Parents ‘home school’ truants to escape fines as Ofsted finds that the threat of a £60 penalty encourages people to pull their children out of formal education altogether
- Parent told the watchdog she was forced to pull child from school to avoid a fine
- Many are given ultimatum of ‘permanent exclusion or leave’ if they skip classes
- Some exploit loophole to escape punishment for failing to show, says Ofsted
- They should not be moved to home-education to ‘resolve difficulties at school’
- Schools and parents should ask whether home is in kids ‘best interest’ not theirs
Parents are claiming their children are home-schooled to dodge fines for truancy.
Families can be charged £60 if a pupil skips school without permission. Failure to pay can lead to prosecution and even jail.
An Ofsted report has found that the threat of fines and court encourages some parents to pull out of formal schooling altogether.
Parents are being given an ultimatum of ‘permanent exclusion or leave’ if their children skip classes and are found guilty of truancy. Ofsted wants schools and parents to discuss whether home education is the best answer for the child rather than their own (file image)
One parent told the watchdog: ‘I have been forced into doing it because there was no other option. If I didn’t I’d end up with a fine or prison.’
The report said: ‘School leaders and a few parents acknowledged that parents can move to home education to avoid penalties. It is clear that prosecution for non-attendance and permanent exclusions are sometimes a trigger for moves to home education.
‘The reasons behind this are complex and at worst may include gaming from schools or neglectful parenting.’
Amanda Spielman, the Chief Inspector of OFSTED, said: ‘Children should not be moved to home education simply to resolve difficulties in school’
The watchdog said schools were sometimes to blame, by giving parents of truanting pupils an ultimatum of ‘permanent exclusion or leave’.
In some cases the fines were imposed unfairly when pupils were absent for reasons of anxiety or disability. All parents have the right to home-school but they are supposed to do so only if they believe they can provide a better education than teachers could.
Ofsted’s latest report suggests this loophole is being exploited by parents who hope to escape punishment for failing to make their children go to school.
Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman, said: ‘Home education is a legitimate parental choice and can be a positive decision when parents are well equipped to provide a good education.
An Ofsted report has found that the threat of fines and court encourages some parents to pull out of formal schooling altogether (file image)
‘However, children should not be moved to home education simply to resolve difficulties in school.
‘Schools, local authorities and parents need to work together before such a decision is made, to make sure that home education is genuinely in the interests of children and not just the best thing for schools or parents.’
Ofsted’s study was conducted across seven local authorities in the East Midlands to look at how and why children move from secondary school to home education.
It concluded that often the decision was made as a last resort rather than a choice.
Many parents told Ofsted they had no idea of the impact on their finances – or how their children would sit exams.