More parents choosing to educate at home in Hertfordshire

Back in September 2019 the county council had records of 1,355 children being electively educated at home, rather than at school.

But this September they say that number had risen by 381, to 1,736. That’s an increase of 28 per cent.

The county council’s executive member for education, libraries and localism Cllr Terry Douris says it’s impossible to know for certain why parents opt to home-educate.

“I can understand people’s anxieties,” said Cllr Douris.

“But what I am concerned about is that these children, who are being home educated, may not necessarily be getting the right education to see them through later life.

“. . . I would ask [parents] to accept that schools are inherently very safe places – and all the procedures that we have in place are designed to make it as safe as humanly possible.”

Cllr Douris stresses that children can always return to a school setting. But he warns that those who do return may find they are in a “disadvantaged position,” because of what they have missed.

Concerns around the increase in the number of parents withdrawing their children from Hertfordshire schools are shared by leading Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors too.

Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Cllr Mark Watkin believes children may not be getting the educational or social support they need, at home.

And he fears there will be parents who opt to remove their children from school who will regret their decision in the longer term.

“A large proportion will be people who are very nervous of Covid and of sending their children back to school,” he said.

“And they have decided they will educate their children at home in the short term.

“I am sympathetic to that fear – but I fear they could be doing more harm than good for their children.

“It may be they have all the skills and the facilities they need to have to do a good job . . . but the chances are they don’t.”

Cllr Watkin is also concerned that parents will seek to return their children to their former school later – only to find places have been filled.

“At an oversubscribed school like Watford Boys’ Grammar there is every chance that in every year group there will be parents who want to have their children educated there,” he said.

“So that place will have been allocated to another child.”

Leader of the council’s Labour group Cllr Judi Billing – who is also the Labour group’s education spokesperson – also believes the increase in home education reflects parents’ Covid-19 concerns.

“I think people are scared about what’s happening in schools – and I don’t blame them,” said Cllr Billing.

“There is a lot of infection swirling around in schools – but there may also be a few who enjoyed home schooling when they had to do it.

“I think more should be done to support home education – but particularly more should be done to safeguard those children.”

Cllr Billing says she is concerned that as a result of home education some children will ‘fall through the cracks’.

She told the LDRS: “I worry about home schooling – not because I don’t think people should have the choice – but I worry about children being away from social settings.

“And I worry a lot about the lack of inspection and control that would make sure these children are learning properly.

“Of course the vast majority are – but I think there’s a real worry about children falling through the cracks.”

The data on home education was supplied by the county council, in response to a request by the Local Democracy Reporter Service.

It also showed that between July 1 and November 20 this year there was an increase in the number of enquiries the county council received about home education.

Last year (2019) during the same period the council registered 303 enquiries about home education. But this year that figure more than doubled to 618.

Meanwhile the council say they have not yet issued a single fine for non-attendance since the start of term.

A spokesperson for the county council said that schools may have issued warning letters to parents as part of their penalty notice process.

But he said that – as of November 20 – the local authority had received penalty notice applications, but that none had been issued.