Home education guidance: island communities impact assessment

Step six- making adjustments to your work

6.1 Should delivery mechanisms/mitigations vary in different communities?

It is the responsibility of the local authority to have regard to the home education guidance, meaning that the authority is expected to employ delivery mechanisms/mitigations as is necessary for fulfilling their responsibilities in their area.

However, it is at the local authority’s discretion as to what support and access to resources it provides to home educators after the decision to home educate has been taken.

6.2 Have island circumstances been factored into the evaluation process?

No data is held by the Scottish Government on numbers home educating in island communities, but islands have been considered where possible.

We are aware that issues surrounding access to qualifications and examinations, whilst not exclusive to island communities, are compounded by remote location. However, home education should be an informed choice made by the individual family. To ensure that this is understood, we will therefore strengthen wording in the updated guidance to strongly encourage families considering home education to research what resources may or may not be available prior to making this choice.

6.3 Have any island-specific indicators/targets been identified that require monitoring?

As previously mentioned, the compounded issue of access to qualifications in island communities has been identified.

6.4 How will outcomes be measured on the islands?

Officials will seek to liaise regularly with island authorities to ensure that the guidance is being correctly adhered to by the authority, and to gauge how the authority and its use of the guidance is perceived by other stakeholders.

Officials will explore options for a high-level form of data collection which is hoped to provide more information about home education understanding of outcomes in all Scottish communities.

6.5 How has the policy, strategy or service affected island communities?

Little data is held about the impact of the home education guidance on island communities, aside from what was collected at the consultation stage. Generally, the guidance does not affect those living in island communities differently, and the guidance should not have a detrimental impact on a family’s choice to home educate.

As discussed elsewhere, use of digital communication, including video calls, can help to mitigate the impact of a strengthened expectation in the refreshed guidance of an annual conversation between the family and the local authority. The refreshed guidance aims to provide clarity for parents/carers on the implications that a decision to home educate would have on the routes to accessing Scottish qualifications, and on the support provided by a local authority in identifying, providing for and reviewing support for learning for a young person, which would apply only when a child is on the school roll.

It is recognised that, while the refreshed guidance does not reduce support available in these circumstances, there may be factors associated with rural and island living which compound difficulties in accessing alternative support or routes to certification.

6.6 How will lessons learned in this ICIA inform future policy making and service delivery?

Scottish Government officials will endeavour to liaise regularly with island local authorities, and if possible, home educators, to ensure that suitable communication is in place regarding the effects of the guidance on island communities.

As part of the updated guidance, Scottish Government will explore with local authority partners what options may be available for recommencing a high-level form of data collection on the prevalence of home education across the country. This will help to inform future policy development regarding home education, and it is hoped that this may lead to more knowledge about the stakeholder groups in Scotland, including island communities.

Signed

Deputy Director Orlando Heijmer-mason