The Police and Crime Commissioner is working with the Isle of Wight Council’s Children’s Services team amid growing concerns about home-schooled children at risk of falling into criminality, radicalisation or exploitation.
Concerns are mounting over some children who are registered as home-schooled but, in reality, receive little to no education or supervision, leaving them vulnerable to significant risk.
Last year, the Isle of Wight had around 520 children being home-schooled – that’s more than 3x the national average at 2.92% vs 0.91% (England).
It’s said that there are children living locally who have been removed from mainstream schooling to avoid fines for non-attendance, yet they are not being supported, safeguarded or given the opportunities they deserve.
Children in such circumstances are said to often be ‘invisible’ to authorities, making them far more vulnerable to online grooming, radicalisation and violence. They can be exposed to gang cultures, dangerous ideologies and drug networks.
The situation has been recognised by Hampshire & Isle of Wight’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, who has addressed concerns with Ashley Whittaker, Director of Children’s Services at the Isle of Wight Council.
PCC Jones has said:
“Without the structure and support of school, many of these young people fall through the cracks, left to fend for themselves in an unmonitored online world where predators actively seek to exploit them. Some are drawn into gangs, exposed to dangerous ideologies, or recruited into county lines drug networks. Others struggle with isolation and mental health issues, making them more likely to engage in criminal behaviour or become victims of exploitation.
Article continues below this advertisement “This is a serious safeguarding issue which I’ve discussed at length with Ashley Whittaker, the Island’s Director of Children’s Services. As Police Commissioner, it was great to meet with his team to talk about how I can support them to ensure no child falls through the cracks. Ashley is a breath of fresh air, he really wants to get under the skin of the issue and improve the outcomes for thousands of young people living on the Island.
Donna has said she is optimistic about the future under Ashley’s leadership.
She adds:
“Schools, local authorities, and police must work together to ensure that every child is accounted for and safe. Education is not just about learning, it’s also about safeguarding and giving young people the best possible future. No child should be left to disappear from the system and face these dangers alone”.
I am surprised home schooling is allowed,
try taking your child out of school during term times
my niece has to pay lot of money if doing so on the
mainland.
At least they won’t be brain washed by leftwing woke tutor’s. .
tutor’s? What’s with the apostrophe? And what do you base your nonsensical comment on?
What a strange thing to say. I do not recall a single teacher disclosing their politics when I was at school – why would they? As for woke, I would hope that everyone would want their child to be brought up in an environment free of racial prejudice and discrimination. No one wants their children to be taught to be bigots.
Get the kids back to school and keep the schools open. 500 children is a lot of pupils.