Anyone from Stoke on Trent?

[homeedmummy2011]

What are your experiences with the LA in Stoke on Trent? Would be really helpful to hear. Ive just started my journey with my son. Thanks xxx

[Ali Admin]

I'm in Scotland but made the mistake of taking a casual browse through Stoke on Trent's FAQs on elective home education.

There's lots of red ink to emphasise the importance of monitoring and evidence.

Hopefully, you'll find some of the threads on here useful in preparation for dealing with your LA. It may also be useful to familiarise yourself with the current (since 2007) elective home education guidelines for local authorities in England.

I'm sure someone more local will be along soon.

[llondel]

It is enlightening to go and check up on a random council occasionally. However, it's not always pleasant, and shouldn't be done around mealtimes without a sick bag nearby.

[JaneP]

That's an awful policy, I hadn't realised and thought our council were bad. Though what SonT are saying is what Walsall does in practice and sneaks up on us instead of being so bald faced. We have friends in Stoke on Trent and visit groups there occasionally, have you come across the HELM list yet? There are some FB pages too. There's been some discussion recently about Staffordshire on list, was it this one? Other's too. There's also this site; http://www.homeeducationstaffordshire.co.uk

Hope that helps a bit. Jane xxxx

[Ali Admin]

Oh look what else I found.

http://www.safeguardingchildren.stok...set_id=3026628

Who could possibly object to a visit from the Stoke Stasi as per para 19 of the (still draft?)rules?

19. The Education at home monitoring officer will arrange to carry out a home visit within ten working days. The Access and Attendance Service will notify the Education at home monitoring officer if information is held on any difficulties in home visiting. The parent is not obliged to allow the Education at home monitoring officer to enter their home but given that the purpose of the visit is to ascertain the suitability of the education provided they will be encouraged to do so. During this visit the Education at home monitoring officer will make every effort to ensure that the child is seen. It is not required that the National Curriculum is followed but during the visit parents will be asked to allow the Education at home monitoring officer access to the child’s work and will be invited to discuss their plans for their child’s education and progress.

Para 19 was emboldened (but no red ink):

22. N.B. If the education at home monitoring officer has concerns for a child’s safety or a child’s wellbeing (or if the child has not been seen during a home visit) an immediate referral to Specialist Services will be made and confirmed using the Safeguarding Children Board Multiagency Referral Form).

Just as well they're running out of money to waste.

[llondel]

Para 22 would be OK if the bit in brackets was missing. That would then just be restating their duty in law to record a concern. Lack of a visit or seeing children during a visit is a pretty low threshold for concern though.

Think of all the money they're wasting on trivial matters that could be better spent helping those who really need it.

Bigger haystack, anyone?

[JaneP]

Hi. There's a discussion on HE-UK at the moment in regards to Staffordshire. Someone local (I think) has made a FOI request. Here's the link to HE-UK http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HE-UK/ I could ask them to post here or pass on an email address?

Best wishes
Jane
xxxxx

[Ali Admin]

The Home Education Staffordshire website seems to be the one that is heading to the top of the search engines. The dodgy practices of rogue LAs should surely be exposed to public scrutiny?

[homeedmummy2011]

Hi ladies,
thanks for the info....Im a bit nervous now after reading that!! Is it still ok do you think for me to send in the letter i worte to him asking him to give us time to de school and i also said that i would have to have the time to work out with my son to review his difficulties in numeracy and literacy. I also quoted the law to him regarding having sufficient time to set in motion the arrangements for home education with my son.

Do you think this letter will stand with him? or will he want to come out within 10 days! I dont know wether its just to see our home and meet my son and I and to have an informal chat! Oh please help,im all over the place with worrying about this.
Any help/advice would be truly appreciated, thankyou xxx

[llondel]

Do you think this letter will stand with him? or will he want to come out within 10 days! I dont know wether its just to see our home and meet my son and I and to have an informal chat!

First things first, get in contact with the local home ed group if you haven't already done so.

As for the council, just tell them that you do not wish to have a meeting and stick to it. If they turn up on your doorstep unannounced, talk to them for long enough to get their names and then shut the door on them and write a formal complaint. The education team has no right to insist on visiting you at home, nor to a meeting at all. The most they can reasonably expect, especially at this stage, is an outline of your educational philosophy (i.e. vague handwaving explanation of what approach you're going to take).

If they threaten anything unpleasant, ask them to quote the relevant part of the law that allows them to insist on something.