Preparing for a successful Assessment

Just as the Irish Constitution allows us, as home educators, to provide at least a minimum education for our children, the Education Welfare Act details the minimum that an assessor must do during an assessment. And just as most of us want to provide more than a minimum education for our children, the assessor may look for more than the minimum dictated by law. Specifically, the assessor will need to find evidence that the home educator is providing at least a minimum education for their children.

what to do Before the assessment

Before any assessment you should ask your assessor for clarification on a number of points:

• What is their plan for the assessment?
• How long will the assessment take?
• What are their objectives for the assessment?
• Will they be examining the learning environment?

Define what a good assessment would look like to you. This way you can assess things like whether the assessor will want to speak to your child. If so, you should ask for further clarification around what this entails. What questions will they be asking your child? Remember that the assessor is a complete stranger to your child. You have to think about how you will react to possible questions they may ask you or your child(ren)? The assessor should provide reasons for anything that they do with your child(ren). Develop a narrative that you want to see happen and is acceptable to you. A meeting of minds is a starting point, and you should have the confidence to speak your truth and advocate for your child. Truth always resonates and is a good emotional compass.

The main point is that you and the assessor should agree a framework for the assessment in writing, usually email. If the assessor will be speaking to your child, you have an idea of what they will be asking and can prepare your child.

Timing

Remember, if things are hectic and the assessment is not convenient, be positive, contact your assessor and tell them that you need a different date. Explain your circumstances, do not feel overwhelmed or pressured into doing something that is not right for you in that moment of time. Engage with your assessor in an open, honest, transparent manner. Speak your truth and both of you come to an agreement that suits both parties. It is about finding your voice and knowing that mutual respect and meeting of minds will work wonders. Don’t feel pressured. If you need a sounding board HEN are here to help. It is a great community of like-minded parents who have been through this process and will help you. It is about being an advocate for your child and doing what is right for your household at the appropriate time.

How to approach the assessment (and the assessor)

The Alternative Registration and Education Service (AEARS) is run by Tusla. This department is responsible for home education and as “guardians of the common good” they are set the task of ensuring your child is receiving a “certain minimum education”. Just as it is human nature not to buy from somebody that we do not like, the assessor will be wary of someone who comes across as obstructive. It is in your interest to be seen as helpful and willing to work with the assessor.

Open, honest and transparent communication is the best approach. The assessor should not perceive you as being obstructive. You should look on the assessment as a chance to tell how great home education is. Having a good story to tell will go wide and be far-reaching, as you can tell your home education story.

There are advantages to being open. It puts you in a stronger position. The stronger you are the less they will need to query. Impress the assessor, be engaging and open, show them the advantages of home education.

Embrace the assessment and show how good home education can be.

The onus is on the educator of the child to show proof of learning, so that the assessor and AEARS may make an informed decision in your favour. Technically, the assessor should have an idea of the home educating approach of your family, based on the assessment form, and your family’s record keeping will be in line with that approach. This is a box-ticking exercise for the assessor, and is as simple as that. Tick the boxes!

Accomodate the assessor with their requests within reason. E.G. Speaking to your child. Find out before the visit what are the criteria. What is the objective of this? What does the assessor expect to achieve? This will give both you and the assessor a framework to work within – an acceptable, compatible approach. We need to help the assessor as much as we can to make an informed decision, with a favourable outcome during this assessment.

It works both ways, when mutual respect is applied there is an expectation that both parties fully participate. Define what good looks like to you and what is acceptable to you. If something is not acceptable to you then have the confidence and the voice to address this. Boundaries are important, implement them beforehand. Respect is the corner-stone that supports collaboration. Feel comfortable in asserting your needs and respectfully call out anything you disagree with. It is your assessment, it is your child, there is a balance to be found. Speak your mind, but mind what you say. Say it in a respectful, confident voice and it will go a long way in creating positive communication. Use this chance to create an open, honest rapport with the assessor.

Embrace the assessment in a positive light. This is your time to shine and show AEARS, beyond a reasonable doubt, why home educating your children is an opportunity to cater to your child’s needs, whatever they look like to you. Be strong, be prepared and advocate for your child and how you support their learning journey.

Blanket refusals could lead to conditions on your registration. It is in your interest to find the best way to have open, honest communication to let AEARS do their job and see how good a job you are doing.

Some suggestions

• Take some time to think about your reasons for home educating along with your philosophy and jot some points down.
• Take time to explain to the assessor the changes you have seen in your child (if they were in school previously and had a tough experience) and highlight the positives. (More engaged, less anxious, etc). This also counts as record keeping. 
• If you are feeling very anxious about the assessment, ask for support from HEN,  and from local groups. If you are on your own, perhaps you could ask a friend to join you for support on the day of the assessment and have it agreed with the assessor beforehand.
• This may sound obvious- because it is the backbone of your reason to home educate- but always speak from the perspective of the best interest of the child(ren).
• Practice what you are going to say with a friend or partner. Role-play really helps. Often speaking out loud helps you solidify what you want to say. Knowledge breeds confidence and practice makes it happen!
• Know the document the AEARS assessor is going to use during the assessment. Be familiar with the topics. Develop a fluency and almost a reflex where it can roll off the tongue and the top of your head with ease. What AEARS are looking for.

Voice of the child

Following from recent events in Ireland and the UK, AEARS assessors will be making requests to see your child. Make sure you have agreed with the assessor before the assessment what this will entail. An assessor will be able to speak to your child under an agreed approach and term of reference that will be applied. The assessor has the right to make this request. It is imperative that you are open, honest and transparent and not perceived to be obstructive. The more you work with the assessor and give them the tools to do their job, the more favourable the assessment outcome.

Sometimes your child may not be willing to talk to someone they do not know (For example, your child has autism and selective mutism, or has experienced trauma in the school system, etc.). The key here is before the physical visit of the assessor with the family to have open, honest dialogue about these challenges. Look for common ground, be it videos, pictures or “proximity chats”, where the child is playing outside and the assessor is observing discretely from a distance.

From an AEARS point of view, it is better when they have a chat with the child, it enables them to get a full picture and connect with the child. It helps them to do their job. It helps them to assess. This is positive for families as it allows a connection to be made and a rapport to be developed. But it is still important that a case-by-case approach might be needed, as all children are unique with additional special educational needs, or trauma by school avoidance. It is important for the assessor to tick boxes. And for us in the HEN community to assist them.

AEARS is a department within Tusla and, sadly, in recent times it has become imperative for Tusla to make sure children are keeping well. We need to embrace this new voice of the child and aid AEARS in their assessment for recommending our children on the home school register. AEARS have a difficult job and we need to show them how well our kids are thriving at home.

If school avoidance or school trauma has been experienced and a child is no longer able to engage in any learning, example autism burnout, perhaps seeking an OT report, GP referral letter, CAMHS report will show AEARS that you are on top of this and you are working to get your child in the best headspace to resume learning. Mental health is vital and if this is your challenge make sure it is documented. Give AEARS insight into these challenges. Providing reports furthers your case on why you are deschooling. The key here is to show proof that you are doing your very best to help your child. Prove it with documentation. Keep a living diary of the daily challenges you experience and how you are helping your child. Help AEARS to help you make the assessment journey a positive outcome for your household.

The more documentation you have the better prepared you are for the assessment. The better prepared you are the less stressful and more successful the assessment will be.

Here is a link to a Tusla AEARS webinar which details what they need.

Failure to comply and being perceived to be obstructive can lead to repeated ongoing visits from AEARS every 3/6/9 months with continuous registration with conditions and/or registration with recommendations being issued. If you do not satisfy the assessment or don’t comply with recommendations/conditions, this will cause problems for you in the long run. Pass your assessment, comply with AEARS requests as best you can, keeping the line of communication open, show documentation, provide the progression of learning and do yourself a big favour. Be the master of your destiny and enjoy your right to home educate your child. If you feel overwhelmed contact HEN, we are here to support you. Some of us have experience of this and are always willing to lend a hand.

The thing is to work with the assessor. An open, honest dialogue on best practices needs to be agreed upon before the actual assessment. You are the parent, you can control this. You need to find your voice. You are the advocate for your child, and confidently explaining this in a professional, polite and diplomatic way will get you a whole lot further in the assessment process.

The “voice of the child” is going to be part of the assessment. Developing the “voice of the parent” and being confident in telling your story will resonate in a more effective rapport being built between assessor and parent.

Evidence / Proof of Learning

You can pick your learning approach that best suits your child. But it must be supported with examples, with documentation and a definitive path showing the progression of learning. AEARS have to tick boxes. You are welcome to read one of our articles on record keeping at this link. In a nutshell, whatever your learning methodology, you must bring to the table concrete evidence and proof of learning.

You must show evidence of the learning you are giving your child. Follow the law of common sense. Some assessors may view home schooling through the traditional lens of education. So show them that you are taking a solutions-based approach, centred around the specific needs of your child. Once you can show progression of learning, they will have to accept that your approach is getting results.

These are just a few examples of ways to provide evidence:

• Workbooks
• Worksheets
• Templates
• Diary entries
• Scrapbooks (with pictures in it)
• Photographs (including photos on your phone)

From day 1, or now, prepare for your assessment. Do not leave it until the week before to try to remember what you did. Get a diary, use google docs, use your phone to record everything that you do. The key is preparation. The key is documentation. The key is to be open, honest and transparent, and show how you home educate your child. You must prove it no matter the learning methodology, e.g. unschooling, eclectic, classical, etc. No proof, no documentation will just make your life a whole lot harder and more stressful.

For example, if you can write one sentence in a diary every day of what you have done, at the end of the year you will have over 300 entries. Also it will be great for you to look back on and realise just how much you are achieving. If it is not written down or captured in some way – it never happened. Help yourself by helping AEARS to see what an amazing job you are doing. The less prepared you are the more stress you will have. Be a constant documentor and charter your child’s learning journey in a structured, sequential, purposeful way, so that AEARS can reward you with the outcome you deserve, and tick another box!

Recommendations versus Conditions

Conditions have a higher status than recommendations and must be followed to the letter. There is no wiggle room with conditions.

Recommendations, on the other hand, are more like bits of advice. If you choose not to follow a given recommendation, you should record your reasonable judgment of why you are not following the recommendation. Take a solutions-based approach. Make sure to show an alternative approach to the issue that raised the recommendation. Be able to show proof through documentation of your alternative solution. Ignoring or refusing to comply with a recommendation will not work in your favour and may frustrate the next visit from AEARS.

Post-Assessment Process

You did it! You got there. Well done nearly at the finish line! After your assessment AEARS will send a report out to you reflecting the assessment. This is your time to read the report and correct any inaccuracies within it. It is very important that you feel comfortable with the report. This is your assessment and your opinion highly matters. Make sure the report is acceptable to you and what you deem to be a fair and accurate account. You have the right to challenge the report in an open, transparent and respectful manner. This is why your voice is important, because this is your assessment. Once you are happy with the report and you agree with its findings, you will send it back to AEARS. AEARS will contact you accepting you on the home school register.

Done deal – Well done!

Summary

Tús maith, leath na hoibre – A good start halves the work. Start immediately, make a plan. Decide how you want to do this. Do it and stick to the plan. Then that assessment day will be stress-free.

1. Tell a great story about home schooling. Show off how brilliant you are finding the home education journey.
2. Be friendly and accommodating.
3. Do not come across as obstructive or defensive. This would only make the assessor suspicious and make them think that you might be hiding something, even though you are not.
4. Show evidence that home education is working for you and your child.
5. Show evidence of progression. “This was the handwriting/maths/english last year – look how much better it is now.”
6. Before the assessment ask your assessor to provide you in email (or at least in writing) – What their plan is for the session, what are their objectives, how long will it take, do they need to speak to your child. Talk to the assessor and agree a framework – what is going to happen during the assessment.
7. If they want to interact with your child(ren), they should set out the reasons why they need to do so. Ask them what they will be asking. This will allow you to prepare your child(ren) for the assessment.

In a nutshell, remember the 3 Cs:

• Co-operation
• Compliance
• Cordiality

AEARS need to tick boxes. Help them and it will help you in the long run.

it ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it!

This is a popular theme tune for assessments, that many of our HEN members hum…. Enjoy! You got this! Find your voice.