Summary
The question of if and how home education should be regulated has been the subject of a series of consultations and research studies commissioned by the Department, which culminated in the Badman review. Debate has centred on the one hand, the absence of prescription in relation to home education and the ability of home educating families to refuse contact with their local authority, and, on the other, the duty on local authorities to ensure that every child in their area is receiving a suitable education.
There is much concern over the Badman report recommendation that registration and monitoring be introduced for home educating families which has been taken forward through the Children, Schools and Families Bill. 'The Review of Elective Home Education' (HC 39-I) supports the proposals to introduce annual registration for home educating families but suggests that registration should, at least initially, be voluntary. Any registration system should be accompanied by better information sharing between local authorities, HM Revenue and Customs and other agencies.
The Committee also suggests that home educating families should provide some form of statement of their intended approach to their child's education. They believe that ultimately the effectiveness of more robust arrangements for monitoring home education provision will rest on the knowledge and skills of local authority officers.
A separate difficulty seen with the Badman Report is in its merging education and safeguarding matters. The Committee suggests that existing safeguarding legislation is the appropriate mechanism for the purpose of safeguarding home educated children.
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