Activities and consultations 2009
January
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- home education is a safeguarding measure where children are withdrawn from abusive situations in schools to be home educated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.
| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
 BULLET POINT EXPOSEv2.pdf | Bullet point expose of data presented by Badman to Select Committee enquire | 497 Kb |
| badreviewfaq.pdf | Badman review FAQs | 87 Kb |
| Bad stats.pdf | Michael Crawshaw and Jaaganroop Singh: Badman stats wrong | 27 Kb |
| bad estimates.pdf | Michael Crawshaw: the real cost of the Badman recommendations | 20 Kb |
| 16-18fundreviewconsultdec09.pdf | EO response to the 16-18 participation funding review | 19 Kb |
| ParliamentPetitionagainstBadman8thDec09.pdf | Report: on December 8th there was a mass presentation of petitions to parliament. | 380 Kb |
| Briefing Paper.pdf | Briefing Paper on the home education proposals contained in the Children Schools and Families Bill. | 278 Kb |
| pr071009.pdf | Press release: EO to give evidence to Select Committee enquiry into Badman review | 30 Kb |
| LAMBdisabilitygroupEO.pdf | EO disability group's response to Lamb enquiry | 48 Kb |
| pr180909.pdf | Press release: Badman calls for evidence to back his conclusions | 25 Kb |
| pr220709.pdf | Press release: EO welcomes Select Committee enquiry into Badman review | 26 Kb |
| DowtyEOHEAS040709.pdf | Notes: EO and Home Education Advisory Service met with barrister Ian Dowty | 48 Kb |
| notesEOmeetingiaincampbellDCSF30June09.pdf | Notes: meeting between EO/DCSF | 35 Kb |
| somersetandnorthyorks.pdf | EO published models of good practice following field trips to North Yorkshire and Somerset | 58 Kb |
| NSPCC 28 04 09 Apology.pdf | NSPCC letter of apology | 289 Kb |
| Prospectus For Improving Support to Home Educating Families 0409.pdf | EO Prospectus for Improving Support to HE Families | 309 Kb |
| 21stcenturyschools.pdf | Report on 21st Century Schools conference | 47 Kb |
| 21stcenturyschoolsconsultresponseMar09.pdf | 21st Century Schools response | 42 Kb |
| eogb0309.pdf | Notes: meeting between Education Otherwise, Lord Lucas, barrister Ian Dowty and Graham Badman as part of the Badman Review. | 71 Kb |
| homeedreviewEO0209.pdf | EO response to Badman Review | 112 Kb |
| Child Maltreatment Comments Proforma.pdf | EO response in February 2009 to the NICE guidance consultation on When to Suspect Child Maltreatment | 37 Kb |
| pr190109.pdf | Press release: response to announcement of Badman review | 36 Kb |