By Gavin Mackintosh-
Teachers are calling for more support for parents to help them resist the practice of ‘off-rolling’. New research for Ofsted has found that a quarter of teachers believe off-rolling is against the child’s best interests.
Off rolling describes a situation where a child is removed from the school by parents unofficially without any incident like suspension or expulsion. Two-thirds of these teachers believe the practice is on the rise.Teachers generally agree that it usually happens before GCSEs, either during years 10 to 11 before results are collected, or in year 9 before exam teaching begins
The study conducted by yougov is based on survey responses from over 1000 teachers, paints a concerning picture of the extent of off-rolling in England’s schools. Teachers believe that parents with less understanding of the education system and their rights are most likely to be pressured into taking their child out of school.
Some teachers reportedly spoke of “fear-mongering”, with school management giving parents a “worst case scenario” for their child’s future if they remained in the school. Teachers said that they want to see better support for parents, so they understand their rights and options.
VULNERABLE
The research suggests that vulnerable students with special educational needs (SEN) or other needs are more likely to be affected. Many teachers think there is an overlap between off-rolling and other, sometimes legitimate, practices. Many times, academic achievement is central to the reasons of offrolling.
Other research currently being conducted by this publication in relation to offrolling also indicates that bullying and low self esteem are some of the reasons parents offroll their children. Half of those that responded to the survey said the main reason for schools to off-roll a pupil is to manipulate league tables. Some teachers felt that it was easier to justify off-rolling when there are behavioural concerns, and that behavioural issues are “dressed up” to support the pupils’ removal.
The vast majority of teachers taking part in the research opposed off-rolling, but some thought it was understandable when there are underlying issues at play. Teachers also thought that schools needed more support to address special educational needs and other behaviours that are linked to off-rolling.
Only a third of teachers that had experienced off-rolling believed that off-rolled pupils went on to other mainstream schools, while just a fifth of those with experience of off-rolling said that there was any follow-up to check what had happened to pupils.
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, said:
These are troubling findings. While not every school is off-rolling, teachers tell us that some are clearly pushing vulnerable pupils out through the back door with little thought to their next steps and best interests.
Ofsted takes a dim view of off-rolling. When inspectors uncover evidence of this happening we make it clear in our inspection reports. And under our new inspection regime, taking effect in September, schools found to be off-rolling are likely to be rated inadequate for their leadership and management.
The researchers surveyed more than 1,000 teachers from primary and secondary schools across England and interviewed teachers and senior leaders who had direct experience of off-rolling, either through teaching pupils who have been taken off the schools’ roll, or by being involved in decisions around off-rolling. Professionals were chosen from a range of roles and school types.