HomeSchooler.org.uk

Feel free to use this, if it will help.

As you know I'm not normally one to bombard your inbox with multi-mails, and I am suitably sheepish. But this really is an issue which could dramatically affect my family.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EHEreview/

please sign this, and if you think anyone else would do so, please forward it.

As you may know, I plan on home-educating my two young children.

Graham Badman has just released a report on Home Education and has had all his recommendations endorsed in full by the Government. His enquiry was launched amid wild allegations of links between home-education and child-abuse, and dark mutterings about 'hidden' children.

Even though the report clearly states that no such connection was found, and offers no evidence to support his recommendations, Badman, the Government and elements of the national press continue to repeat these tales to support their case.

Amongst other points they recommend that:
- a yearly inspection of 'the premises of education' (the home) is conducted as a matter of course.
- children are interviewed alone as a matter of course
- 12 monthly plans are required, against which progress must be demonstrated on pain of a school attendance order
- yearly registration - which will in effect be an application for a license since there are a wide range of reasons (including 'other') which will justify refusal

These amount to the right of entry into homes without any suspicion of wrong doing, the right to inspect and interview children without any justification or concern as to their welfare - or even educational provision. In other words far greater powers than the police have.

Failing to admit, potentially hostile, officials into your home or to produce your child for solitary interview will be a criminal offense - even where nobody has any reason to suspect that the child or his educational provision is at risk.

He is confusing issues of child safety with issues of education, and if he succeeds he will divert diminishing resources away from children known to be at risk, towards assessment, monitoring and perhaps harassment of healthy, happy families. He has been unable to point to even ONE case in which the proposals would have helped to save or protect a child.

The Climbie Foundation for example is disturbed by the claims often made that Victoria Climbie was home-educated. I believe they feel that this sort of misrepresentation undermines their work to prevent a repeat of that tragic case, as do I:
"The Victoria Climbié Foundation UK is genuinely concerned about the link being made between Victoria Climbié and home education, and Victoria as a hidden child. Victoria was neither home-educated nor hidden. The reality is that there is no such thing as a 'hidden' child, only children who are allowed to fall through the gaps. The key issue here is how statutory services interact with children that are known within the child protection system."

I don't know where this is leading, but there is no logical distinction between my home-educating family in school hours, and any other family while they have sole care of their child - during school holidays, in the pre-school years, in the evenings and at night. Are we heading to a place where all parents are considered potential abusers and assessed and monitored accordingly? This erosion of the parent's legal responsibility to their child, by placing the state as best judge of their educational wellbeing, is a disturbing development. The state should never be the guardian of first resort.

If you are not a home-educator yourself you may wonder why those who have nothing to hide are so fearful. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?

I am fearful that a stranger, perhaps one hostile to home-education or to me and my values, will insist on entry into my house. This has happened frequently, but so far without legal justification to home-educators all over the country. Our home is a space which should feel safe to my children.

I fear that he will insist, on pain of criminal proceedings, on taking Jack (who will be of age for compulsory education this September in N. Ireland - at the age of 4 1/4) away from me and other supportive adults, against his wishes, for interview.

I fear that they may grill him on what he knows, demand that he performs, put words into his mouth and use the opportunity to preach to him about the wonders of school, make him feel inadequate for not performing well enough, or make him fearful of not learning enough without a 'proper teacher'.

I am worried that in an interview such as that he may say things like 'I just watch telly all day' or 'I just play', when there is actually much much more going on. I am concerned that on the basis of such an interview they may decide against my wishes to place him in a school.

I am worried that the intrusion, the interview and the implication that he is not safe in his own home (since we need checking up on) will make my children feel insecure in many ways.

I am worried that their assessment, based on a single yearly visit, will count for more that my in-depth knowledge of his development and progress.

Maybe you are now thinking - 'well I know YOU'RE not an abuser, but if we can just save one child then the intrusion will be worth it...'?

But the intrusion will not save any children. The money would be better spend on proper training for the social workers, and LEAs who already have sufficient powers to help those in need, and yet so often fail them.

Rant over :-)

Please sign and forward to anyone who may support this petition - thank you so much - my children and I really appreciate your help.