A pioneering parent hub has been set up in Bideford to support families with children who are home educated or unable to attend school for various reasons.
The “relaxed forum’” was set up by Sarah Logan, Liz Fancourt and Gianna Guarino of Next Steps Tutors, which is an offshoot of Next Steps Education and has recently become a community interest company.
It offers private tuition and mentoring, which funds some of its outreach work, like the hubs and small social groups for children.
The hub was established in response to a combination of increasing numbers of desperate calls from parents and the alarming statistic that one in three secondary aged students in Devon is persistently absent from school.
Sarah said: “We can feel quite siloed into our towns in North Devon. Hubs like this could end the seclusion many parents of students with emotionally based school avoidance feel.”
Mostly the group is a safe place for parents to come and share concerns and advice to tackle their children’s declining mental health. It also signposts users to alternative provision for core subjects as well as other activities to support life skills and self-esteem.
Often, parents have had to make sacrifices around work to meet their child’s needs while simultaneously facing school fines, putting a strain on the family’s finances.
Sarah added: “We want to take the stigma away and stop people feeling so isolated.”
In some cases, school is viewed as the cause of these problems.
“A lot of students that we meet are neurodivergent or have unmet or undiagnosed needs. We can help point parents in the right direction to get support,” said Sarah.
One parent joined and found out that they can apply for an educational health and care plan (EHCP) and disability living allowance, which they have now been approved for, and they chose to spend it on home education sessions. They brought their child to the social group that runs alongside sessions, which was the first time the child had left the house in some time.
Logan tells me: “Their child is flying now, learning to socialise again.”
Sarah said: “We’d love to set up small social groups for children who are finding it hard to leave their homes and socialise. I think the children this is happening to think they are the only ones who feel like this – and that deepens their isolation even more – we know there’s loads of children in isolation, and we also know the difference these types of groups can make to their lives.”
Furthermore, the group has strengthened a sense of community and Sarah said: “We find that parents are keen to share their details with each other and begin meet ups. There’s a real sense of togetherness and support that’s ongoing.”
The founders are now hoping to raise funds to expand the venture, and it could pave the way for other areas to follow suit. They are hoping to start the hubs up in more towns across Torridge, North and Mid Devon and East Cornwall, reaching even more families.
Eventually, they aspire to set up a family mentoring centre in Barnstaple with a minibus to take small groups on trips and widen its horizons.
To find out more about the hubs you can go online and visit the link:
https://nextstepseducation.org/Devon County Council has a website called DIAS – Devon Information Advice and Support, which offers help for parents and carers who are new to SEND, EHCPs and SEN support in schools.
More specifically, it has a page that deals with emotionally based school avoidance: www.devon.gov.uk/education-and-families/schools /attendance-and-inclusion/ebsa
This claims to offer ‘clear, accessible information and practical advice around helping their child’. The webpages have been developed following parents’ feedback.
The council has created resources for schools to learn more about EBSA and how to help children and families experiencing challenges with attendance.
There are links to situations ranging from “sometimes missing school or some lessons” and “regularly missing school or lessons” to “missing a lot of school or isn’t attending”.
It also has a page that offers advice on factors that can help school attendance and Devon’s approach to supporting school attendance.
