Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Lara Stafford to The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee (CWSB252). 

Summary:

• Why I am submitting evidence (Paragraph 1)

• Why I home educate (Paragraph 2)

• Why I feel Section 436C is unreasonable. (Paragraphs 3 and 4)

• Why a Home Education register is unnecessary (Paragraph 5)

1. I was a secondary science teacher, before streaming online lessons for children during lockdown grew into a business and my full time job. I have learned that school does not suit all children; this is an obvious fact often missed by those who have only experienced the school system. Some children learn best in very quiet environments; or when permitted to move around a lot; or when work is specifically tailored to their interests; I could go on. Some schools attempt to accommodate this with separate learning areas, ‘time out’ rooms etc. Some parents are making personal sacrifices to go further and educate their children at home. I’m submitting this evidence because of the many misconceptions surrounding home educating in the UK. I do not feel the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill has been written by people well informed about how home education works. (In the UK, a ‘home schooling’ child is registered at a school but does the work at home. A home educated child is not registered at a school. This distinction is a useful way of spotting whether a person has done any research before expounding their opinions).

2. My child is autistic, and extremely high achieving in English and Maths. They had taught themselves to read by three years old, and could complete GCSE maths papers aged seven. As far as their primary school were concerned, no further action was required; they were permitted to doodle in a notebook while the class finished their maths work. My child also struggled with things the system - designed with neurotypical people in mind - required them to do, such as get dressed after PE to a very tight timeframe, or notice a bell ringing in the playground and find their way to the lunch hall. The (excellent, stretched to breaking point) school were unable to accommodate this and our child regularly missed meals and becoming extremely stressed in front of their peers, which was affecting their mood, their friendships, and leading to school refusing. We decided we could better meet their needs at home, providing challenging academic work, and social opportunities through clubs and classes.

3. The UK has a teacher retention problem; nearly 10% of all qualified teachers left the profession last year, and the year before that1. A recent study by University College London found "the nature (rather than the quantity) of the workload, linked to notions of performativity and accountability" are "a crucial factor"2. They say "reasons for leaving seem to reflect… the accountability/performativity culture in which teachers work". It strikes me that section 436C of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is trying to recreate this "accountability/performativity culture" in a home educating context. Completing all the details of my child’s learning to the extent set out in the bill would take up a vast amount of time; time I currently dedicate to educating my child. Just as is the case with school teaching, some people will survive by cutting corners to deal with the admin tasks: ‘they’ll never check, I’ll just write…’. And for others, attempting to complete the task with due diligence will make the job so difficult as to render it untenable. Home educated children learn all the time; it is not a question of noting down what has been learned between 9am and 3pm. My child enjoys asking me questions about the history of Britain on the way to their karate class between 7pm and 8pm; the movement of the bus in the evening helps them to focus. Must I wait until they are in bed before logging what we have discussed? How would this help my child?

4. Even if one sees this much accountability as useful, it is the school framework that makes it so. As a teacher, I know that there is a huge difference between imparting knowledge, and knowing what a child has learned. A teacher does not report on a child’s learning by saying what the child was taught; they cite test results as evidence. My writing ‘we talked about history on the bus’ or ‘my child attended a science workshop’ is not evidence of learning. Unless we are to subject home educated children to the same levels of testing as school children, the details required by Section 436C are meaningless.

5. Finally, on the point of the home education register, I would like to point out, as I trust many have done already, that children deregistered from school are already known to their Local Authorities. They are not ‘missing children’, and a home education register would do nothing to protect children.

Sources

1 https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england

2https:// discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10068733/3/Perryman_Teachers%20Leaving%20revised%20final.pdf

February 2025.