Important for home educators or anyone who believes in Article 8.

[Snugglepumpkin]

There is currently a government consultation going on to rewrite the statutory guidance around Elective Home Education.

There is also a petition asking the government to withdraw a consultation until it has been looked at again because they have had no input from those who will be most affected.


"These draft Guidance documents were written following significant consultation with Local Authorities and no consultation whatsoever with the home education community, to whom it is presented as a fait accompli.
The subsequent Call for Evidence is consequently for little more than show as an intention to implement the content has already been stated.
These Guidance documents seek to encourage Local Authorities to breach the ECHR Article 8 and the GDPR.
They provide no accessible means for a parent to address disproportionate, unreasonable or ultra vires behaviour by their Local Authority, where many of those authorities already act routinely in such ways.
They are oppressive and encourage the use of draconian measures to control and fetter the civil liberties of a minority section of society.
They are divisive and will lead to segregation of communities by treating home educating families as lesser than their peers.
They undermine the rights of children and the duties of their parents.
The petitioners therefore request the DfE to withdraw the draft Guidance documents and the procedure of or results from the related Call for Evidence until:

1. it has put in place an accessible and workable complaints procedure and
   
2. it has consulted with home educating parents, as it has with Local Authorities, as to what the contents should include."
   

Please, please sign the petition.


www.change.org/p/department-for-education-we-ask-the-house-of-commons-to-withdraw-the-2018-home-education-guidance


Read the consultation and respond (closing date July 2nd)

consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/home-education-call-for-evidence-and-revised-dfe-a/

[Aucklander]

Well done. I have signed this.

This consultation stinks. They are basically urging local authority officers to become more aggressive and litigious towards home educating families.

Q.16 of the consultation asks:

'Should there be specific duties on parents to comply with local authorities carrying out monitoring if such LA powers and duties were created, and what sanctions should attach to non compliance?'

In the new guidance for LA's they argue that:

' . . . a child being educated at home is not necessarily being seen on a regular basis by professionals such as teachers and this increases the chances that any parents who are using home education to avoid independent oversight may be more successful by doing so'.

They then go on to argue that if the family doesn't comply with the LA they may refer the child to social services and that could go all the way to a care order.

This is way out of order and needs to be robustly challenged.

There are 45 questions in the consultation but if you are pushed for time you may frame your answer in response to Q.26 which only asks:

Are there any other comments you wish to make…

Closing date is 2 July.