Concerns surrounding home schooling have resulted in one of the four motions going in front of Middlesbrough councillors next week.
The full meeting of the council will be held on Wednesday 10 September and as part of proceedings, councillors will discuss and vote upon four different motions, brought forward by three councillors.
One of these motions calls on the council to write to the government, requesting an “urgent review” of home schooling, highlighting child protection procedures and the need for children to receive a minimum level of education, comparable with the level at an Ofsted inspected school. The motion comes after an independent councillor found it “unbelievable” that parents do not need any qualifications to electively home educate their children.
The other three motions call on the council to urgently address the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls (VAWG), clamp down on abuse and intimidation of councillors and finally, commission a sports honours board, for successful athletes who were born in Middlesbrough.
Labour Councillor Philippa Storey proposed two of the motions, firstly calling on local council leaders to “turn the tide” on violence against women and girls. The motion outlines how an estimated one in four women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, costing the public purse an estimated £78bn a year. “Concerning trends” amongst young people were also highlighted, with 61% of children surveyed unsure of where to go for help if they experienced domestic abuse.
The motion says: “Specialist domestic abuse services are independent from the state, and specifically designed to support survivors of domestic abuse, offering holistic and trauma informed wrap-around support,” but adds: “Competitive procurement practices, based on the assumption that domestic abuse services should operate within a competitive market, are threatening to erode our network of lifesaving specialist services.”
Image: LDRS
Amongst other things, Cllr Storey’s first motion calls on the council to ensure the availability of comprehensive education on healthy relationships in schools across Middlesbrough. A review should also be conducted into Middlesbrough’s procurement practices for commissioning VAWG services. The final request is to change the Women’s Champion role to a VAWG champion, to hold the council to account and amplify the voice of survivors.
Cllr Storey’s second motion is titled “debate not hate” and discusses how the intimidation and abuse of councillors undermines democracy. If agreed, the council will sign up to the LGA’s Debate Not Hate campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of the role of councillors in local communities, encourage healthy debate, and improve the response to and support those in public life facing abuse and intimidation.
The motion also aims to write to the local MP and ask for support of the campaign. If approved, the council is also to ensure that it has a clear reporting mechanism for councillors can use, as well as a zero tolerance approach of abuse towards both councillors and officers. Support available to members should be reviewed regularly and work should be undertaken with local police to ensure there is a clear and joined-up mechanism for reporting threats.
The third motion appearing in front of council advocates the introduction of a sports persons honours board in the town. Proposed by independent Councillor Jim Platt, several “elite athletes” from Middlesbrough are named, in sports ranging from football to table tennis.
The motion calls on the council to agree in principle to the commissioning and funding of a permanent honours board, which would be installed in a prominent position in Middlesbrough town centre. The aim is to formally recognise the “outstanding” achievements of sports people born in Middlesbrough who have represented England at senior level since the end of World War II.
The fourth and final motion going to a vote at full council on September 10 is that of independent Councillor Joan McTigue, who hopes the council will write to the government, requesting that it carries out an urgent review of home schooling in order to ensure that any child taught in this way receives a level of education comparable to what the child could have received in an Ofsted inspected school.
If voted through, the government will also be asked to ensure that adequate child protection procedures are in place, as well as requiring Ofsted to carry out inspections to assess the quality of education, care and training, “to ensure that the parent, or whoever is providing the education, meet the required standards”. Finally, public bodies such as the police and social services would have a statutory right of access to ensure the safety and/or protection of the child.
All four of these motions will be discussed and potentially debated at the upcoming full meeting of the council, before each one is put to a vote in the chamber.
