HED0646

Written evidence submitted by Ms Willo Williams

• The duties of local authorities with regards to home education, including safeguarding and assuring the quality of home education;

Section 437 of the education Act sets out local authorities’ duties in regard to home education. Local authorities should only take action when it appears the education is not suitable. This should not be measured by school standards as home education takes many forms. Home education is not a safeguarding issue {section 47,Children Act} the local authority should take action only when it has ‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child in their area is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm’.

• whether a statutory register of home-educated children is required;

Parent’s educational choices should not be cause for a statutory register which are only used for criminals and certain professionals, both of whom require government oversight. Singling out a group of children because of parents educational choices would be an unnecessarily stigmatising policy.

• The benefits children gain from home education, and the potential disadvantages they may face;

Home educated children learn and make progress towards their goals and achievements the same as children who attend school. For our family the benefit of home education is in being able to tailor the education to our child’s ability and interests and to work at his own pace. The main disadvantage is that we as parents feel obliged to submit near constant reviews to LA’s and consultations and enquiries from Westminster justifying our choices.

• The quality and accessibility of support (including financial support) available for home educators and their children, including those with special educational needs, disabilities, mental health issues, or caring responsibilities, and those making the transition to further and higher education;

We as parents do not want or need any extra support that is not available to other families.

• whether the current regulatory framework is sufficient to ensure that the wellbeing and academic achievement of home educated children is safeguarded, including where they may attend unregistered schools, have been formally excluded from school, or have been subject to ‘off-rolling’;

Off rolling, unregistered schools and exclusions should be addressed with the educational establishments in question and not home educators. The current regulatory framework for home education is sufficient.

• The role that inspection should play in future regulation of home education;

No such inspections are required. Home education is not a safeguarding issue and inspections especially from Las who do not work within their remit can cause unnecessary anxiety to parents and children.

• What improvements have been made to support home educators since the 2010-15 Education Committee published their report on ‘Support for Home Education’ in 2012; and

Few it would appear as we are being asked again to justify our educational choices by the same body.

• the impact COVID-19 has had on home educated children, and what additional measures might need to be taken in order to mitigate any negative impacts.’

I do not believe Covid-19 has made any difference to home educated children different from schooled children.

January 2021