HED0105
Written evidence submitted by Mr Andrew Rowell
We have home educated our 5 daughters from their earliest days through to post university and jobs.
We have been involved in home school groups for social interaction during that period.
Some people find home education “weird” and assume that it is illegal.
In our 30 years of involvement we have rarely come across any situations where we felt that the children involved were not at least as safe as they would be in a state school situation.
We have voluntarily allowed an inspector to visit or written a report each year for our local authority.
Compulsory registration seems entirely unnecessary to us.
A compulsory register would go against the important principle of the responsibility of the parents. We strongly believe that the ultimate authority for childrens education is the parents and that the state should only intervene where there is a genuine safety issue.
Elective home education should not be conflated with unregistered or illegal schools or exclusion.
Often it seems to me that the alarming levels of sexualisation and sexual harassment and bullying in state schools means that the extra effort needs to be focused there rather than on the safer and more protected home environment.
Any state support should be voluntary and there should be no implication that rejecting support is a cause for concern.
Home educators are often treated with unwarranted suspicion already by some local authorities.
It does however seem unreasonable that we should pay the same rate of tax to cover the education bills while not benefiting from it…. And then having to pay the additional costs of home education.
Help with examinations would be greatly appreciated.