This Green Paper introduced the theme "Every Child Matters" which was subsequently enshrined in the 2004 Children Act.

Section 175 of the 2002 Education Act stated "A local education authority shall make arrangements for ensuring that the functions conferred on them in their capacity as a local education authority are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children."

This consultation sought views on amendments to the 1995 Pupil Registration Regulations. EO had serious concerns about whether the regulations could mean a child would be registered by someone other than the parent or carer. EO also sought assurance that in accordance with the law in England there should continue to be de-registration on demand without waiting for approval or "cooling off period." New regulations came into force in September 2006 and may be found here. Further information about de-registration from school can be found on our deregistration page.

DfES: Home Education Draft Guidelines - May 2005

This consultation from DfES did not seek the views of the wider home education community. The EO response gave a detailed critique of the DfES draft. EO also supplied our own revised draft. The material from this consultation was then shelved until a further public consultation launched in May 2007 which you can read about here.

DfES Truancy Patrol Guidance March 2005

EO proposed that the Truancy Patrol Guidance should include explicit reference to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Home Office Guidance stating that home educated children are not the target of the sweep and should be allowed to go on their way without further questioning.

Section 12 of the 2004 Children Act formalised the introduction of the national children's database. This consultation invited views on how many agencies and partners should have access to read and write to the database, with the Government's preferred option being for widest possible access of half a million registered practitioners. The EO consultation response cited assistant to the Information Commissioner who said that in terms of the database being presented as a way of keeping children safe the way to find a needle in a haystack was not to build a bigger haystack. We also stated that our children's date could never be guaranteed to be secure.

DfES: Response to Statutory Guidance on Children Missing Education (s.4 Education Inspection Bill 2006) - November 2006

The Education and Inspection Act brought a duty on local authorities to make arrangements to identify children at risk of missing education. The guidance which was issued in February 2007 stated clearly that children in independent schools and in home education were not to be regarded as missing education. At the time of writing in August 2008 this guidance is subject to drastic revision, which is being contested by EO.

This consultation followed the Department's recent attempts to define what constitutes "full time " education in independent schools. The EO response made the case that the present definition was more than adequate and that there were no grounds for change which would not bring unintended and potentially regrettable consequences.

DCSF: Staying Safe - October 2007

This consultation sought views on the balance between the need to keep children safe and the need to take risks as part of the process growing up. The EO consultation response pointed up how unsafe schools can be for many children and set out how home educated children are able to develop resilience and independence at their own pace.

DWP: In Work, Better Off Green Paper (moving lone parents off Income Support and on to Jobseeeker's Allowance) - October 2007

This consultation asked for comments on the DWP Green Paper based on banker David Freud's report proposing a universal benefit system and privatised employment services. Education Otherwise lobbied steadily against this and the EO Campaign site ran a huge awareness-raising exercise.

Gloucester Council: Wellbeing Review (joint response GPG and DG) - September 2007

Education Otherwise responded to this consultation because the prominent head of Children's Services in Gloucester had recently made very hostile comments about home education. EO's consultation response pointed out that school is often not the best place for children and that home education was a lifeline for some families and should not be regarded with suspicion.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA): questionnaire on curriculum reform - September 2007

This questionnaire asked for feedback on specific changes to the GCSE curriculum in different subjects but the main focus for Education Otherwise was to highlight the difficulty home educators would have with "controlled assessments" which are to replace coursework and which have to be completed under formal supervision. As a follow-up to this consultation EO met with QCA and the Joint Council for Qualifications ( JCQ) to discuss the implications of controlled assessments for home educated private candidates. At the time of writing in August 2008 discussions are ongoing.

BERR/Cabinet Office: Consultation Practice Review - September 2007

The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform asked for feedback on proposed modifications to the Consultation Code of Practice from businesses and others who participate in Government consultations. Education Otherwise cited as an example of mismanagement the exclusion of the home education community during the decision-making process as to whether to impose more intrusive regulations and red tape in this area. As part of the consultation process EO attended a Cabinet Office seminar to put forward our views and we have a continued the dialogue with BERR into 2008.

DCSF: Raising Standards, Improving Outcomes (early years childcare) - September 2007

This consultation set out guidance on the statutory duty for local authorities in England to ensure sufficient childcare places and for JobCentre staff and other partner agencies to act to increase the take-up of places. The EO consultation response made the point that for some families home will be preferred option with more favourable outcomes and that these families should not be put under pressure to use childcare.

DfES: Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities - July 2007

In 2004 the DfES consulted on draft Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities. These guidelines were shelved and in December 2006 the DfES told EO that they were introducing "light touch changes to monitoring". However in May 2007 the DfES reverted to its original plan and re-issued the 2005 draft guidelines to full public consultation. The revised guidelines, incorporating references to the Children Act 2004 and the Education and Inspection Act 2006, were finally published in November 2007 and can be found here.

DfES: Draft Guidance s.12 Children Act 2004 (ContactPoint) - July 2007

The 2004 Children Act introduced plans for a controversial national database containing information on all children. The July consultation invited feedback on draft guidance to clarify how the database would work in practice. The EO response queried whether there was an opt-out clause. We also referred back to our database consultation response on s.12 in December 2006.

DfES: Duty to Promote Community Cohesion - July 2007

The main focus of EO response was to question whether home educated families would have access to extended schools as part of the wider community. We also reminded the Department that home educated children are frequently denied access to local examination centres and other facilities.

DfES: Raising Expectations (compulsory education age to 18) - June 2007

The original proposals in this consultation took no account of home education as a valid legal option, instead mandating full-time attendance at school or college post 16. Education Otherwise made a full written consultation response and also corresponded directly with civil servants. In September and November 2007 members of EO Government Policy Group attended several policy events and asked Secretary of State Ed Balls for his comments on the draft policy. We were pleased to see that the final document confirmed the legality of education otherwise than at school.

DfES: Schools, Early Years and 14-16 funding - June 2007

This consultation covered a broad range of funding issues from 0-16 and raised the likelihood of more funding autonomy for local authorities, EO highlighted the problem of the lack of funding for home education and lack of access to examination centres and other facilities.

DfES: Review of regulations on attendance targets - May 2007

The DfES proposed that schools should be required to promote individual attendance targets on pupils with poor attendance record. EO raised a number of concerns with this approach.

DfES: Revised Exclusions Guidance - May 2007

This consultation brought in written guidance on the revised exclusions policy from schools and Pupil Referral Units brought about by the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

DfES: Skills Strategy Equality Impact Assessment - April 2007

The focus of the EO response was on the lack of attention paid to disability and SEN in the impact assessments. The Skills Strategy concerned proposals to move to demand-led education and training in the wake of the Leitch Report on the skills needed for the workforce.

DfES: Entitlement to Positive Leisure Activities (s.6 Education and Inspections Act 2006) - March 2007

Education Otherwise took the opportunity of this consultation to highlight some of the ways in which home educated children could miss out on the opportunities and that moreover there was very little requirement for extra activities to be provided, simply a requirement for local authorities to collate information about what was currently on offer. We also evinced scepticism that any entitlement would be heavily biased towards young people at risk of anti-social behaviour and not to the youth population as a whole.

DfES: Definition "full time education" in independent schools - February 2007

The Department wanted to produce guidance as to what constituted "full time education" in independent schools, thereby bringing the providers of education within the scope of regulation. Many home educators responded to this consultation expressing fears that tuition groups and other settings would be affected.

Short run consultation on Flexible New Deal which is to be the second year of a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance, managed by contracted-out employment services. The Government's Social Security Advisory Committee has reservations about FND and particularly asked for feedback on the following: mandatory 'Back to Work Sessions'; sanctions; and the contracting-out arrangements.

DCSF Statutory Guidance on Children at Risk of Not Receiving Suitable Education October 2008

This consultation attracted over a thousand responses with hundreds from home educators. Education Otherwise submitted a number of documents as follows:

Response to online questionnaire
Cover letter accompanying consultation documents sent to DCSF
Overview of EO consultation response
Copy of letter about "fourfold foundation" of rights and responsibilities/ Lord Adonis to Lord Judd
EO suggestions for updating the draft guidance
Report of consultation meeting EO/DCSF August 2008
Correspondence between EO and the Forced Marriage Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Correspondence between MP and Education Otherwise
DWP No One Written Off October 2008

This consultation from the Department of Work and Pensions set out Government proposals ultimately to scrap Income Support and replace with a single over-arching benefit. You can read more from the DWP here. These plans were subsequently amplified in the Gregg Report.

DCSF: Fair Play - July 2008

This consultation asked for comments on the play strategy commitment in the Government's 10 Year Children's Plan. The EO response echoed contributions previously made to the Government's Children's Plan and to the 2007 consultations Staying Safe and Entitlement to Positive Leisure Activities.

Charities Commission: Public Benefit Fee Paying - July 2008

Consultation on the activities of charities which charge a fee for their services. EO responded to both CC consultations to highlight the ongoing dialogue with the Independent Schools Council over access to examination centres for home educated private candidates.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)/DCSF Review - July 2008

This consultation focused on the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people and the work of CAMHS and other agencies. The EO response questioned the value judgements implicit in "school phobia" and "school refusal".

DCSF: Enabling the System to Deliver (14-19 reform) - June 2008

This consultation asked for views on the administration of 14+ funding and commissioning services following the anticipated winding-up of the Learning and Skills Council and the transfer of responsibilities to local authorities. The EO response raised a number of questions about the implications for home educators. EO Government Policy Group also attended a regional consultation event organised jointly by DCSF/DIUS.

DCSF: Promoting Achievement, Valuing Success, strategy 14-19 qualifications - June 2008

This consultation outlined the new offer of Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas and the Government's new accreditation scheme. Unsurprisingly the EO response asked how home educated private candidates would fit into these plans.

DCSF: Statutory Guidance to section 10 of the 2004 Children Act(duty to co-operate) - June 2008

This consultation ostensibly related to section 10 but appeared to bring major elements of the Government's Children's Plan within the scope of ambitious statutory guidance. The EO response drew attention to this anomaly.

Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC): Lone Parent Social Security Amendments - June 2008

This short-run consultation asked for comments on the draft regulations intended to move lone parents from Income Support to Jobseeker's Allowance. The EO response was highly critical of the proposed restructuring of the benefit system and drew particular attention to the serious implications for lone parents who are home educating and for lone parents who have children with disabilities and special educational needs. As part of the consultation process EO had discussions with other stakeholders such as One Parent Families and also had a meeting with the Head of the Parent Employment Unit at DWP .

DCSF: Aiming High for Disabled Children - EO Disability Group - March 2008

This consultation asked for comments on the Government's plans for improving services to disabled children and their families. The EO response focused on the need to remember home educated children and young people in these plans and to understand the families' needs and priorities.

DoH: Valuing People Now - Disability Group - March 2008

This consultation covered the transition to adult services for young people with difficulties and disabilities. The EO response queried whether the families of home educated young people would receive sufficient information about services if they were outside the system and offered [disabilityawareness@education-otherwise.org ] the Disability Group as a point of contact.

MoJ and Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): Data Sharing Review - February 2008

This consultation looked into issues of data security following the theft of Child Benefit records and other data leaks. The EO response focused on the security implications of the national children's database to be known as ContactPoint.

DIUS Innovation Nation February 2008

This consultation asked for ideas on how to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. The EO response exhorted Government to think outside the box and to look at natural innovators such as those in the home education community.

DCSF: Bercow Speech and Language Review - Disability Group - January 2008

MP John Bercow called for information on the provision of speech and language therapy services. In common with many other responses, EO described a postcode lottery with additional problems for members accessing services outside the school system. As part of this review process EO also sent a delegate to the Westminster Forum Seminar.

Issued press release in response to announcement of Badman Review.

Issued response in February 2009 to the NICE guidance consultation on When to Suspect Child Maltreatment. Guidance was published in July and after protracted correspondence with EO and other home educators, revised Guidance was published by NICE in December.

March

Meeting between Education Otherwise, Lord Lucas, barrister Ian Dowty and Graham Badman as part of the Badman Review.

In March EO's response to the DCSF consultation Ending Child Poverty: Making it Happen made the point that insufficient attention had been paid to other indicators of wellbeing, such as emotional wellbeing. We also pointed out that outcomes for home educated children in lower socio-economic groups is higher than for their schooled counterparts. Finally we drew attention to the issue of home educating single parents on Income Support.

DCSF 21st Century Schools: A World-Class Education for Every Child/A School Report Card Consultation

Education Otherwise responded to DCSF consultation on 21st century schools.

May

EO published prospectus for improving support to home educating families.

Attended launch of Laming Review and quizzed Ed Balls. Report:

Laming Report - Government Response Launch

The launch of the response document provided an opportunity to remind Ministers about home education.

Addressing the meeting, Ed Balls Said that in the last few difficult months (following the baby P case) it would have been easy to rush into making changes, changing the law and restructuring the delivery system. In fact the law is ok. What was needed and what they are addressing, is the need for better delivery systems.

At question time, EO GPG member Annette Taberner raised the following points:

• home education is a safeguarding measure where children are withdrawn from abusive situations in schools to be home educated
• the Department's press release at the beginning of the Independent Review had angered and saddened home educators. This was most unhelpful
• it does not promote safeguarding where those charged with helping families act inappropriately eg leaving a child in A&E unattended whilst professionals interogate parents on the legaility of their educational choices and their qualifications
• there is a balance to be struck between acting to safeguard children without alienating families from accessing the services they need
• at the Time to Talk event in Leeds parents had said - "stop policing us and start helping us"
• invitation again given to Ministers to attend a home education group meeting

In response to Annette, Ed Balls said that the right to home educate was important and there were no plans to change this. He said it was not a choice he would make for his own children. We note that many home educating families may once have felt like that but that a Government minister is likely to have many more choices than most families in a difficult situation before resorting to home education.

Mr Balls felt that the Independent Review should be viewed as an opportunity for home educating families and organisations to put forward their views.

He said that Ministers would be looking carefully at the report from Mr Badman.

June

Following a meeting with NSPCC, EO published an apology letter from NSPCC.

Made presentation to Independent Schools Council Conference: Access to Exam Centres.

EO published models of good practice following field trips to North Yorkshire and Somerset.

EO met DCSF to discuss Badman Report.

July

EO and Home Education Advisory Service met with barrister Ian Dowty.

EO press release on Select Committee Inquiry into Badman Review.

August

EO released short videos about home education on YouTube.

September

EO met Minister Diana Johnson.

EO press release on Graham Badman's call for extra evidence re Select Committee.

EO commented on draft legislative programme proposing change to law on home education.

EO attended Labour Party Conference on NCVO bursary.

October

EO's Disability Group made a response to Lamb Inquiry following discussion with Brian Lamb at Labour Party Conference September 2009.

EO made a presentation to Children Missing Education Conference.

EO issued Press Release about Select Committee.

EO made response to DCSF consultation on registration and monitoring.

EO held a Briefing Event on Home Education for MPs. Notes:

EO Parliamentary Event Tuesday October 20th

Earlier in the week Education Otherwise held its first event in the House of Commons.

MPs from the three major parties, including members of the Select Committee, found time to come to the event for which we are very grateful. Some stayed for hours, others were only able to drop in for a short time. A number of those who were not able to attend sent regrets, expressed interest in our research and asked to be kept informed.

Ann Newstead presented new research into what home educated children really think. Over 700 children and young people wanted their full response shared with Government Ministers and civil servants.

Barrister Ian Dowty gave a synopsis of the current legal position and the powers and duties of local authority officers. It was stated that the law is sufficient but is not widely understood and that the Government has failed to promote and support its own Guidelines on home education published in 2007.

Dr Alan Thomas and Harriet Pattison of the Institute of Education made a brief presentation on informal learning.

Home educators unanimously stated that the Badman recommendations were detrimental to their home education practice and that the Badman Report had seriously undermined and in some cases destroyed good relations with the local authority.

The idea behind the event was to bring home educators and MPs together in order to raise awareness of home education and to give people the chance to talk informally to home educators from many parts of the country to give a flavour of the diversity of home education practice and policy in different regions. Young home educated children got a chance to express their views and to talk about how home education actually worked for them.

One guest told us that the most gripping part of the evening was to hear first hand from a dyslexic home educated young person who had been completely written off by school but who is now at college and is a member of the DCSF Youth Board.

Home educators are not stuck at home isolated from friends and from society and MPs talked to a number of home educating parents who ran or participated in a variety of local groups and networks for home educators. Early findings from new research into how home educators are out and about in the community is now available online.

The topic of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Home Education came up briefly in conversation and we expect further news about this shortly.

Education Otherwise would like to thank MPs Mark Field and Alastair Burt for invaluable assistance in securing the Lloyd George Room at the House of Commons. As always we are immensely grateful to Lord Lucas for his tireless support to home educators.

EO published preliminary findings of research on home educated children which was presented to MPs at the EO Parliamentary Briefing Event:

"The Rights of the Child?" – Giving Them a Voice - 2009 Survey of Home Educated Children & Young People
"Not Hidden, But Home Educated" - 2009 Survey of Home Educating Families

EO made response to Children's Workforce Development Council consultation on common core skills and knowledge for children's workforce advocating training and awareness raising in home education and special needs.

November

Alex Dowty, former Trustee of Children's Rights Alliance England attended the CRAE annual conference on behalf of Education Otherwise.

December

In December Education Otherwise published a Briefing Paper on the home education proposals contained in the Children Schools and Families Bill.

On December 8th there was a mass presentation of petitions to parliament. Education Otherwise supported a team of volunteers in over half the parliamentary constituencies in the UK.

In December, the Children Schools and Families Committee published a critical report on the Badman Review. See:

EO memorandum to Select Committee September 2009
EO evidence to Committee October 2009
Select Committee Report December 2009

EO made a response to the 16-18 participation funding review, pointing out the anomaly whereby home educated young people in England are not eligible for Education Maintenance Allowance.

EO made a response to the consultation on revised guidance for ContactPoint, stating that if Clause 26 of the Children Schools and Families Bill became law, then holidaying families would have to apply for a place on the local home education register.