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 :-
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.
Write to the DCSF.
Talk to people around you.
Contact the media.
If you have a blog, put your feelings online.
Posts
Agree, i have done everything i can at the min.
ReplyDeleteWell put, what they propose is breathtakingly, astonishingly wrong.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting your letter on your blog Maire, I think it is excellent.
ReplyDeleteThe implications of this review are apalling, but not really surprising considering the way this government have rapidly taken us from comparative freedom to a very effective police state which the majority have not yet noticed.
Bishop Hill (http://bishophill.squarespace.com/) makes a very good point on his blog that the proposals will breach the human rights act. Don't suppose that will make any difference though as they seem to be able to pick and choose which human rights to uphold or not.