Homeschoolers are children who, for whatever reason, do not go to school, even though they are required to attend school or have a qualification. There is a lot of attention for people sitting at home, but it appears to be a persistent problem. As a parent you are at a loss if your child cannot or does not want to go to school. As a child, the lack of successful experiences takes its revenge, which can seriously damage your self-confidence. A negative spiral then lurks. As a school you want the best for all your students and your team. Solving it requires a willingness to work together and to provide tailor-made solutions for the individual child. Only then can this disruptive problem, which is harmful to parents, children and society as a whole, be properly tackled.
- When do children have to go to school?
- Compulsory education: from 5 to 16 years
- Qualification requirement: 16 and 17 years
- School absenteeism
- What is a home sitter?
- Duty of care
- Why do students become sitters at home?
- Who is involved with people sitting at home?
- How do you avoid sitting at home?
- What is being done to prevent sitting at home?
- What can you do for people sitting at home: customization?
When do children have to go to school?
In the Netherlands, the law stipulates that children go to school. At school, children can develop, socialize and interact with peers. This way they have more opportunities in society later on. The Appropriate Education Act has been introduced since 2014. This means that there must be a suitable place at school for every child, even those with additional support needs.
Compulsory education: from 5 to 16 years
Children are obliged to attend school from the age of five. Then compulsory education begins. In practice, most children go to school from the age of four, but it is not necessary yet. Parents may keep their non-school age child at home if they wish. Although consultation with the school is also important and it is not wise, for example, to keep the child at home every Friday, because the child will often miss the same parts of the program. From the first day of school after the child’s fifth birthday, parents are punishable if they keep their child at home.
Compulsory education lasts until the school year in which the child turns 16 ends. The intention is that a child goes to school for 12 school years. Sometimes a child can be exempt from compulsory education in special situations, such as a funeral or marriage. Exceptions to compulsory education exist for children who cannot attend school for physical or psychological reasons.
Qualification requirement: 16 and 17 years
Young people aged 16 and 17 also have to go to school. They have a qualification obligation, which means that they must obtain a starting qualification. A starting qualification means at least a HAVO, VWO or MBO diploma (level 2 or higher). The idea behind this is that it is easier to find work with a starting qualification. You must attend full-time education or combine learning and work; the vocational learning path (BBL) in MBO. Pilots are underway in major cities to increase the age for the qualification requirement to 21 years. The Rutte III Cabinet has included this wish in the coalition agreement ‘Confidence in the future’ (2017). Young people appear to be a vulnerable group on the labor market and to prevent high unemployment among young people it is important to prepare them well for this. There is also the risk that truant young people will become involved in criminal activities. The healthcare costs of people without a basic qualification are also higher. It is possible that a more mandatory variant of the social service period still plays a role in the extended qualification obligation. Because the first goal of social service is to relieve organizations of their worries, it will be difficult to involve young people, who are already vulnerable and for whom it is difficult for whatever reason to receive education.
School absenteeism
Children can miss school for all kinds of reasons. Three types of absenteeism are distinguished.
Authorized absence Most reasons for being absent from school are temporary and innocent and are called authorized absence. You can think of illness, holidays or suspension. Parents ask the school for leave for these special events and often receive this. Sometimes there is a more persistent problem underlying it.
Unauthorized school absence Unauthorized school absence or truancy means that a student is not present at school without a valid reason. Schools are obliged to report unauthorized absence to the absence desk of the Education Executive Agency (DUO) if it concerns at least 16 hours of unauthorized absence in 4 consecutive weeks. The report is sent to the municipality’s attendance officer via the DUO absenteeism desk.
The education officer will then conduct an investigation and may draw up a report. An official report is a document containing a report of all findings and facts surrounding school absenteeism. This official report will be sent to the Public Prosecution Service. The judge then decides on this and can impose a fine or community service on the young person (from the age of 12) or impose a fine on the parents (in the worst case, even a suspended prison sentence with probation). The attendance officer can also report absenteeism to the SVB (Social Insurance Bank), if he or she believes that attempts to get the student back to school are having insufficient results. The SVB can withhold child benefit. This is only possible for 16 and 17 year olds who do not yet have a starting qualification.
Absolute absenteeism If a child or young person is not registered at a school, this is considered absolute absenteeism. Parents (and young people) are then in violation of the Compulsory Education Act. The attendance officer can draw up a report of this so that the judge can assess it.
School absenteeism figures Municipalities are obliged to report annually to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) how they deal with absenteeism and how much school absenteeism occurs in their municipality. The Ministry informs the House of Representatives about this. In this way, a finger is kept on the pulse of the different types of school absenteeism and the trends therein. This makes timely policy possible to adjust it if necessary.
What is a home sitter?
The official definition of a stay-at-home child is a child or young person who is subject to compulsory education or qualifications and who is unauthorized not to attend school for more than four weeks, even though he or she is registered at a school or educational institution. In fact, of course, this concerns all children who do not go to school even though they are required to attend school or have a qualification. Since 2016, the central government has based this broader definition. Many institutions adopt this definition.
In fact, we are not there yet. Children who, for psychological or physical reasons, cannot attend regular education ( Article 5a of the Compulsory Education Act) and are not registered at an educational institution can also be considered to be at home. This may also concern children with autism or giftedness.
Then there are the children for whom the school considers that there is an excused absence and therefore does not inform the attendance officer. Or the children who are suspended, children of parents who reside illegally in the Netherlands or children who are exempt from regular school attendance (Article 11 of the Compulsory Education Act). However, this is more likely to involve an inappropriate offer, which means that a child cannot receive education. These are the so-called hidden sitters.
According to the official definition, there are approximately 4,200 people at home and another 1,700 students who do not have to go to school (mid-2018). This number remains fairly stable or is increasing slightly, despite vigorous efforts to change this. In the 2017/2018 school year, the number of children at home increased by more than 200 to a total of 4,479 children (figures from OCW and VWS, February 2019). Every child at home is a child whose future is at risk. So every person sitting at home is one too many.
Duty of care
Some of those who stay home therefore have a school that is responsible for them. Such a school has a duty of care to guide the child to appropriate education. If a child is not registered at a school or educational institution, the new school will automatically have a duty of care to provide appropriate education upon registration and registration.
Why do students become sitters at home?
Research has been conducted into the reasons why children end up at home. It is often the sum of several problems. Child factors and family factors
Depression and anxiety or other psychological problems are often mentioned. Behavioral problems, such as oppositional behavior, can also occur. The child’s home situation can also cause a child to become a stay-at-home parent. Lack of boundaries or structure at home or parents experiencing major problems can be reasons for not going to school (for a long period of time).
School factors One school is more effective in connecting with the world and motivating children than the other. In any case, it is important that the school has a clear vision on education and a safe school climate with a strong emphasis on structure. The structure provides boundaries, but within this there should be flexibility and space for the child’s own interests. High expectations of students contribute to student performance. It is also important that students feel seen and appreciated by the teachers. Monitoring and evaluating students’ results and progress is also important. This way you can quickly intervene when children are in danger of missing the connection.
Other factors The administration and bureaucracy of rules and procedures can prevent a clear approach from being drawn up for the individual child or from passing on responsibility.
Who is involved with people sitting at home?
There are various parties involved with people sitting at home. This means that there is a lot of help available, but also that good mutual coordination is necessary. We call:
- First of all, the home sitter himself. And his or her parents.
- The school, if a student is registered
- The education officer of the municipality in which the homeschooler is registered.
- The regional partnership, they are responsible for appropriate education in the region
- The educational consultants are independent experts and can provide free advice to those at home and students who need extra support in the event of conflicts.
- LANSbrekers, these are professionals from the educational field who work for young people to prevent them from staying at home.
- Education-Care intervention team of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, which mediates at the request of private individuals and professionals to achieve the best possible solution.
- The education inspectorate itself is not a party, but at the request of parents it can hold schools and partnerships to account for their responsibility.
- Youth Health Care can advise in the event of medical absenteeism.
- The neighborhood team or social team that must guarantee the implementation of the Youth Act and is therefore involved in arranging the most appropriate support.
- The children’s ombudsman is committed to providing appropriate education and monitors the state of affairs.
How do you avoid sitting at home?
Five principles have been formulated by the Parents and Education organization. These apply to parents and professionals:
- ,Don’t wait too long: identify and raise the alarm quickly if you have any concerns
- Keep the conversation going: always explain what you want, do, and plan to do. An open attitude helps.
- Relationship: keep an eye on your relationship with the parties you have to arrange it with.
- Work together: solutions cannot be found or created alone. Do this together with others
- Expect a lot: high expectations help schools to do the maximum,
You don’t become a stay-at-home mom overnight. There is often a long(er) period of time in which worries pile up. Where you see that things can go wrong. By identifying and acting in time you can prevent worse. By talking to each other, professional, parents and young person, you can see how serious the situation is. What signals are there and how can we weigh them. It is important to do this together with other disciplines in a multidisciplinary consultation. What is the cause of truancy? What factors play a role, at home, at school and in the environment? What is the strength of the young person and his or her network? How can these options contribute to a solution? Once you have everything in order, you can create an action plan together, which includes all the steps to prevent sitting at home and explains everyone’s responsibilities.
Timely detection and action automatically means that a school must have a clear truancy policy and that absenteeism registration must be in order. When parents are involved in their child’s education, this results in fewer school dropouts. Parents and school both play a role. The school can facilitate parental involvement and parents have their own responsibility in this. An app or website such as Magister or Somtoday, for example, already helps, because these student information systems allow you to keep an overview of your child’s absenteeism, homework and results.
Even when young people transfer to MBO, it is important to support them, so that they remain guided and do not disappear from view or drop out themselves and leave school prematurely. Focusing on prevention gives the best results.
What is being done to prevent sitting at home?
In 2016, the Home Settlement Pact was formulated by various (government) agencies involved in school absenteeism. This states that in 2020 no child may be at home for more than three months. This is a great support to parents and schools. But it is still true that in case of problems, a solution can take a long time. This is because the collaborating parties must make clear agreements about the care offered and responsibilities. Financing must be secured. This takes time. Time that is at the expense of the child.
The Rutte III Cabinet has included the following passage about children at home in its coalition agreement (2017): ,Disabled and gifted, every child deserves education in order to develop himself/herself to the maximum, even if this requires extra care or support. The Cabinet wants parents and schools to work in a equal conversation, agree on a suitable approach, supported by the possibility of an educational consultant. To prevent children from falling through the cracks, we want to significantly limit the number of people sitting at home and identify and tackle absenteeism earlier. All partnerships will appoint a legally required follow-up force to this end .,
Perseverance means that a partnership appoints someone who has the final vote on the placement of a student within the partnership. This means that someone is appointed who can make decisions to resolve any impasse. This can require decisiveness, but the Rutte III cabinet also wants to look at the possibilities of enshrining the right to learn in law. Children then have the right to appropriate education. This entails a change in thinking. Various organizations conduct (scientific or practical) research into best practices to prevent sitting at home or to keep it as short as possible.
What can you do for people sitting at home: customization?
All research shows that the problem of people sitting at home cannot be captured in an approach or model. It is important to always look at the individual child and connect with him or her (or them). Start from the child’s own strength. What can the child do? What does the child want? And how do we make this possible together, with school and parents?
For example, sometimes children do not have the energy to go to school full days, but they still want to go to school. Some children learn differently than a typical child. With good agreements, space can be created for this. Can’t a child handle the pressure of tests? Is a child being asked questions in a different way? Does a child become overstimulated during the teaching day? Clarity about what exactly the problem is and where the support needs lie, on the part of the child and school, is a prerequisite for an individual solution. Care and education must then be closely linked to each other and to the home situation of a child or young person.
Parents really make the difference in this. By continuing to stand up for their child and continuing to set high standards for schools to meet their child’s (support) needs. Individual teachers or care providers who work with commitment and enthusiasm are also worth their weight in gold. Together they ensure that children find their way back to school or can even ensure that a child stays at school.
To really tackle being at home, it takes courage, courage and creativity. From schools, parents and the students themselves. Children need to regain confidence in themselves and the best way to gain this confidence is when others give you their confidence.