Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Written evidence submitted by Charlotte White to The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill Committee (CWSB111)

My name is Charlotte White and I am a former primary school teacher (qualified in 2012) and current home educating parent. I taught in multiple schools including a school for children with Social, Emotional, and Behavioural needs. I have completed multiple child protection training courses. 

I have two children; my eldest is 5, bright, very keen to do things ‘right’, struggles with anxiety, and quite possibly autistic. She tried school for the first 6 weeks of her reception year and took nearly a year to fully recover from the trauma that it caused her. She is thriving in home education. 

For us, home education is nothing like school. We follow no set timetable, learning happens everywhere based on what she is interested in. Just a handful of the learning experiences she’s had in the last year that she wouldn’t have had if she were in school, include;

-Setting up and running her own sourdough pop-up shop (she learnt to make sourdough, made and delivered flyers to advertise, baked the bread, ran the shop, and calculated her profits)

-Learning and recording a song from a musical

-A deep dive into Henry VIII and his wives based on the musical Six, including visits to the theatre, the Tower of London, and Hampton Court Palace

-Cooking family dinners, including researching recipes and writing menus

-A project on the Olympics, including trying out as many Olympic sports as possible

-As much unlimited play as possible! The benefits of learning through play are widely researched and documented

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools bill causes concern to many home educators I have spoken to. The following are the reasons that would or could specifically affect my family;

· The proposed register requires far too much information (Section 436C part 1). As outlined above, each week looks different for us. For instance, one week she might be having a chess lesson with a grandparent; does his information need to be included? She attends several clubs; according to this bill, we’d need to include their information, but the school educated children also in attendance wouldn’t need to do this. What’s to stop those clubs excluding or charging more for home educated children because of the extra paperwork? I couldn’t even begin to know how I would fill out how many hours she is educated by different people because of how flexible and varied her education is. 

· Section 436 part 2 says that the Secretary of State can add extra information to the above with no extra scrutiny. Where is the protection for home educating families here?

· Similarly, Section 436 Part 3 says that the Local authorities can ask for any extra information they deem appropriate. Many charities that support home educating families will explain how some Local Authorities already act unsupportive and unfairly to home educators; again, where is the protection for home educating families here?

· Section 436D says that Local authorities can request the above information whenever, and as often as they like. This, in addition to my first point, could lead to me having far less time and attention to dedicate to educating my child.

· Schedule 31A- the punishment for getting any of the above wrong could be my child sent back to school, a fine, or prison. All of which, but particularly the first and last, would be utterly detrimental to my child’s mental health and wellbeing.

· 436I Part 2 gives local authorities permission to enforce home visits. First of all, there is no other reason in this country that anyone can insist on coming into my house when I haven’t committed a crime. Secondly, there are no mandatory home visits for children under compulsory school age, despite those children forming a notable percentage of all children abused in this country. For me personally, my child is incredibly anxious of people she doesn’t know, and would also be terrified that these particular people could send her back to school. She would likely freeze, not want to speak to the LA visitor, and would not represent what a fantastic education she is receiving. What’s to stop the LA deciding based on that that her education is not suitable or meeting her needs? Many home educated children are neurodiverse and would have these, or similar, problems with home visits. This is not good for their wellbeing.

In addition to all of the above points, there is nothing written into the bill about tribunal processes or independent ombudsman that would protect home educating families if their local authority were to step out of line. 

Equally, nothing is mentioned about training for Local Authority workers about home education, particularly regarding the wide range of different educational styles. It is of the upmost importance that every LA official understand that a good education does not have to look like school, or follow the National Curriculum. LA officials should also have fully up-to-date training in Special Educational Needs including Autism.

More money, time, and government energy desperately needs to be directed into safeguarding children. This bill does not do that. It does, however, risk damaging the wellbeing of a growing population of home educated children.

January 2025