Sector experts are appearing before MPs today to give their thoughts on the schools bill.
Freddie Whittaker is reporting live from the public committee hearing, which includes government ministers Catherine McKinnell and Stephen Morgan asking questions of witnesses.
Those due to appear include academy bosses United Learning’s Sir Jon Coles, Harris Federation’s Sir Dan Moynihan and Luke Sparkes, from Dixons Academies Trust.
(We have a round-up here of all 39 policies in the schools bill)
10am: We need more staff for home education checks, say councils …
The schools bill is split into two: schools measures, and children wellbeing measures. One of the big proposals under the latter is new rules on councils over home educating pupils – which includes keeping a register and doing checks of learning environments for pupils not in school.
One concern was whether councils have enough capacity to do such checks.
Andy Smith, Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) president, said some councils have just one home education officer.
“We need to think about the capacity and resource required to visit children in their home [and] the training required for staff so they can tune in to issues around safeguarding and general wellbeing.”
He called for “sufficient capacity to get sufficient workers in post, and sufficiently trained”.
Ruth Stanier, Assistant Director of Policy, Local Government Association (LGA), added the new duties for councils must be “appropriately resources to have the impact that we want”.
She said they are already having discussions with government about this, but they are yet to do full cost estimates.
… but SEND parent relationship issues presents problems’
The number of children being home educated is rising, and more parents are doing so because they believe schools are not meeting their child’s need.
Smith said parents have “moved away” from home educating for “philosophical reasons”.
It’s “often because of bullying, mental health challenges, being encouraged by schools to electively home educate.
“And increasing number of children with SEND, because parents aren’t getting the provision they want, it’s not available or because of the tribunal process.”
He also raised how councils have a “quite challenging” relationship with SEND parents, and “yet local authorities will be going into the family home and asking lots of questions about the nature of education”.
He said councils need “much clearer guidance about what a good EHE offer looks like, so there’s greater consistency across the piece. At the moment we just haven’t got that because we’re talking about very old legislation.”
Schools Bill: we’ve got you covered
The headlines: Bill to enact sweeping academies reform
The round-up: All 39 schools bill policies
The fall-out: Amend bill to add pay ‘floor but no ceiling’, trusts demand
Opinion: Labour’s plans show it gets trusts’ vital role
