Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Sarah Osborne to The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee (CWSB87)

Introduction

We are writing in the capacity of a home educating parents. The bill matters to us as the measures included would negatively impact our family’s way of life and our daughter’s well-being.

Executive Summary

In this submission we will cover the following:

● Background - our family's story of home education and school.

● Areas of Concern - a look at our chief areas of concern in this Bill from our perspective as home educating parents. These concerns include:

○ Discrimination and lack of understanding of the home educating community

○ Lack of an appeal process/fines and imprisonment for not complying with an SAO

○ Powers open to misuse - home visits.

● Recommendations - recommendations for professionals to consult.

Background

We started home educating our daughter in 2022 - this was for a multitude of reasons. During the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst still registered at school, our daughter (aged 6), was struggling with the work sent by her school. She is extremely bright, but the instructional, ‘expert at the front’ teaching style left her unengaged, uninspired and unable to retain knowledge. During this period we experimented and started to engage our daughter in other educational activities, led by her personal interests. This led us to understand her unique learning style - she needed a multi sensory, play-based approach to learning and to use her personal interests as a jumping off point. Our daughter went back to school after the pandemic (now age 7) and shortly after she was diagnosed with a chronic disease, Type 1 Diabetes - this impacted all areas of life including getting to and attending school, late nights treating low blood sugar, eating alone at school or being left out of activities. This all attributed to her having a less than positive experience. Shortly after I was diagnosed as an adult with ADHD, it became clear to me that my daughter was also Neurodiverse. I connected the dots from her learning needs to the sensory processing difficulties she had had since the age of 3 and other traits were now surfacing Our daughter began to struggle daily with the experience of school.

We tried very hard to make school work, they gave her some accommodations (like a rubber band on the chair and movement breaks) but it wasn’t enough, she became disconnected, lost her spark and was unable to get through a school day. Being a high functioning AuDHD girl, she masked heavily and would freeze or shut down. When we got home she would have intense meltdowns and be unable to withstand any form of touch, even from her own clothes. The intersection of Type 1 Diabetes and AuDHD is risky - when my daughters emotions became extreme, her blood sugar plummeted and she would go hypoglycaemic. There was a whole week she could not even get dressed. My husband and I were accused of being ‘too anxious’, as if we were the cause of our daughter's unhappiness. Seeing your child desperately unhappy and not having their needs met, is anxiety inducing. School was harming our child. Deciding to home educate was the best decision we ever made, and it was an empowered one. We did plentiful research and understood our options. We recognised that our daughter needed something different, a more flexible, spontaneous, personalised and child-led education. Our daughter has gone from strength to strength in this environment and is thriving. Self directed education (also referred to as Unschooling) means that the child is in control and can develop at their own pace. We facilitate and provide whatever our daughter needs to follow her own interests, led by her intrinsic motivation. For her this looks like a lot of reading (77 books read in 2024), writing stories, writing and drawing comics, filming and editing videos, using design software to make graphics, watching documentaries, doing online classes around her personal interests, making stop motion animations and in-person Drama classes. It allows room for spontaneity, flexibility and deep learning. Whilst her education looks nothing like school, she is receiving a suitable education. Home education changed our lives for the better. At a later date we had a full assessment of our daughters needs with a charity organisation which helps Neurodiverse children, they reported back that alongside our suspicions of ADHD and possibly autism, our daughter was most definitely thriving in the context of home education.

For extra context, let us explain why she could not safely return to the school system. I say could not rather than would not because there is a clear difference. She could not wear a school uniform, or socks or shoes - due to her profound sensory processing difficulties. At home she has just one pair of boots she can wear comfortably, when they need to be sized up it can take her a fortnight to spend more than a few minutes in the new ones. She would freeze outside on playtimes, she wears the same outfit (which I buy in multiples) and hates heavy layers so would rather freeze (this happened in school). She would not be able to withstand the noise of the playground and would retreat into herself, becoming withdrawn. She wouldn’t eat school dinners or much of a packed lunch, her food sensory issues mean we must prepare and present food in a very specific way. If she doesn’t eat, or gets distressed about eating, she could have severe hypoglycemic episodes which (along with the possibility of being life threatening) would further add to her anxiety about attending school. On top of this she would not be learning effectively as school cannot deliver the unique style she needs to engage.

Areas of Concern Surrounding the Bill

● Lack of an appeal process/fines and imprisonment for not complying with an SAO The current process when an SAO is issued means that a family has a chance to take the case to court if they believe they are providing a suitable education. The proposed section increases the penalty, this means a lot less families will risk going to court even if the education is suitable. There should be an appeal process or an ombudsman to help these families, at the moment they rely on organisations like Education Otherwise. If EHE is a recognised and legal choice then why isn’t more help available to these families. In our case, if we were issued an SAO for our daughter (and believed her educational provision to be suitable) then one of us would face fines or even imprisonment. Hypothetically if this was the choice, we would choose our child’s well-being and risk imprisonment. As detailed above, our child would not be able to attend school without it causing significant damage. What happens to our daughter’s education if one of us is sent to prison (Mum is the main provider of our provision)? Dad would have to give up work to be our daughter’s full time carer and educator. If his provision is deemed unsuitable, could he be imprisoned also? Leaving our vulnerable daughter, trying to navigate the world with so many differences and a chronic disease alone and in care. How is this brought in under the guise of well-being? It would tear our family and our happy, meaningful and purposeful life apart.

● Underlying Motivations & Lack of Understanding of the Communities Impacted. The main point we would like to make is that we think it needs to be understood, by the Government, that school is not the best place for everyone. That there is a small percentage of children who do not fit the model that is provided, and that the parents of these children be allowed freedom to pursue the best form of education for their child. The Government should be more respectful and protective of its home educating citizens and strive to create connections and understanding. It should be responsible and help to dispel myths such as the ‘socialisation’ question - home educated children have friends, socialise and are not isolated, the community is intergenerational and diverse. A high proportion of home educating parents, along with their children, are Neurodivergent, these parents and children need to be able to educate in the style that benefits their children's needs. The level of detail being asked for implies that the Government would prefer all children be engaging in ‘school at home’. I feel this is discriminatory towards the community. During the second reading in Parliament, many MPs incorrectly referred to Home Education as Home Schooling, this is a very basic mistake. Home Education is not school at home. Home schooling, along with Home Learning is mostly referred to when a child is completing work sent by school at home. Please allow room for difference to exist in our society. You cannot standardise all children. The ‘Provision of information to local authorities: education providers’ section is concerning and shows a lack of understanding of home education from those who wrote the bill. Our daughter goes to in-person groups including a weekly home education drama group, monthly sessions at various local settings who offer home education day (such as museum and galleries) and also clubs where schooled children are present like holiday art workshops or Guides. The extra burden on these often small providers would probably mean less opportunities will be offered or even denied to home educated children. A ‘prescribed amount of time’ is mentioned but not made clear, this amount of time should not be buried under second legislation where it can be so easily changed. This needs clarification.

● Failure to Address Fundamental Issues Within School System See my background story, we are not alone in the issues we found with our daughter attending school. We have many, many friends in the home educating community whose children are traumatised by their school experience. Also friends who are increasingly concerned with draconian punishments like isolation booths being used increasingly. School needs reform, the money intended for this register would surely be of more use there - especially areas concerning SEN.

● Powers open to misuse - home visits. What are the safeguarding requirements for the person entering the home? We think that EHE officers should be experienced in home education and be trained in the many variations in home education pedagogies. Many Neurodivergent children would feel unsafe with a stranger in their homes, they may be nervous or scared and not want to talk. Will the parent be punished if the child is not present at the home? Using our daughter as an example - she is a bright and articulate child and can talk at length about her personal interests, but her slow processing speed means she can find it difficult to answer questions when put ‘on the spot’ as she can’t easily find words in her mind.

Recommendations for Further Action

We would also like to recommend connecting and consulting with the home education community and with experts such as Dr. Naomi Fisher, Michael Charles and Jenn Hodge before releasing the next draft.

Please consider amending the amount of details recommended from home educating parents such as ‘hours of study’ etc as they would be impossible for many parents - myself included.

Also consider the implications of increased fines and imprisonment for parents. Please know that I would not let the state push my child back into school against her wishes, my own wishes and her best interests. I would not comply.

Conclusion

We believe the measures in this bill regarding home education, if left unchallenged, will be burdensome for so many responsible, hard working and loving parents who would do anything for the sake of their child’s well-being. When children learn in a way that supports their own unique learning style, interests and rhythms - they thrive. Self-directed education is a truly bespoke way to support our child and she thrives learning deeply in her interests and passions. Home education is legally on par with school as parents are legally responsible for the provision of education to their children.

These legislations will further drive a wedge between home educating individuals and their local authorities. People are already on the defence, this could in fact push these individuals away, when what is needed is connection, mutual respect and understanding between the parties. Please see us as individuals and understand that the reasons for home education are extremely varied. Over regulating us in this way will be burdensome to a great many loving, responsible, hard working parents who are working hard everyday to ensure their children have a bright future.

Please make considerations for ‘the children who show us they need something different, and the adults who listen to them’ (from the dedication in Naomi Fisher’s ‘A Different Way to Learn).

January 2025