"Unsatisfactory" home learning figure revealed (From Your Local Guardian)

"Unsatisfactory" home learning figure revealed

7:00am Wednesday 17th March 2010 in

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More than one in 10 children educated at home are not learning properly, new figures from Merton Council suggest.

A council spokesman said five of 37 home educated children whose learning it had investigated were receiving an “unsatisfactory” education.

But a spokeswoman for a home education campaign group has challenged the council’s claims.

Councillor Debbie Shears, the council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said the authority provided support for parents and guardians who educated children at home to ensure they received at least a satisfactory level of learning while legal action was threatened against those who did not make the grade.

She added: “While in the majority of cases the education provided meets the necessary standard, where we find it to be unsatisfactory, regular checks are carried out to make sure the necessary changes are made.

“If improvements are not made, the council will take further legal action to ensure the child gets the education they need."

Coun Shears said 54 children in the borough were registered as receiving home education on March 3 this year, and checks on the 17 who had recently begun home education would be made in the next six weeks.

Ann Newstead, a spokeswoman for campaign group Education Otherwise, said councils rarely made it clear what they considered a satisfactory education.

She said the criteria was often based on the “personal feelings” of inspectors - who expected learning to be organised exactly as it is in school.

She said: “If you’re having a child that is home educated, the parent has made that decision because it’s what is best for the child.”

A council spokeswoman said home education was checked by a qualified school inspector who looked at the curriculum and “broader learning opportunities” offered to children.

She said officers from the council’s special educational needs service could also accompany inspectors if needed.