I haven't contributed to this thread till now because I haven't had time to get involved in the conversation. I've home educated for over five years and while it's extremely challenging, it's also the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I've ever done. I am satisfied that I've given my son the best start he could have had and he's thriving on all levels.
The poster above who said that she could never have supported her son's dyslexia to the same standard as school did has been incredibly lucky. Luck plays a huge part in SN. My son (autism and ADHD) was failed dismally by two mainstream primary schools and the LA. His school also prevented him getting his ADHD dx which didn't come until he was withdrawn and I was able to submit private tutors' reports to the assessment. Without this he wouldn't now have the medication he has needed to help him cope with daily life.
Someone also said Every child has the right to a decent education, not every parent is up to providing it, even if they think they are. I agree, but you could change 'parent' to 'school' and it would be just as accurate.
As for safeguarding, there's nothing to suggest that children who go to school are any safer than those who don't. In fact, the cases we hear about in the media are all school-educated children. Even if concerns are picked up by caring teachers there is no guarantee that the system will protect those children, as recent cases have highlighted. As others have said, there already exists a mechanism for safeguarding all children, regardless of how they are educated. Home Education itself presents no immediate cause for concern. Incidentally, removing my son from the school environment was an act of child protection. He was being badly harmed and there was no help for him - he certainly wasn't safe or being protected in that environment (even our GP advised that we consider HE for the sake of his mental health). Bullied by children and mismanaged by staff, he didn't stand a chance.
My dh and I are both working class and poorly educated. We have a dismal five O levels between us. He is an unskilled factory worker and I'm an 'office supervisor' who hasn't worked in twelve years for health reasons. We're not the middle class, well-off stereotypes one generally thinks of as home educators, nor do we do it for religious reasons. But we take our responsibility as parents seriously and don't delegate his education to people who have already failed him and in whom we have no trust. What we can't manage ourselves we delegate to tutors. We plan ahead for his future and already have appropriate college plans in place. He is already ahead of his peers in many subjects, has a handful of IGCSEs and is preparing for more this summer and next, and he has better opportunities now than he'd ever have had if he'd stayed in school.
I've come to know a lot of home educators in my time and the vast majority have similar approach to mine. They may not all educate the same way that I would but I have seen no indication of neglect, and most have strong social abilities and wide circles of friends and acquaintances. Any instances of 'not coping' have led to the child being placed in school - always the child has come first.
Neither school education nor home education is perfect, and a lot depends on how each option suits the individual child. The law as it stands states clearly that a child's education is the responsibility of the parent so we should respect their choice to fulfil that responsibility in the way they see fit, as should those LAs who continue to operate outside of legal guidelines.