Memorandum submitted by Sarah
Goggin
Executive Summary of Main Points
Brief Introduction to Submitter
Factual Information to Offer
Conduct of the Report
Hasty Review with sweeping statements
Lack of Evidence
Lack of Assessment
Badman's Request for finding more Evidence
after Writing the Review
Impact of the Review
Creating a Slur on Home Education
Personal Evidence
Fundamental Change to the Law
Imposing Restrictions on Home Educating
Families
Recommendations for Action
Brief introduction to Submitter
My background is in nursing, having trained
at St Thomas' Hospital, London
I have three children, age 16,13 and 8
years old.
I have home educated all my children at
some point. My youngest has always been educated outside the school system.
I have lived in London and home educated there, as well as at
my current address.
Factual Information to Offer
Conduct of the Report
Hasty review with sweeping recommendations
Badman has proposed disproportionate
intervention for a problem, which has not been proved to exist.
January 19th Badman gave Local
authorities 14 working days to say whether they had concerns. These are the
basis for the review. A general public questionnaire of 24 days followed with
it finished on June 11th.
Ed Balls decided to put the recommendations
into effect straight away even though the consultation period is until October
and added a clause to the Safeguarding Bill already, even though its not been
decided yet.
Social services already have powers to get
involved with a family they have concerns about.
Lack of Evidence
Only 25 of about 152 Local Authorities
submitted evidence.
There was no one really consulted who was
an experienced home educator. Reputable Studies, like Dr Alan Thomas, the UK's leading
home education researcher, have shown consistently that informal styles for
learning at home are highly effective. None of these seem referred to.
Mark Field, MP led an excellent debate in
Westminster Hall, earlier in the summer, on preserving the freedoms of home
educating families.
Lack of Assessment e.g. Risk, Cost and
Accessibility.
Has there been a risk assessment done on
recommendation 7, seeing children alone? This is a human rights issue as there
are tight regulations on this and it wouldn't happen with the police or in a
court even I believe.
Many children have special needs. Has an
assessment been done on the effect on special needs children?
Has the cost been truly assessed for the
burden on an already overburdened education and social service budget?
Baroness Morgan didn't think an impact
assessment was necessary when asked on June 29th by Lord Lucas.
At the moment local authorities receive no
funding for home educated children.
An analysis of the costs undertaken for
HEAS (Home Education Advisory Service) by Michael Crawshaw, formerly a Head of
Research for Citigroup, has revealed that the worst case scenario could involve
a hefty bill for over £5OO million from the state education budget!
Badman's request for finding more
evidence after writing the Review.
Recently given extra time by the DCSF to
find more evidence. DCSF admits that the evidence on which the 28
recommendations were a small sample and needed to show more statistically
rigorous information to the inquiry.
Impact/Implications of Review
Creating a slur on Home Education by Accusations of Higher Risk of Abuse,
when there is no evidence to suggest this.
I felt to give evidence of the fact that my
son, a home educated child of 8, is highly visible in the community probably
more so, than a child in school.
In his normal week he is seen by
Neighbours,
The village post office,
Gym Club, where he does development gym
with the squad, twice a week.
Football Club, under 10's,twice a week.
Violin Tutor once a week
Swimming lessons, once a week
The dentist
GP
Other home educating families.
We are known in our village, among our
friends and families as home educators and are asked questions about it.
Many don't realise it is a viable
alternative to school.
Plus, as with many home-educated children,
he is seen by education officers at museums on the various excursions that are
made.
All comment on the good behaviour, good
interaction with adults and one another, good concentration and intelligent
questions of the children and their LOVE OF LEARNING.
My experience of my children in school is
this love of learning is soon jaded and they become demotivated with all the
performance pressure put on them, long before the important GCSE exams.
Fundamental Change to the Law, transferring responsibility for Childs Education to Local
Government, above the Parent.
This clause will have the greatest impact
on not just home educating families but on all families as it undermines the
role of the parent to decide on their child's education. The parent chooses to
use the service of state education, private education or home education
depending on the need of their child, who they know and love. This is the
normal case for the majority of families and being in a family is a safe place
to be.
It seems that state schooling statistics
show many children leaving with low academic achievement esp. in maths and
English.
That the UK is very low on the list of good
European countries to be in to raise children .24th I understand
That in maths we rate about 17th.
The social services can't protect some of
the children in their care, as it is.
Imposing Restrictions on Home Educating Families
This would mean with an imposed curriculum
and having to register once a year with permission of local authority, more a
license to educate at home.
This would be entirely unsatisfactory when
many home educators already follow different curriculum and are established in
their routines.
Having my child interviewed by an official
that may not have my child's best interest at heart or have experience of home
education is appalling, especially if they have the power to stop you .It seems
far too subjective or reactionary on a whim of the particular official. What
are the procedures for improvements or appeal?
The
whole imposition would be highly stressful and unnecessary as there are already
guidelines in place from a review in November 2007.
Recommendations for Action by the
Government which submitter would like the Committee to consider for inclusion
in its report to the House.
Need to
acknowledge tremendous work of home education.
To get the
facts straight about home education.
To continue to
let parents be primarily responsible for their child's education.
To not impose
such strict regulations.
September 2009
