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“Not Hidden, But Home Educated” 2009 Survey of Home Educating Families
Executive Summary and Topline ResultsResearch conducted by Ann Newstead
© Ann Newstead 2009 Introduction The Purpose of this Survey
In Graham Badman's Report on Home
Education the National Association of Social Workers in Education (NASWE) is
quoted as saying: "EHE removes the
opportunity for what is a very efficient method for monitoring and surveillance
through attendance at school." (8.8) Similar, Her Majesty’s Chief
Inspector (HMCI) is quoted: “In addition, children who are educated at home may have less access to
trusted adults who they can turn to if they are concerned about their home
circumstances.” These comments – of the sort that
home educators frequently come up against – demonstrate a complete lack of
understanding as to how education otherwise than at school takes place. This attitude in turn fuels a media-led perception
of home educated children as being cloistered away from any social contact. As a home educating parent
myself, I offered this survey as an opportunity for families to counter this
widely held belief.
The survey began on 11th
August 2009 and the last response was collected on 28th September
2009. The survey was publicised via home
education internet lists and also in a direct mailshot to all families in
membership of Education Otherwise. At the beginning of the survey it
was explained that the purpose of the survey was to look at the facts
surrounding the visibility of home educated children by collecting as many real examples as possible of the type and frequency
of community and social contact that our children actually have.
In addition to the demographic
data gathered from just over 500 families, diaries were kept in full by 309 of
these. For the purpose of this summary I
have identified the most typical range of contact, and nature of contact, most
commonly made by home educating families. Where percentages in the topline
do not sum 100 this is due to rounding (up to one decimal place). Publication of the data
This summary relates to all of
the responses is available online at: http://tinyurl.com/nothiddenhomeeducated Copies of the completed diaries
are available on request (see below). Contact Details
Ann Newstead anewstead@educationotherwise.org 08445 868839 Demographics Location41.8% of respondents considered their location to be in a town with a further 27.4% living within a village. Length of Time Home Educating
47% of families had been home educating up to three years, and 26.4% for between four and six years. Age and Educational Setting96.3% of primary aged children (4-10 years old) in the families taking part in the survey were being educated at home, and 91.4% of the secondary aged children (11-15 years old). Between the ages of 16-19, children were almost as likely (45.6%) to be in some form of formal provision (school or college) as they were to still be home educated (57.4%). Community Based Groups
396 families were involved in some respect with at least one local home education support group. As well as 169 families being involved with Scouts, Beavers, or Woodland Folk groups, 335 families were involved in some other community based group. This shows a high level of engagement in regular community activities. Diaries 309 families gave
details of who came into contact with their child(ren) on Monday to Wednesday
on the week that they recorded their movements, and 300 gave diary entries for
Thursday to Sunday. Across the week,
the people most frequently encountered by the majority of home educating families
included: 1. Allotment holders 2. Baby sitters 3. Band members at band practice 4. Bank counter staff 5. Bus drivers on regular routes 6. Cafe owners and staff 7. Charity shop volunteers 8. Chemists 9. Childminders 10. Chip shop staff 11. Churchgoers 12. Church group members 13. Corner Shop staff 14. Cricket Club members 15. Dance teachers 16. Doctors 17. Doctor's receptionists 18. Dog walkers 19. Dyslexia tutors 20. Extended family including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins 21. Family friends 22. Football coaches 23. Guitar teachers 24. Health visitors 25. Home educating friends 26. Leisure centre staff 27. Librarians 28. Midwives 29. Milkmen 30. Neighbours 31. Parents' workplace colleagues 32. Pet shop staff 33. Post office counter staff 34. Postmen and women 35. Soft Play Centre staff 36. Sports coach 37. Staff at local zoo/museum/gallery/National Trust property 38. Supermarket checkout staff 39. SureStart parents and staff 40. Swimming pool staff 41. Youth Club members 42. Youth organisation members (eg Beavers, Boys Brigade, Brownies, Guides, Girls Brigade, Rainbows, Scouts, Woodcraft Folk) Some families also encountered: 1. Choir members 2. Climbing centre staff 3. Gun club members 4. Ice hockey coaches 5. Ice rink staff 6. Martial arts club members and coaches 7. Orchestra members 8. Trampoline class members and coaches 9. Yoga class members and teachers It was also noted that some home educated young people were engaged in volunteer work out in the community for example at the local city farm or museum. Many of the interactions were regular, and many involved meeting a number of adults at one time, such as home education groups and community clubs. Several weekly diaries are given here as an example of the kind of records that were submitted. Family based
in a city, home educating 4-6 years, home educated child in 4-10 year old
category. Member of local HE group, HE tutor group and other community group
Monday
· Post office staff (see 2-3 times a week) · Rollerblading teacher + 6 HE parents + 10 HE kids · Yoga teacher + 6 kids non HE Tuesday
· Museum staff · 15 HE families at museum visit · 20+ HE families at park + many other families in park · Supermarket check-out staff (2-3 times a week) Wednesday
· HE parent/ tutor at HE group (every week) · 15 HE kids at local history group (every week) · 2 instructors at local sports centre (every week) · Other parent + parent's friend (regular) Thursday
· Judo teacher (regular) · 4-6 HE parents at judo (regular) · 6-10 HE kids at judo (regular) · 20-30 families local HE group (regular) Friday· Football coach (regular) · 10-18 HE kids at football · 8-10 HE parents at football · Music teacher (regular) · Friends (regular) · Other parent & friends Saturday
· Schooled friends + parents (regular) · Cinema staff cafe staff · Family: aunt/grandparents/cousins(regular) · Library staff (regular) · Neighbours (borrow dog to take for a walk regularly) Sunday
· Neighbours allotment holders (regular) · Schooled friends + parents family (as above) · Neighbours other parent + friends · Museum staff · Families in local park and playground Family based in a village, home educating 1-3 years, home educated child in 4-10 year old category, 11-15 year old in state or other formal provision. Member of local HE groupMonday· Maths tutor whom we see every week Tuesday· Parents and children at home ed group we have attended weekly since February Wednesday· Older sister’s boyfriend seen several times a week for the past year · Staff at the local swimming pool Thursday· Piano teacher whom she sees every week term time has done for the last two years. Shop staff Friday· Dance teacher whom she has seen every Friday for five years · Staff at the local pool Saturday· Sister’s boyfriend- as before Sunday· Grandparents who we see on a weekly basis ·
Grandparents’ neighbours Family based in a town, home educating 7-9 years, home educated child in 11-15 year old category. Member other community groupMonday·
Staff at local swimming pool
(whom we see almost every day)
·
numerous pool users (do not
know if we have seen them before or not!!)
·
made friends with two
children, one same age one 1yr older (never seen them before!!)
·
Neighbour's 2 sons (whom we
see almost every day)
·
their 2 cousins who live at
other end of cud-de-sac (whom we see often)
·
Numerous neighbourhood
residents (whom we often/sometimes see)
·
Other dog-walkers in the park
(some we regularly/sometimes see, and others who we've never seen before).
Tuesday·
Staff at local swimming pool
(whom we see almost every day)
·
numerous pool users (do not know if we have
seen them before or not)
·
Shop staff in several shops
(whom we sometimes see, and some who we see regularly)
·
Neighbour's children (whom we
see almost every day)
·
Numerous neighbourhood
residents (whom we often/sometimes see)
·
Friend and friend's parents
and siblings (whom we often see)
·
Other dog-walkers (some we
regularly/sometimes see)
Wednesday·
Friend, and friend's mother
and sister (who we travel to see/meet at least once a week)
·
Neighbour & neighbour's children (whom we
see almost every day)
·
their cousins (whom we often
see)
·
Other dog-walkers whom we sometimes/regularly
see)
·
Newsagent staff (whom we sometimes see).
Thursday·
Local swimming pool staff
(whom we see almost every day)
·
numerous pool user (don't know if we have seen
them before)
·
Swimming with friend and
friend's mother (whom we travel to see at least once a week)
·
Staff in several shops (where
we shop regularly/often, and we are well-known)
·
Other dog-walkers (whom we
sometimes/often see)
·
Friend and friend's parents
and siblings (whom we often see)
·
Neighbour's children (whom we
see almost every day)
·
Numerous neighbourhood residents (whom we
often/sometimes see)
Friday· Local swimming pool staff (whom we see almost every day) · numerous other pool users (don't know whether or not we have seen them before) · Restaurant staff (whom we often/sometimes see when we dine out every Friday) · Aunts, uncles, cousins (some whom we see at least once a week, some whom we see more often) · Other dog-walkers (whom we sometimes/often see) · Neighbour's children (whom we see almost every day) · Numerous neighbourhood residents (whom we often/ sometimes see). Saturday· Shop staff (we regularly/often see) · Other dog-walkers (whom we regularly/sometimes see) · Numerous neighbourhood residents (whom we sometimes/often see). Sunday· Local Ju-jitsu club staff and members (whom we see once a week) · Other dog-walkers (whom we often/sometimes see) · Aunts, uncles, cousins (whom we see often) · Swimming club teachers, staff and members (whom we USUALLY see at least twice a week....Monday and Sunday) · Neighbour & neighbour's children (whom we see almost every day) · Numerous neighbourhood residents (whom we often/sometimes see) A full set of the diaries is available from the survey’s author. Comments 223 families took advantage of the offer to comment on the subject of the visibility, and social interaction of their children. It was noted by some that research such as this was not something that had been attempted by the Review team – to the detriment of the understanding of all involved: As home education is
such a minority choice, it is only to be expected that many people will have little
knowledge of how families conduct this. It is obviously vital that anyone
looking to change the current legal situation with regard to home education,
has taken the time and trouble to understand what goes on. I do not feel this
is the case with the review conducted by Graham Badman. Contrary to the assumption on the part of the general population that home educated children “miss out” on social interaction, many parents contrasted the opportunities available to their child with those of a “typical” schooled child: Most people are
curious about Home Education and make a point of talking to our four children.
I think it is more likely that a child within a 'standard' family of two
children who are educated at the local state school is more likely to be
'invisible', especially in the large Senior schools where the staff often fail
to know the children and don't have sufficient knowledge of a child to detect
any issues the child may have. In my experience many parents feel that a child
at Senior School does not have time to do extra curricular activities and
receives all the socialisation they require from school; this obviously limits
the contacts the child has with others on a normal daily basis.
One parent astutely commented: When I looked at who
my children see on a regular basis, a lot of the adults professional status
should mean they are CRB checked and trained in child protection issues, if
there were any concerns about my children I am sure those with the relevant
training would know how to deal with such a situation correctly. It is clear
from being able to take this survey that my children interact a great deal with
the community and are far from hidden! For families where the child may have special educational needs, or simply not be particularly outgoing, the choice on how and when to interact outside the family is, once again, something that home educating parents are aware of – and thankful for: My son particularly
enjoys spending time with his brother and vice versa. He says again and again
how being with me and his brother are what makes home "homely". He
loves the relaxation and the chatting and enjoyment of our company. The tyranny
of 'out' being better in some way is just nonsense. Another wrote: Some of our weeks can
be full-on but others not that much contact. My daughter is autistic. This
means that her coping abilities vary enormously and small groups or one-to-one
are best for her. She is not HIDDEN away and is known and loved by many people.
Judgements of how 'happy' or 'well adjusted' a child is by how many people they
are seen by or who they talk to is a false one. My daughter is happy by
herself, just with me and her father or with close friends - when she decides
she wants to do it! Many autistic children will not choose to be with others
either at all or very little - they are still safe and will function much
better if they are left to figure out the world at their own pace rather than
be forced to do something society sees as 'normal'. The nature of relationships and contacts that home educated children make was also commented upon: It is not only the
number of social contacts which is remarkable, but the depth of them. I am
convinced that if my older daughter had been at school, she would not have had
the time to develop close regular relationships with the following people: * Two elderly
neighbours who were like grandmothers to her for many years until their deaths Even families in rural areas felt that the socialisation and socialising of their children was sufficient: We live in a very
isolated area and yet we still have a busy social life with regular contact
with friends and other adults and children. The social contact that the children
have is more natural than the school society because they meet a wider range of
ages. Consequently they are at ease talking to adults, which I find sometimes
children who go to school are not. One parent highlighted the double standard that can persist even when people are presented with the evidence of the range of socialisation that home educated children enjoy: I often have local
(state-school) parents comment on how friendly and out-going the children are.
Then when they find out the children are home educated, they suddenly wonder
"but are they okay socially??" This has always puzzled me. When the
other parent thought the children went to state-school, they thought the
children were very "normal" and out-going... but when they realised
they were home educated, they thought perhaps the children would never
integrate in society! Folly! Another summed up the frustration that many home educating families feel at this misconception that seems to persist: I feel that 'home'
educated just doesn't do us justice we spend very little time at home! We recognise 50% of
the people on our street by sight and of these half of them we know on a first
name basis and we have a little knowledge of their personal life as they know
of ours, we go out of our house every day and always see at least 1 of these
people as we set off on our travels and we always make a point of stopping and
chatting to see how they are etc. We have a wonderful caring, diverse community
in our area and this needs to be promoted across the country not dividing
people into convenient stereotypes and encouraging neighbours to be suspicious
of each other. We have to recognise that every person is an individual with
their own specific needs and if we celebrate that diversity we can respect each
other’s right to be different and do things their way. I'm very disappointed
that a social services issue has become interlinked with an educational one and
I feel strongly that the procedures that are in place are sufficient to protect
children if the public do raise concerns where necessary to the relevant
authority and that is followed up professionally by the relevant authority. My children are not
hidden from view and I am confident that I provide a suitable education for
them according to the law, we have a varied and busy social life and many
adults and children see them over the course of any given week Annex A Questions1. What type of
location do you live in? Select the answer that you feel is closest to
representing where you live. · rural · village · town · city 2. Roughly how long
have you been home educating? · 1-3 years · 4-6 years · 7-9 years · 10+ 3. Which age range(s)
do you have children in, and are they educated at home or in playschool/school
or other formal provision? · 0-3 - home educated or state/other formal provision · 4-10 - home educated or state/other formal provision · 11-15 - home educated or state/other formal provision · 16-19 - home educated or state/other formal provision 4. Are you or your children
part of any of the following: · Local Home Education Group · Home Ed Tutor Group · Scouts, Beavers, Woodland Folk etc ·
Other Community Based Group Weekly diaries - Monday
to Sunday Please describe the
contact that your child(ren) had with others beyond those that they live with
during the course of today. |