Wednesday 30 June 2010

Response to Local Authority fourth request for information

Right I have done it and it is gone, only 2,378 more tasks to go!  I await a response from Leicestershire County Council with curiosity.


30 June 2010

Thank you for your letter enquiring about Beth’s education. 

After 33 years of childrearing, with two children successfully launched into the adult world I am not about to abandon my fourth and very much wanted child, so I can assure you I am very happy with the way her home education is progressing.

I am however surprised at your problem with accommodating my choice not to have a visit as I was unaware that not doing so was in your gift.

See Home Education Guidelines for Local authorities

3.6.  ‘... parents are not legally required to give the local authority access to their home.’

Also
2.7  ‘Local authorities have no statutory duties in relation to monitoring the quality of home education on a routine basis.’

In fact Graham Stuart, recently elected chairman of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee, has just confirmed this in his response to Ofsted’s Report on Home Education.

‘Under section 436A of the Education Act 1996, inserted by the Education and Inspections Act 2006, local authorities have a duty to identify children who are not receiving a suitable education in their area, so far as it is practical to do so. As the 2007 Elective Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities make clear, however, ‘local authorities have no statutory duties in relation to monitoring the quality of home education on a routine basis’ and are only required to intervene if it appears that parents are not providing a suitable education.



Yours sincerely

Maire Stafford

Sent by email.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

good letter your get an answer along the lines of it is the best way to assess the education if child is seen in the place of education! she may admit that LA have no legal right to visit and see child in home but she say its the best way for LA if they can you just keep saying no!

Helen will try it on but once she sees you will not back down she will go away! you may have to write a few more letters!

its always good to tell LA/Helen im happy to help in any way i can for you to understand the education my child is geting what is it you want to know?

Ruth J said...

Hate to be the one to point it out, but you've quoted the same point twice, there.

Maire said...

Thanks Anonymous I am prepared to persist.

Ruth I know that, really it was just a way of reinforcing the point and signposting her to Graham's press release.

Maire said...

Sorry Ruth, just reread my comment and it sounds a little abrasive, I had someone hanging on at the door so was rushing. Thank you for pointing it out, I would much rather be told something I already know than risk missing a mistake.

Anonymous said...

most LA's give up on any child over 13 and just let you get on with it.i been told by a councilor this they only intersted in children under 13!

Maire said...

About 9 months to go then!

Anonymous said...

Maire says-About 9 months to go then!

LOL

home education is such a tiny part of they work that you will soon be lost in your LA forever.not heard from ours in almost 4 years! and dont forget that the SAO process is very long winded as well! with most LA/s not really understanding the correct way to go about it. did you know that an LA must consult with a school about any SAO it may issue naming that school and child. the school can say it does not want to be named and can write to education secretary in London M.Gove M.P asking him to stop it and many write to they LA asking them not to name they school! you allso have to be sent a letter stating why you have failed and also they must serve a notice on you before serving a SAO. if your child understands get him/her to write to all schools in your area telling them that he/she is home educated and very happy please dont allow your school to be named in SAO. you can also let other parents know at any school if a SAO is served many of them will not want they school involved in this matter we did this and won!
dont forget to put in for data request on all infromation held on you by your council it costs ten pounds but it will give you good insight into what a council is up to and what it thinks of your family! you can reqest this online with most councils

Anonymous said...

also if your child understands get him/her to write to LA sayiny how much they like home education! sign all letters with your child/s name first then yours and put from a home educated family at bottom of letter! but only if your child agrees and understands.

Maire said...

Data information request on my list.

I will get dd to write,she would be more than happy to do so, just have to send it to DH for edditing as I did my letter.

She wanted to update them with her progress, she said I could tell them that she had learnt two new swear words, Badman and Balls!

DH said it was not a good idea to include that, shame!

Anonymous said...

I will get dd to write,she would be more than happy to do so,

GOOD let your daughter take control of any updates she feels LA should know about her education and any question complaints your daughter feels LA should address! tell your daughter to sign any letter from herself saying home educated child. all of this is very inportant from legal point should ever an SAO be issued as it shows that your daughter is very happy with her education and shows she is thinking for herself and taking control of her life in a sensible way.


dont forget to sign all letters from you with your daughter name first from a home educating family.

she right about Balls/Badman but they history gone Badmans report is lost along with so many other reports government does each year!

Anonymous said...

Hi Maire,

I didn't know that they were after you with the visit threat.

I love your letter. Will this woman keep her post in the current chopping of low-level public servant jobs, do you think?

Danae
http://www.threedegreesoffreedom.blogpost.com

Maire said...

Thanks Danae We must wait and see, have just had response from her to complaints about website through automatic rating request thingy, a bit terse, will post, but nothing about this letter. Curious!

Maire said...

Ruth have to apologise, just actually read the post and see what you mean, duh! Thankfully on checking what was actually sent it was not repeated there.

Gone now!

Anonymous said...

LA staff can and often do just ignore letters from parents.this is not thought by the Ombudman to be serious matter! so he wont look into it.

you can complain to the council but the council can just ignore your complaint or write and tell you that your complaint is not allowed!

Anonymous said...

councils can call a complaint vexation or a family can be labeled as this to! and it is for councils to judge if a complaint is vexations and Ombudmans would think this is not a serious matter!

Councils then tell county councilors that this family is vexation as well this is done in sly phone calls to each other where No record is keep of what was said! the M.P for that area is also told this to!

Maire said...

We had this at school anonymous, called difficult because we wanted appropriate provisions for our kids and weren't prepared to accept words not followed by the promised actions.

Anonymous said...

Maire says -We had this at school anonymous, called difficult because we wanted appropriate provisions for our kids and weren't prepared to accept words not followed by the promised actions.

then you will be marked down by your council as a " difficult family" your local county councilor will be told this as well!
Local LA officers will have been briefed about any problems that occured at school the head will have told LA staff that your to blame! sometimes its done in emails or now its being done more by sly phone calls so NO record is kept of what was said about you and your family.

you must challege contest anything that you found out is said about your family that is not correct in writing. if you find a document that is incorrect under data request it is your legal right to have it changed.

Anonymous said...

also LA's get they solicitor and barristers to give them advice on how to hinder family! sometimes the council barrister will write to the "difficult famiy" telling them why nothing can be done and trying to scare family! county councilors get this information as well but councilors get the barristers view of what should be done or not done. all councils employ education/solicitors/barristers i got hold of one of these briefing once! they sent it to me by misake

LA staff refer difficult familys to council solictor as well.

you can not get all emails and briefing from solictors as legal advice is said to be private!

Maire said...

I did wonder whether we were flagged up, I would be amazed though if they actually had that level of competence.

Anonymous said...

Maire says-I did wonder whether we were flagged up, I would be amazed though if they actually had that level of competence.

if child was with drawn from school to be home educated because of a problem at school and the school saw you as difficult then yes you would be flagged up and head would let LA know what he/she thought of your family! he/she may tell them if he/she thought you could home educate( sly phone call to LA welfare officer)
it has nothing to do with competence this is how LA's work they always make contact with the last school child attended to hear view of Head/teachers! councilors get draw into this when you complain to them about how you feel you been treated they ask LA staff what do you know about this family!

Anonymous said...

they also ask if a family is on benfit to! if your on benfit your not thought to be able to home educate in the right way and child is more at risk all of this is said in a sly and underhand way!

you be amazed at what is said about your family by LA staff.

Anonymous said...

you had an answer yet from council?

Maire said...

Danae she did not and anonymous I don't think I did ever get the courtesy of a reply. One rule for them etc ....

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