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BETTER MONITORING AND SUPPORT FOR HOME EDUCATED CHILDREN IN ENGLAND
11 June 2009Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan has accepted in full the recommendations of Graham Badman’s Review of Elective Home Education in England. On 19 January 2009 Graham Badman - former Director of Children’s Services in Kent – was asked to carry out a review of elective home education in England. The terms of reference for the review emphasised the Government’s recognition of parents’ well established right to educate their children at home. They also set out the pre-eminent right of the child to receive a suitable education in a safe environment.Graham Badman’s key recommendations include:• that local authorities should provide more support to home educating families, eg. through helping provide access to the national examination system, sports facilities, libraries and music tuition;• a compulsory annual registration scheme, in which all parents who plan to home educate have to inform their local authority. While around 20,000 children are already registered, the actual number being home educated is unknown and could be more than double this number;• at the time of registration, parents being asked to submit a statement of their intended approach to the child’s education including what they aim to achieve over the following 12 months; • giving properly trained local authority officials the right of access to the home, following a minimum two week notification to the parents. They will check that the child is making progress against their learning statement. They will also have the right to speak to the child, to ensure they are safe and well. A written report must then be produced and shared with the parents and child; and• that local authorities can refuse registration to home educate if there is clear evidence of safeguarding concerns.The review makes a compelling case for substantial changes to the arrangements for supporting and monitoring home education. As a result a consultation will now begin to ensure children’s rights are met and can help guarantee a good education in a safe environment. It recognises the wide range of philosophical and practical reasons that lie behind parents’ decisions to home educate. It acknowledges that in some cases home educated children have been withdrawn from school under a range of difficult circumstances: this is reflected in the relatively high proportion of children with special educational needs who are home educated, and other cases where children have been bullied or had other experiences that leave them unable to attend school.The review also found evidence that there are a small number of extreme cases where home educated children have suffered harm because safeguarding concerns were not picked up, or not treated with sufficient urgency, particularly where parents were uncooperative or obstructed local authority investigations. The review took into account the opinions and evidence supplied by home educating parents, local authorities and organisations concerned with child protection such as NSPCC and 11 Million.Graham Badman said:"I have sought in this report to balance the rights of children with the rights of parents and in so doing make recommendations that I am confident will not only aid home educators in their task but provide a new positive basis for working with Local Authorities."Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan said:
“We’ve always been clear that parents should retain the right to educate their children at home. Most home educators do a fantastic job and I want to ensure they get more support from Local Authorities. But we can’t afford to let any child slip through the net – in terms of their education, or safety.“There are around 20,000 children registered as home educated, but estimates suggest many more could be invisible to the system. We have to balance the rights of parents with the pre-eminent rights of children to a decent education in a safe environment.“These recommendations are proportionate and reasonable. The fact is most developed countries require registration to home educate, with the majority also having a process of systematic monitoring. It’s only right we afford our own children and young people the same checks and balances.”Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The report to the Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families on the Review of Elective Home Education in England is available here: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/homeeducation/ 2. Comments from some parents to the review indicated that they have removed their children from state education because of bullying or lack of provision for children with special educational needs. As part of the Government’s plans to provide better support for children with special educational needs, Ed Balls announced today a pioneering c31m project, Achievement for All. The project will pilot innovative teaching and support for young people with special educational needs (SEN) in 10 local authorities and 450 schools – including better assessment of children to close the big achievement gaps and more engagement with parents by schools. The Government has provided over £3 million to help tackle bullying this year alone, and current policy gives schools the tough powers they need to take action. Every school must have policies in place to prevent and tackle bullying and our support for schools offers a range of proven strategies developed by the major anti- bullying experts.
Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2009/0105
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