Agenda item

The PDS Panel is informed that there has been a rise in the number of children and young people who are electively home educated (EHE) in Bath & North East Somerset. This rise is reflected nationally and concern is growing that this rise is due is to increasing numbers of vulnerable children and young people who are EHE and potentially out of sight of the education system and possible support services.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services introduced this report to the Panel. He informed them that there has been a rise in the number of children and young people who are electively home educated (EHE) in Bath & North East Somerset. He added that this rise is reflected nationally and concern is growing that this rise is due is to increasing numbers of vulnerable children and young people who are EHE and potentially out of sight of the education system and possible support services.

He said that all local authorities are reporting experiencing a rapid growth in the numbers of children who are EHE, especially children removed from registered schools in key stages 3 and 4. He said that a concern is the challenges for EHE parents of children coming out of Year 11 to arrange exams, with limited access to post 16 options, with no qualifications and high risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).

He said that for many years within Bath and North East Somerset the numbers of EHE children remained fairly stable with the majority being a parental informed choice where children never entered the formal education system. He added that there has been a definite upward trend in numbers over the last few years of pupils coming out of the school system across the authority.

He informed the Panel that in response to the growing national concern, the DfE has carried out a formal consultation on EHE which B&NES took part in. He added that the consultation closed on 2nd July 2018 and that the date for the feedback outcome is yet unknown, but may have an impact on the DfE guidance that will be published. He said that if additional guidance or duties are introduced the Panel is advised that this is likely to have additional resourcing requirements.

He explained that in March 2018 the CMES presented a report to the LSCB highlighting their concerns. He said that the Board tasked the service with formulating a task finish group to look at the issue locally and to carry out an audit of the last 12 families who have notified the local authority that they will be electively home educating their child/ren and to report their findings back to the Board.

He said that the findings of the audit demonstrated a high level of concern regarding the vulnerability of the families choosing to EHE their children. He explained that only in one case did it seem that a parent had made this decision in an informed way. He said that the other families, just under half of secondary school age, had removed their children from education due to a series of difficulties relating to their children’s needs and their education, including exclusions, dissatisfaction with support or lack of support, difficulties with meeting special educational needs and disabilities, emotional and mental health, either relating to the child, or as indicated in professional notes, relating to parental mental health. He added that it was also clear that many parents did not understand the implications for themselves and their children in choosing to EHE.

He stated that the LSCB has supported a number of proposed recommendations in the report and added in their own additional ones, these include;

·  That the local authority amends the Fair Access protocol to allow a period of ‘cooling off’ when the parent informs the school that they will EHE their child/ren. This ‘cooling off’ period would ask schools not to de-register children at the point of parental notification, but to allow time for services to discuss options with the parent fully.  This protocol is agreed annually and is binding across all schools, but can only be implemented with the agreement of all headteachers.

·  That the Corporate Director of People’s Services and the LSCB will write to all headteachers raising concern over the increasing numbers of children who are being EHE and that they support and adopt the proposed changes in the Fair Access protocol.

·  That a further EHE report be presented to the LSCB in 6 months to update on progress of its recommendations and the implications of the DfE’s consultation on EHE.

David Williams asked if any specific needs had been identified in the 12 cases that were audited.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that two children had identified SEND, two with ADHD, a number of them were known to CAMHS or who had parents with mental health concerns and one had a record within the Youth Justice system. He added that all children had been identified as having difficult behaviour.

Councillor Michelle O’Doherty asked how can the records of children that have never entered education at a school be tracked.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that when the service is aware that parents have not accepted school places on behalf of their children we make contact with the family.

Councillor O’Doherty commented that it was important for the Council to ensure that EHE children are not at risk in terms of safeguarding, radicalisation and mental / physical health.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services said that he agreed with those concerns.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked if the Council still has a CMES officer.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that it does.

Councillor Hardman asked if there were further resources, what else the service could do that would have a positive impact.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that additional resources would allow the service to work earlier / more strategically with schools and other services.

Councillor Hardman asked at what point does a child who refuses to go to school get removed from the roll.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that a child can only be removed in certain circumstances and this cannot be done through non-attendance.

Councillor Hardman asked to what extent are we anticipating that all Headteachers will agree to the revised Fair Access protocol.

The Head of Education Inclusion Services replied that it can sometimes be a difficult document to agree, but that he could not see why objections would be raised.

Councillor Hardman asked for the EHE report which is being presented to the LSCB (or its successor) in six months’ time to be shared with the Panel.

The Director of Education Transformation informed the Panel that Ofsted have decided that if pupils in Year 10 / 11 leave to be EHE then these figures will count against the school they leave.

Councillor Sally Davis said that she was aware of the work within CMES and a positive outcome it has had on a child she knows.

The Panel RESOLVED to:

i)   Note the rise in elective home education in B&NES and notes the level of concern regarding the increase of its apparent use to remove vulnerable children from the education system

ii)    Note that EHE is now a national concern and that the Department for Education (DfE) has carried out a consultation on EHE that will have possible implications on the legislation and guidance that oversees this matter and that this could in turn have resource implications for B&NES services.

iii)   Note the report and the recommendations made by the LSCB which has been looking at this issue locally.