An article published on another Isle of Wight news site last month, which quoted Donna Jones, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, as saying that home educated children are, “more likely to engage in criminal behaviour or become victims of exploitation”, that caused great concern and anger among the large home education network on the Island.
In the article, when discussing Isle of Wight home educated children, Donna Jones 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.”
Seeking the stats behind the claim
OnTheWight has been in communication with the PCC’s office since mid-March, seeking the figures that would back up the claims made by Donna Jones.
So far, following a number of attempts, we’ve received a range of replies, none of which contain the statistics.
Back and forths with PCC office
When OnTheWight asked Donna Jones for the figures, the first reply we received from the PCC’s office was,
“You will need to get in touch with the Isle of Wight Council’s Children Services Team on this via the council’s Comms Team.”
We went back pointing out that these were Donna’s claims, asking for the figures again. We were told,
“This information on this collaborative article isn’t held in this office, so the council’s Comms Team will be able to help you.”
Public figures bear a responsibility for the words they use
We replied to the PCC’s office,
“The original claim came directly from Donna Jones, the PCC, in her words, and therefore the responsibility for substantiating it rests with her office, not with the Isle of Wight council.
“It’s very odd to suggest otherwise. Public figures bear a responsibility for the words they use.
“Has Donna Jones seen evidence or statistics to support the claim or did she make the claim based purely on anecdotal information or assumption?”
Jones replied, but with no stats
The response OnTheWight received from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Donna Jones, neither answered the question, nor provided the stats to back up her claim. She said,
“Home educated children can have the most rewarding and fulfilling education, with appropriate planning and support from their parents or care givers. For some children this is the choice between survive and thrive. I am well aware of the benefits.
“However there are two distinct categories – those children who are receiving a fulfilled education and sadly those whose parents or care givers are electing to register their young person as home educated, often following suspension or expulsion from school.
“With the latter category, there is often a direct link and correlation to criminal behaviours. I am concerned about the percentage of registered electively home educated young people, who are not actually being home educated who are at a greater risk of being exploited, committing crime or being involved in anti-social behaviour.
“The Island has one of the highest percentages of home schooled children and sufficient support needs to be in place.”
Silence from the council
OnTheWight approached the Isle of Wight council more than three weeks ago for the stats to back up the claim that home educated children are “more likely to engage in criminal behaviour or become victims of exploitation”, but at time of publishing they had failed to provide any information.
So still no stats from the PCC’s office, or the council, to back up the claim Donna Jones made in the “collaborative article” between the council and her office.
More tomorrow and Sunday
Come back Saturday and Sunday to hear what Trustees from The Learning Zone (a charity supporting the home education community on the Isle of Wight since 1999) and parents of home educated Isle of Wight children thought of the PCC’s words.
