A Perfect Storm: Home-Schooled Children by Lisa Stubbs

Before 2021, 60,000 children were home-schooled. Covid lockdowns introduced many families to home education and online learning. When schools reopened, persistent absenteeism doubled.

By 2024, over a million children were registered EHE (Elected Home Educated).

 Many vulnerable teenagers never returned to school; authorities lost contact with families who moved during lockdown or whose children turned 16.

It's now two years since we started the Home School Program. We have 100 students enrolled on the program. Progress is better than I expected.

My new role as Head of Alternative Provision came after a 20-year career teaching and managing a Performing Arts department in FE.

I had been randomly selected for jury service at The Old Bailey. I had tried to get out of it by saying I was a teacher and in the middle of exams, but this request had been denied by the Judge. The case lasted four months. It was a murder trial - four young men, all under 18 years old, were charged with murder. Three of them were home schooled.

I won't go into the details but by the end of the four-month trial I had changed: I could no longer go back to teaching acting, I needed to do more - a lot more, as it turned out.

In August 2024, Geoff Osbourne, Principal, and Dan Berbeck, Assistant Principal of Shooters Hill 6^th Form set about creating the first Home School department in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

With a new sense of purpose, I applied for Head of Alternative Provision. The role allowed me to work, and support registered elected home educated children aged 14 to 16 who were disengaged from mainstream education or home schooled by choice. Nothing could have prepared me for the mish mash of characters who came for interview.

Cat had dyed blonde hair, lashes and jewels in her fake nails. Despite her worldly look, she was only 14 years old. Somehow, she'd gone through the school system without anyone noticing she could not read or write. During our meeting her mother spoke non-stop; she had been in prison for a petty crime a few years ago, which left Cat in the care of her dad.

Clive, a boy of 15 years old, was on bail and had been since he was 12. The crime was unclear - it was either being next to a knife or near a person with a knife. He lived with his grandad two nights a week, his mum three nights a week and his dad the rest of the time.

Dean, who looked like he was 30, full beard and a hard stare, arrived with his mum and a social worker. He had initially been removed from school for his own safety, then the entire family had been re-located and were now staying in a safe house.

Not all the cohort had backgrounds like Cat, Dean and Clive; some pursued Latin, played the violin and had parents who taught or paid for private tutors. No matter the background all children were lacking in friendship groups, avoided eye contact and social interaction.

There were also a lot of children whose parents were key workers in the police, NHS and social services. Their children had not returned to school after lock down due to anxiety and fear of the new world we now live in.

I was given the opportunity to build a new school for these children, where they could thrive and make new friends as well as take their GCSEs in English, math and biology.

 I set about finding teachers who were not the norm. I needed to create a space that did not look or feel like an institution: I also needed a budget for trips, visits, speakers and experts in art, music, sports, storytelling and outdoor activities.

We took care of their social and communication skills and built relationships with each child. We met them at the college gate, stayed with them all day in lessons and break times, it was exhausting, we were a small team of two in the first year, no down time or breaks were factored into our days. Most of the cohort had anxiety/mental health issues and were also neuro diverse.

We quickly expanded as demand for places was high, I was given resources for more teachers and classrooms.

 Participation on an enrichment program became a prerequisite for staying in the programme.  The EHE students were offered a conditional place in the 6^th form if they completed the program; this allowed them time to transition into the mainstream college before the new students arrive, allowing them time to try out a subject before enrolling.

 As we start the third year of the program, we have over 100 EHE children waiting to start their educational journey with us. we have a dedicated block of classrooms, a student hub filled with games, bean bags and a place to relax, we are growing our own team of EHE teachers, teaching assistants and mentors.

Our retention is 98% and progression into Shooters Hill 6^th Form or another FE provider 100%. Over the past two years every child has sat their GCSEs it makes no difference to me the grade, although one of the EHE learners got the highest grade in the college for maths, the main thing being they all turned up and gave it their best shot.

Some jumping from being assessed in literacy and numeracy as having year 7 scores to getting grade 3 and 4 in their final exams.

This is not an article to harp on the realities of mainstream education. Realistically, what every young person needs are slightly different and there is no one solution. Instead, this programme goes to show what a goal of working with the needs of the community and local context can do for young people. These young people are not unable to learn; these young people do not fit into the mould of mainstream education and are being left behind. Programmes like these are what is needed in all boroughs across London and across the UK. These young people have been through a global pandemic throughout a key stage of their development, and we will continue to see the ripple effects of this for years to come. Hopefully, more programmes like this will help these young people get back on track. We know that no two people are the same, so why do we expect all young people to learn the same way?