THE TOPIC of Home Education has again hit the headlines.

The brutal murder of Sara Sharif in London exposes the glaring gaps in child protection for home-educated children over those in mainstream education, says the Independent Group on Pembrokeshire County Council in a detailed proposal on tackling safeguarding concerns and a call for the Welsh Government to act.

The Group’s statement is below.

No one denies that parents have the choice of home education. However, this shouldn’t be allowed if the risk to children is increased by a lack of a register by Local Authorities that confirms how many children are receiving home education, where they are receiving it, and from whom. The rights of the child should always be a priority, but the legislation surrounding home education is not strong enough to support this.

Pleas to the Welsh Government from local authorities across Wales to create and maintain a register of home-schooled children have fallen on deaf ears.

COUNCILLORS HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL SAFEGUARDING DUTY

Pembrokeshire has had its share of tragic outcomes regarding home education, and Councillors and employees of the authority have continually raised concerns about the matter. However, a time has now arrived when we as a society must demand action, as failure to do so will almost certainly see such tragedies reoccur. Society needs to accept that this is not Big Brother but our fundamental duty to protect its most vulnerable, namely our Children.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said it was “madness” that the law currently allows parents to take a child out of school, even if concerns had already been raised”.

She added, “Being in school is a safeguard; they are safer under the eyes of teachers.”

We must act. The Prime Minister himself has said that his government will deliver “stronger safeguards” for those educated at home, and the need to act is immediate. And act they have done, making it clear they intend to bring forward legislation (for England) a “landmark” bill where home-schooled children will have to be registered with their local authority.

Wales has procrastinated for far too long and must follow suit and do so without delay.

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNCILLORS’ CONCERNS IGNORED

In Pembrokeshire, the lack of a formal register has been raised on numerous occasions over many years, including on a number of occasions since the last County Council elections in 2022. The Social Care O&S Committee under the Chair of Councillor Dave Bryan on November 10, 2022, heard The Head of Children Services comment that the Council was then “into their third administration of WG where concerns of EHE has not been acted upon following Kirsty Williams’s announcement to shelve the plans.”

A letter sent by Councillor Bryan on this matter drew a negative response from the Welsh Government.

Cllr Phil Kidney and Cllr Huw Murphy raised the matter at Full Council on December 12. The latter commented that action is needed on this matter, as words alone will not suffice, and that he would be failing in his role as Safeguarding Champion if he did not speak out. Politics is about doing right, not being popular.

INCREASED HOME EDUCATION INCREASES RISK

In 2020, there were 210 children in EHE in Pembrokeshire. By early 2023, that number was 325. By Sept 2024, it stood at 463.

Increased numbers equate to increased risk.

Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire have the highest rates of children in EHE across Wales. The Education Act 1996 does not have the framework to allow local authorities to speak to home-schooled children or even see them if parents refuse. Home education works well in most cases, but sadly, not always. The invisibility of these children causes so much concern, as by the time they are seen, it is too late for some.

A CHANGE IN THE LAW

The UK is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 2 of the Convention directs that “the state shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinion or beliefs of the child’s parents.”

Article 28 (b) stipulates that governments must make “primary education compulsory & available free for all”, and 28 (e) says governments must “take measures to encourage attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates.”

It could be argued that for Wales and the UK to be more compliant with the UNCRC, the Education Act, 1996 should be amended to confirm the rights of parents to home-educate their children but within a legal setting where every local authority holds a register of every child receiving home education, that every child is seen and spoken to every term and a sample of their work is seen to evidence that they are being educated to a level that will provide them with the necessary tools and skills to succeed on attaining adulthood.

Society gets only one chance to get things right for every child born into it. For too long, the issue of not setting up a formal register for home-educated children has been, at best, overlooked and, at worst, ignored when the majority support the measure. By doing so, PCC concerns for Child safety will be identified earlier, and tragic outcomes will be reduced.

Attending university is a popular next step for many people in the education system. However, with significant events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a shift into more online-based learning, it begs the question – is the experience as good as it has ever been? 

In this article we’ll explore the current state of universities in the UK by looking at several factors that offer an insight into whether or not standards are declining or increasing.

Acceptance rates 

The acceptance rate of UK universities has remained in line with what it was 10 years ago. In 2013, 496,000 out of 677,000 applicants were accepted and, in 2023, 554,000 out of 752,000 applicants were accepted. This gives an acceptance rate of 73.3% and 73.7% in 2013 and 2023, respectively. 

Acceptance rates staying relatively similar does indicate that the standards for entry into UK universities has remained consistent over the years. 

Student satisfaction

Student satisfaction rates are typically revealed each year by the NSS (National Student Survey). The figure often varies widely depending on the university, but overall it generally falls in the mid to high 80% range. This statistic was similar in 2016, which had an average satisfaction rate of 86%. 

The COVID-19 pandemic did affect student satisfaction rates. Just before the pandemic, in 2019, the NSS reported an overall satisfaction rate of 84%. In the midst of the pandemic, this figure dropped to 74% and then increased slightly post-pandemic, rising to 76.3% in 2022. 

By 2023, levels had returned to normal, showing that overall, universities are still providing a good experience for students. 

Undergraduate degree results 

In terms of student performance, the quality of work has improved over the last 10 years. In 2013/14, 20% of undergraduates achieved first-class honours and 6% obtained the lowest grade, a third. In 2022/23, 30% of undergraduates were awarded first-class honours whilst only 3% received a third. These figures indicate that students are performing better in their studies and the standards of learning in UK universities have improved. 

Increased performance from graduates could be down to numerous factors, including more advanced online plagiarism checks from sites like BachelorPrint or more flexible learning models with the addition of remote course elements. 

Current state of UK universities

Overall, there’s limited evidence to suggest that the standards of UK universities have declined in recent years. Acceptance rates and student satisfaction have remained relatively steady, aside from a blip due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more students are achieving higher honours than ever before. 

CYMDEITHAS YR LAITH have called on the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, to use the current review of the School Organization Code to state clearly the presumption against closing rural schools, and that local authorities must start from the point of view of trying to maintain and strengthen them, only considering closing them if all other options fail.

In a message to the secretary today, the movement referred to the words of Ceredigion Council’s Chief Executive, Eifion Evans, during the authority’s Cabinet meeting at the beginning of the month (Tuesday, 3 December), when it was agreed to treat statutory consultations on the proposal to close Ysgol Llangwyryfon, Ysgol Craig-yr-Wylfa, Ysgol Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn, and Ysgol Syr John Rhys in Ponterwyd as informal ones.

Mr Evans told the meeting: “The Code is extremely complex and extremely difficult. And as I’ve said all along, the Code is very vague at the moment. It’s a headache for officials as much as it is for anyone else as to how to interpret it and use it. I hope that the review that is currently taking place down in Cardiff regarding this Code is going to finally try to get some sort of clarity on what needs to be done.”

In response, Ffred Ffransis said on behalf of the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Education Group: “The 2018 edition of the Code states clearly enough that the introduction of a presumption duty against closing rural schools that are on the Government’s official list. But many local authorities such as Ceredigion believe that they can start from the point of view of an intention to close a number of rural schools to save money, and then, just go through the empty steps of naming and ruling out alternative options with the same generic sentence.”

In September 2018, when introducing the Code, Kirsty Williams AM explained its intention on the floor of the Assembly: “Local authorities in those areas, if they have a school that’s on the list, should start on the basis that closure is the last option and they should seek every opportunity through a variety of ways to keep those schools open… Presumption against a closure and the option to seek alternatives to keeping a school open, again, should not be left to the official consultation period, but should be employed by the council before they make any decision to go out to consultation on the future of the school.”

Mr Ffransis added: “It is clear that following a process similar to what we saw with Ceredigion Council did not follow the intention of the Senedd and the Welsh Government when introducing this change in the Code.

“Quite simply, the principle of presumption against closing rural schools needs to be emphasised and made clear in the third edition of the Code that will be published as a result of the consultation. This way, it should be impossible for anyone to mistake that the Senedd or the Welsh Government is serious about the policy.”