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Consultation response PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Saturday, 13 June 2009 19:15

The consultation on theHome Education - registration and monitoring proposals can be found at

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1643&external=no

 

One response  is printed below, we need to respond strongly to this disgraceful proposal and tell this government that they are crossing the line, ENOUGH!

 

 

Consultation Questions

1

Do you agree that these proposals strike the right balance between the rights of parents to home educate and the rights of children to receive a suitable education?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: There is no conflict between the rights of parents to home educate and the rights of children to receive a suitable education. The education act states that the parent is responsible for providing an education suitable for the child's age aptitude and ability, as a home educating parent that is EXACTLY what I do - I do not have any hidden agenda nor do I force my children to learn something they are not ready for or are not interested in. My children are happy, sociable, very capable and learning far more than they would in school

2

Do you agree that a register should be kept?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: Why do we need yet another register? Children are registered at birth, contactpoint has already been forced on us, they are registered with the NHS, what useful purpose would yet another register serve?

3

Do you agree with the information to be provided for registration?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: I don't believe that any information should be provided for any additional register, it is unnecessary. Our children are already known to the authorities and unless there is reasonable cause for concern we should be left alone.

4

Do you agree that home educating parents should be required to keep the register up to date?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: I don't believe the register should exist at all, this is yet more interfering in private family life and presents further risk of personal details being 'lost' or otherwise falling into the wrong hands.

5

Do you agree that it should be a criminal offence to fail to register or to provide inadequate or false information?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: I don't believe the register should exist at all, this is yet more interfering in private family life and presents further risk of personal details being 'lost' or otherwise falling into the wrong hands. What harm am I doing to anyone if I do not provide this information, surely the laws of this land should exist to prevent one doing harm to another, if there is no harm (or reasonable suspicion of harm) then there should be no interference.

6 a)

Do you agree that home educated children should stay on the roll of their former school for 20 days after parents notify that they intend to home educate?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: There is no need to change the current position, once parents have notified the school that they are removing their child from the school roll that should be acted upon. It is not a course that is usually taken lightly as home education requires significant comittment on the part of the parents and is often as a result of failure on the part of the school or education system.

6 b)

Do you agree that the school should provide the local authority with achievement and future attainment data? 

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: WHAT!!! Based on the failure of schools to ensure the children passing through the school system receive and appropriate education I am astonished that they should have any part to play in the future of any home educated child. My children were regarded as retarded during their time in school, our eldest was allocated additional support which was then misappropriated by the school for the benefit of other pupils! My children are now flourishing and developing into happy, confident, capable individuals. I shudder to think what school would have done to them by now!

7

Do you agree that DCSF should take powers to issue statutory guidance in relation to the registration and monitoring of home education?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: The education act states that the child's education is the responsibility of the parent, how can we fulfill that responsibility if the state then tries to prescribe what and how our children learn. Unless there is reason to believe that a child is not receiving a suitable education then the family should be left alone to do what they do best - take care of the best interests of their children.

8

Do you agree that children about whom there are substantial safeguarding concerns should not be home educated?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: This is not an education issue and should not be linked to education. If there are substantial safeguarding concerns then the authorities already have a duty to investigate and act in the best interest of the child, no change is required.

9

Do you agree that the local authority should visit the premises where home education is taking place provided 2 weeks notice is given?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: What for? If there are no safeguarding concerns and no reason to believe the education is unsuitable then there is no need for further monitoring or interference.

10

Do you agree that the local authority should have the power to interview the child, alone if this is judged appropriate, or if not in the presence of a trusted person who is not the parent/carer?

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: If there are substantial safeguarding concerns then the welfare services already have this power, there is no need for this power to be extended and certainly not in any matter related to education.

11

Do you agree that the local authority should visit the premises and interview the child within four weeks of home education starting, after 6 months has elapsed, at the anniversary of home education starting, and thereafter at least on an annual basis?  This would not preclude more frequent monitoring if the local authority thought that was necessary. 

  • Agree

  • Disagree

  • Not sure

  • No Response

Comments: There is no need for monitoring or other interference unless there is reason to believe that a suitable education is not being provided or that there are reasonable causes to be concerned for the safety and elfare of the child, in which case there are already sufficient powers in place to deal with this.

 Further responses can be found online:-

 http://theraggededge.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/they-have-not-wasted-any-time/

 

 
 
Badman Review of Home Education PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Friday, 12 June 2009 22:35

The home education review by Graham Badman has been released, it would seem that we have been stitched up again!

 Whilst home educators have been nervously awaiting the outcome of the review, it seems that it has been presented to all and sundry within the establishment, garnering support before being launched on the people it will affect most.

 The review can be downloaded at  http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/_download/?id=6080

 and Ed Balls response can be downloaded from http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/_download/?id=6081

 

We have not read the report properly yet but the little we have looked at so far has been very disturbing, essentially following the government trend to deal with people outside the established legal process by shifting the rules so that you become guilty of breaking a law you have no defence against; for example:-

 

The current position is that the LEA can determine (reasonably or maliciously) that you are not providing a satisfactory education and issue a school attendance order which you have the right to challenge in court. It is then down to the court to decide whether your education provision is satisfactory or not!

 The new position (as far as we can see) is that you will have to apply to be registered as a home educator in order for your child not to be registered to a school, if the LEA decide that they don't like your education provision then they will simply revoke your registration as a home educator and your child will be enrolled with a school, if you continue to home educate then your child is truanting and you can be sent to prison! No recourse to the courts, no need to prove you have done anything wrong, they have decided, they have acted, you are now guilty and can be punished!!

 

Before any changes can be implemented, the government must now carry out a consultation, this can be viewed at :-

 http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1643&external=no

 We need to take action NOW and do everything we can to tell this government that their proposals are outragous and totally unacceptable, many home educators have declared that they will not comply with the new rules even up to the point of being prepared to go to prison if necessary. We believe that the goverment may be opening the floodgates to legal action by home educated children for the harm done to them by the interference of state officials.

Hopefully it will not get that far and the state will recognise the mistakes they are making BEFORE the damage is done.

 

Suggested action:-

Respond robustly to the consultation.

Write to your MP. (suggest you look at this letter written by Maire Stafford)

Write to the DCSF.

Talk to people around you.

Contact the media.

If you have a blog, put your feelings online.

 
Last Updated on Friday, 12 June 2009 23:28