Parents' anger at home education recommendations grows

Home educators are using CYP Now's forums to lobby the government to disregard the findings of Graham Badman's review into home education.

Parents are particularly concerned by Badman's recommendation that local authorities should have right of access to the home of home educated children, and should have the right to speak to each child alone if deemed appropriate, or in the company of a trusted person who is not the home educator or parent/carer.

Sarah Dickinson, posting on the CYP Now forums, said: "I ask you to consider the effect on young children of strangers, perhaps hostile, demanding entry to their homes (on pain of criminal proceedings) and taking them away for interview on their own, without their parents' support.

"Many home educators have had difficult interactions with hostile local education authority officials, and are deeply fearful of what their children might suffer if left alone with them."

Lucy Moreton added: "Anyone who wishes or needs to enter the home of another without consent must do so only with a warrant or court order. Why should this safeguard be removed from families simply because they choose to home educate?"

Parents are also concerned that inspections by local authorities will not take into account the alternative educational provision offered.

Michael Wayne said: "The review proposes that home educators should draw up annual plans that are open to review and which must be met in order for the child to continue to be home educated. This proposal is particular distressing to autonomous home educators who follow the interests of the child and therefore by definition are unable to plan in advance."

Alison Tindale added: "I believe the main reason why this report is causing such a storm of anger from parents is that we see a school system that we know causes unhappiness to many children and then discover that government wants us to bring similar pressures to bear on our children."