Agenda item

a)    Joint Report of the Director of Transformation and Partnerships and Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services

b)    Presentation by Sheila Palmerley, Strategic Manager School Places and Admissions, Ian Shanks, Pupil Placement & Educational Safeguarding Manager and Claire Nicholls, Pupil Placement and Attendance Manager

The Committee considered a report of the Joint Report of the Director of Transformation and Partnerships and the Corporate Director of Children & Young People’s Services that provided an introduction to a presentation on Elective Home Education (EHE) (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Pupil Placement and Education Safeguarding Manager and Pupil Placement and Attendance Manager gave a detailed presentation that included the following:-

·         Background to Elective Home Education – registers were kept to monitor and track the pupil and the LA must approve the Education being proposed at home

·         Number of Pupils Education at Home – approximately 280 pupils currently being education at home with a 50/50 split between male and female pupils.  55 traveller children were included in this number.

·         Local Authority Responsibilities, Safeguarding and Support – a Multi-Agency panel ensured the process was robust and satisfactory.  A private members bill was being proposed whereby there was a duty on the local authority to monitor the child or young person, that parents were required to register their child and to assess each child annually. 

·         Destinations of Children and Young People

·         Good Practice – a lot of interest had been expressed in the Durham model and training had been provided for neighbouring authorities.

Councillor Jewell asked what form would the monitoring of home education take and how effective this would be.  The Pupil Placement and Education Safeguarding Manager said that it was difficult as parents did not have to follow the national curriculum but they had to provide a suitable education.  Parents were contacted and meetings were offered at the early stages where their responsibilities were explained.  Proposals and evidence samples of learning were sought from the family and the panel would determine if they were suitable.  If parents refused to participate then legal action could be taken and cases could end up in the Magistrates Court.

A pupil asked that if bullying in a school had occurred and then the parent withdrew the child to home educate, would the school be questioned.  The Pupil Placement and Safeguarding Manager explained that meetings with the parent and child would take place to discuss what had happened and would challenge the school to ask if they had put all of the support mechanisms in place.  The service would offer support to the school and give suggestions to overcome any problems at the early stages of bullying issues.

The Chairman thanked officers for a very informative presentation.

Resolved:

That the report and presentation be noted.