively. I feel that no family should be forced into home educating unwillingly simply because state provision is not meeting the needs of their child.
• In terms of ‘inspection’ of EHE provision I feel that this should be required but that this should be a consensual and supportive act. I think a written report (perhaps yearly) simply detailing the provision for EHE at the current time. More detailed interviews (either in person or through the use of technology) could then be offered if the family or the LA feel that it would be beneficial. It would also be beneficial to provide links to other willing EHE families locally to build community support as well as providing details of local colleges and centres that provide courses accessible to EHE students.
• As stated above any ‘inspection’, or in fact any communication, should be carried out by trained, supportive and sympathetic individuals who have an understanding of the importance of EHE.
• The recent news from France that home education is to be banned has scared many home educating families here in the UK and it is my sincere hope that EHE remains an option for families here, for the benefit of all those who wish to choose an alternative route for educating their children for many many generations to come.
• Finally, the impact of COVID-19 upon all children has been huge. From an EHE perspective there is still some restriction on gathering for educational purposes (including social and physical development) that I feel are unfair when compared with the equivalent opportunities of school attending children. I understand the need for safety at this time and I appreciate the efforts for a more equal offer as we head into our second national lockdown. My hope is that, even if restrictions on our lives continue long into 2021, the understanding of the benefits of all interactions between EHE children are valued as highly as those of school educated children.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit evidence. I would be happy to contribute more if needed in the future.

With thanks,

Sophie Neville-Taylor

November 2020