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The Changed Guidance on Truancy Sweeps
(or the leopard that changed its spots)
Call it an oversight, call it deliberate, the latest available information on the DFES website regarding Home Educators and truancy sweeps could be regarded either way.
ARCH believes that the latter is the case…
It seems that the DfES is deliberately marginalising home educators in order that they should be oppressed by the truancy patrols:
They have on their web site their own version of the home office non-statutory guidance on the conduct of truancy patrols:
www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance/uploads/TruancySweepsGuidance.doc
They call it a 'summary', and refer to the full home office guidance, but by an outdated URL which does not route you to the right one.
If we remember that specific inclusion of HEers in the guidance was promised us as a sufficient alternative to our request for mention in the statute itself, *AND* that they described this as 'an important safeguard', and that this guidance clearly states that:
"4.21 Local procedures should take account of possible contact with such home-educated children and it should be emphasised that they are not the target group for the new power. The power can only be exercised in relation to registered pupils of compulsory school age absent from school without authority; it does not apply to children who are lawfully educated at home. No further action should be taken where children indicate that they are home-educated - unless the constable has reason to doubt that this is the case."
Moreover, the sum total of references to HE in the DfES guidance reads:
"* police officers are aware of categories of children who may have a justifiable cause to be out and about during school hours, especially home-educated children and excluded pupils (see section 6 below);"
"Police Officers will need to be aware of valid reasons for registered pupils and other children and young people being out of school during school hours. These include:
* home educated children who may or may not be registered at the LEA;"
and that's it!
But it gets worse - very much worse than mere omission:
At the end of this so called summary which is clearly intended to be read instead of the HO one, if you take out the references to HE in the home office version, plus footnotes and addresses not present in the 'summary', the DfES 'summary' is still as much as approx two thirds the size of the original, it gives a link, this time a valid one: The full URL direct to the doc is:
www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance/uploads/NFER%20Findings%20on%20National%20Truancy%20Sweeps.doc
"12: FURTHER INFORMATION
A copy of the report on the Truancy sweeps carried out in 82 LEAs throughout May 2002 is available on the Department's website at:
www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance.
The report contains examples of good practice."
(Continued on next page)
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