Bromley has written to many parents who have expressly requested
that their children attend Roots4learning to engage in educational
interventions. However, Bromley will not currently countenance even
an informal conversation let alone a visit to this vital
resource.
Bromley has written to all the parents interested in their children
attending with a stock response that the provision is not DfE
registered and so they are unable to agree to commissioning it to
deliver education in section F of EHC plans. It goes on to state
that it needs to ensure a provision has the correct policies,
safeguards and quality of teaching in place before placing children
in the provision. It tells parents that provisions should typically
have registration with OFSTED, and uses the example of a provision
recently approved in Station Road, which has not yet received an
OFSTED visit or has a history of quality of teaching. The LA
further states that needs to use its public funds
effectively.
For the avoidance of doubt, Roots4learning is a part time school
offering 15 hours or less of education. The Department of Education
has written to them to stress they do not need to be DfE registered
and it won't register them because they provide less than a
full-education. For this reason, it also doesn't have to register
with Ofsted. Another local authority has completed its own quality
assurance on Roots4learning based on the Independent Schools
Standards Framework. They have proactively sent this information to
Bromley and Lambeth. Two schools within Bromley have completed
their own quality assurance and their trust boards have visited.
The managers of the part-time school are well-known, ex-employees
of the local authority, and so there is no ‘leap in the
dark’ to understand the effective management of the school.
It is also charging less by the hour than other commissioned, non
OFSTED registered and non DfE approved local providers.
Additionally, the Local Authority appears to parents to be
demanding preconditions for Roots4learning which it has not
requested of similar providers it uses. For example, it uses The
Link which is a very similar set-up to Roots4learning in that it
also provides for those who are awaiting appropriate provision in
mainstream or in special needs schools or alternative provision
with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP.) Like
Roots4learning, The Link is not DfE registered, nor is it OFSTED
registered – or even needs to be. Another supplier which
Bromley is using is called Supply and Demand Consultancy Limited.
This is a recruitment agency which is not a school, not DfE
registered, and sends teachers without oversight or supervision to
libraries and houses. The teachers are vetted by the company, but
both the local authority and the company disagree on who maintains
oversight and management of the staff it uses.
In summary, parents who want the Local Authority to proceed to
vetting this Community Interest Company are being ignored and, only
today, are being informed that no one at the council may speak to
parents about Roots4learning.
This ePetition runs from 18/01/2024 to 30/06/2024.
244 people have signed this ePetition.