The Petition

In November 2006 a member of the home educating community set up a petition to the Prime Minister about home education. The petition received a reply on 20th March 2007.

PRESS RELEASE

MEDIA INFORMATION FROM ACTION FOR HOME EDUCATION: For immediate release, Wednesday 2nd May 2007

For further information please contact ( )tel: ( ) email:enquiries@ahed.org.uk

ACTION FOR HOME EDUCATION WELCOMES DOWNING STREET RESPONSE

Prime Minister reaffirms home education as an equal choice to schooling

The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the right of parents to educate their children outside the school system in accordance with their own philosophy. (1) The statement, issued in response to a petition raised by a member of the home education community, (2) has been broadly welcomed by Action for Home Education (AHEd), (3) whose membership has expressed ongoing dissatisfaction with biased responses from the DfES and Local Authorities on a number of issues affecting home educators in England and Wales.

The Prime Minister's response affirms the legal position that home educators have a broad discretion as to how and when the education of their children takes place, and that local authorities should act within the law and with sensitivity in any cases where legitimate concerns are raised.

AHEd spokesperson, Barbara Stark, said, "This statement is particularly welcome after recent comments revealing a pro-school bias from the DfES in which it has been repeatedly stated, to home educators and in the media, that school is the best place for children to receive an education. As the Prime Minister rightly recognises, this is a matter for parents to choose and not the government to dictate, since it is parents who have the right to decide what is best for the education and upbringing of their children.

"The Prime Minister's response to the petition confirms the legal status of parents in this country who wish or need to educate their children outside the school system. Home education is equal in status with school education, and research (4) shows excellent outcomes for children who have been home educated.

Mrs Stark continued, "Meanwhile, the Public Communication Unit of the DfES was last week forced to admit that the department's bias is not based on evidence, but is simply a 'general belief'. (5) Our members are therefore very concerned that, on the basis of this general belief, the DfES is still planning to consult on proposals to 'tighten up' on home education - something which could adversely affect the welfare of thousands of children

who are already subject to discrimination, ignorance and bias on the part of education officials. (6)

"The Prime Minister's statement undermines the need for any such consultation by asserting the current legal position in which adequate statutory interventions are already available to local authorities where problems are identified. This is all the more important in the light of the institutionalised discrimination within the DfES and local authorities that has been uncovered by AHEd members.

"AHEd is currently pursuing a complaint against the DfES for their handling of consultations affecting home education because they have failed to follow Cabinet Office guidance for consultation and have effectively excluded home educators from the process." (7)

ENDS

Information for Editors:

(1) Petition on HE rights.

(2) Number 10's reply.

(3) www.ahed.org.uk

(4) "Home-Education: Aims, Practices and Outcomes." (Paula Rothermel, University of Durham 2002.)

Research Papers.

(5) Matt Vallily wrote to AHEd (25.04.07) admitting that statements asserting that school is best or the right place for children to receive an education are the result of, "a generally held government belief, whilst recognising that in some cases parents will be of the view that school is not the best option... However, it is not a question of these views being

taken on the basis of statistics." Mr Vallily concludes, "There is nothing further I can add on this issue."

(6) Letter to Patricia Hewitt.

(7) AHEd Complaint.

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