'Madness' to allow home schooling when abuse suspected

[ProfessorDavey]

I do support a register. School inspectors should inspect all home schoolers on a regular basis, imo.

By school inspectors I assume you mean Ofsted.

[Roses]

By school inspectors I assume you mean Ofsted.

Yes.

[ProfessorDavey]

Yes.

Pleased to hear you agree with me.

My concern is that without clear direction that inspection must be by the main independent inspectorate, we would end up with a situation where home schoolers simply mark their own homework. Effectively a cliche of 'inspectors' spring up with no independent credibility who pay lip service to inspection. Of particular concern here is home schooling based on religious dogma that becomes inspected by religious leaders of that self, same religion, where there is no concern for a broad and balanced curriculum, rather a narrow focus on religious instruction.

We have seen this in independent faith schools and even in state-funded faith schools where Ofsted isn't permitted to inspect all aspects of the school (as occurs for non faith schools), but the school appoints its own inspectors to inspect the religious aspects of the school.

[Roses]

Pleased to hear you agree with me.

My concern is that without clear direction that inspection must be by the main independent inspectorate, we would end up with a situation where home schoolers simply mark their own homework. Effectively a cliche of 'inspectors' spring up with no independent credibility who pay lip service to inspection. Of particular concern here is home schooling based on religious dogma that becomes inspected by religious leaders of that self, same religion, where there is no concern for a broad and balanced curriculum, rather a narrow focus on religious instruction.

We have seen this in independent faith schools and even in state-funded faith schools where Ofsted isn't permitted to inspect all aspects of the school (as occurs for non faith schools), but the school appoints its own inspectors to inspect the religious aspects of the school.

ALL schools and home schoolers should have to permit vists from Ofsted inspectors. I didn't realise they could refuse inspections!

[Outrider]

ALL schools and home schoolers should have to permit vists from Ofsted inspectors. I didn't realise they could refuse inspections!

It wouldn't necessarily have to be specifically Ofsted - I might be splitting hairs, but it's worth noting that the DfE also oversees the Independent Schools Inspectorate, a parallel to Ofsted which is responsible for inspections of the private school sector.

It might be considered they're better placed than Ofsted to oversee this, or there might be a need for another, separate, inspectorate.

O

[ProfessorDavey]

It wouldn't necessarily have to be specifically Ofsted - I might be splitting hairs, but it's worth noting that the DfE also oversees the Independent Schools Inspectorate, a parallel to Ofsted which is responsible for inspections of the private school sector.

It might be considered they're better placed than Ofsted to oversee this, or there might be a need for another, separate, inspectorate.

O

My understanding (although I might not be fully up to date) is that although the majority of independent schools are inspected by either OSTED or ISI, not all are. And those that aren't tend to be religious schools. A few years ago there was the case of the Bridge School Inspectorate:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34910176

It may be the case that all these small bespoke inspectorates have been disbanded but I'm not sure. I'd also argue with the notion of the ISI being fully independent in the manner that OFSTED is - it works on behalf of the member schools and typically includes inspectors who are in leadership roles at other, nearby schools. So there is always the whiff of 'you scratch my back, I scratch yours'.

There is also the issue of non regulated schools (again often religious) which simply vanish from the system and any independent oversight. Now this is illegal, but the lack of regulation around home schooling I suspect perpetuates the issue. Nominally 'home schooled' kids who are actually being taught together in a completely unregulated 'school'.