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I think home education can be a wonderful thing if it is carried out for the proper reasons. My Sister is 'educating' her children extremely badly and for totally selfish reasons too! Her husband is completely against it and wants the children back in school where they were all thriving before. However, he is having to go to court to do this and may lose as the local authority made a routine home visit and believed everything my Sister told them... without speaking to the children and without seeing any evidence! So where are those children's rights to an education? In the hands of my Sister who spends all day texting and socialising on facebook, or with my fulltime working Brother-in-law who wants them back in school? HE can be great, but it can also be bad too! I for one welcome more than one short LEA visit in two years of HE!!!

- Ann, Brighton

I am going to be the voice of opposition here. I am against home education because I have personally seen children very close to me suffer because of it. Obviously I am not suggesting all home educating parents are bad educators, but some are, and some of these children are being failed. Yes the state fails children, but there are far more children in state school than there are being home educated. (approx 50,000 home educated children) in the UK that we know about, its all relative. I think you have to judge things from your own experiences. I lived in Sweden and went to a private school and a state school in the UK. I have done Ok, I am not an A student but I am very sociable and have a firm grasp on reality. The children I have seen are 'brain washed' into the home educators 'philosophy' on life and very shy and have no idea what the world is like. The parents are divorced and the mother is doing the education on her own (as the father is against it) and clearly cannot cope as one of the children only took afew GCSE's and got very low grades. I have to comment on my own experience of home education, also parents can use home education to stay at home and not work whilst claiming benefits so then not getting a job themselves! These people excist, and whilst they do, they should be registered & monitored in my opinion.

- Sara Lane, Hampshire

My son is home educated and is far exceeding anybodies expectations. We have no set curriculum, except for Maths and English, it is a joint effort between us both as to what topics he wishes to learn to keep him interested. YET my son is learning Japenese, has a thorough working knowledge of the human body and is able to read and understand shakespear. He is nearly 10. The Government has no right to tell me how to teach my son as I am doing at better job of it that any school could ever possibly do. I will not be dictated to or intimidated by them either.

- Virginia, leeds, yorkshire

in a modern world we need to fight to keep the rights of our freedom, and that of our children. When our chu=ildren are bullied at school, that is abuse. Many children who go to school seem badly behaved and I ask, what is the school doing for them? When our children or if they are forced into school against their wishes then that is emotional abuse. A child must be happy, not learn to fear, to conform, or to be a prisoner under the governments systems.

- Sherry, kent

Let's not forget the Review also wants to inspect children in their home and talk to them WITHOUT an adult present and "exhibit", which is something not even the police can do. The officers doing this will have little specialised training in interviewing young children about sensitive subjects. I mean, what will they actually ask our kids: are your mummy and daddy abusing you? Imagine having to explain that to a child. This is an invasion of our children's privacy and will seriously damage their welfare. Completely the opposite of what the government says it wants to achieve. Or perhaps they want us to be so scared of that happening to our children that we will put them back in school. Perhaps the carrot of "services" being offered is actually a stick.

- Tiger, Gravesend, UK

The government say that they are bringing in stricter controls because of child abuse, but really this is a cover to gain control! This communist/fascist government hate the thought of not being able to brainwash children. "...we have set before ourselves the task of inoculating our youth with the spirit of this community of the people at a very early age, at an age when human beings are still unperverted and therefore unspoiled..." Adolph Hitler in 1937 shortly before he banned home education. This is the agenda of our government 72 years later. Home is the best environment to teach children. We are in schools for 13 (or so) years whereas family life starts from birth to death. Home educated children learn integration into society in a much more realistic way by visiting shops, libraries, they rely on their parents for guidance and not their peers. The baton of lifeskills can be passed on via parent to child rather than the blind leading the blind of peer guiding peer! There are more reported instances of children being abused by their peers and teachers through bullying in schools than by abusive parents who home educate.

- Carolyn Davison, Carmarthen, Wales

every child is like a piece of land, you sow the seeds on that piece of land and then reap the rewards, when that child shines. Each and every child has the potential to reach their goals only if they are given that opportunity. Many are failed by the state system.

The state system is a shambles. My children learn more at home than they do at a state school, through my own hard work and effort.

Parents know they are the child's first teachers

- Nasreen Shah, bradford, west yorkshire

They think they can get away with the proposals because we are a small group.
It shows the government's lack of wisdom. All innocent citizens are punished, while the guilty go free. This is against our freedoms. It is not the state doing the hard work of bringing up children, but us the parents.

- Jenny, Lincoln England

Has anyone else noticed that the standard of grammar in H
Home Education article comments is always head and shoulders above most other articles comments sections?

- Chrisbitz, orpington, Kent

Attack is always a form of defence, and this government knows very well that the standards achieved in its state schools are inadequate. I had no choice but to withdraw my children from school, as they were being denied an education there; I was told they did not need to learn more than the lowest SATS pass, which is approx. 10% of the syllabus.

Since leaving school my children have grown in confidence, and are two years ahead of their peers. We also have the freedom (for now) to include more subjects.

- Rosemary Burn, Chippenham, England

In some extreme cases, children have died after not being removed from schooling. Perhaps we should close all the schools.

Makes about as much sense as what is being proposed in the Badman report!

Education and welfare should not be conflated, Local Authorities currently have perfectly adequate powers to deal with educational neglect or welfare issues, and this review is nothing more than a power grab trying to interfere with families who are currently outside the national curriculum and the detailed control of local authorities.

I wonder why we scare government so much.

- Jax Blunt, Suffolk, UK

I am shocked! I follow your paper because of your unbiased , investigative reporting which has, until today, rated head and shoulders above other media in my opinion.
The Home Education Review was prompted by the NSPCC and a few L.A.'s who made the claim that Home Education was a cover for abuse, forced marriage etc .
I made a freedom of information request for the evidence that was put forward to back the NSPCC claim on which the DCSF acted by ordering the review and the result was NONE! .
There are an estimated 50,000 Home Educated children in England who are left publicly embarrassed by the claims constantly repeated by DCSF and Badman (the reports author) this is against U.N.C.R.C which charge states with protecting children from this type of reporting and yet they are actually creating the stories. Should you not ask Graham Badman why, as a trustee of UNICEF he does not uphold the CRC?
Should you not ask the NSPCC why they quoted the Victoria Climbie case in a press interview when she was not Home Educated and was actually failed by the NSPCC?
Should you not ask the DCSF what evidence they have?
To date the only cases they appear able to quote are Spry where the system failed the children not Home Education and Khyra Ishaq where yet again the system was aware and failed to act using powers it had to protect the child.

- Elaine Kirk, Ayrshire, Scotland

What a great photo of happy kids!

Just to clarify a little, under the new proposals, local authorities will also be able to refuse parents permission to educate their children if, in their opinion, there is "Anything else which may affect their ability to provide a suitable and efficient education".

Evidence from research in the US, where home education is very popular, shows that even those parents who never finished school can provide an excellent education for their children. Motivated parents, who learn alongside their children, set them a great example. In our information rich society, this is quite possible. Parental involvement is a key factor in children's success.

It would be unfortunate if inspectors made subjective judgements about a parent's ability to home educate based on the parent's education or social class, when research indicates that such children will probably do better being taught by a parent than they would in their local school.

The law states that “The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable –
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.”

Local authorities have the legal power to issue a school attendance order if parents do not provide evidence of such an education. The current law provides a good balance.

Thank you for covering this important issue.

- Sarah, Leeds

These proposals will affect every citizen, not just home educators, because it is discriminatory to legislate for only one section of the community. LA employees will have right of entry to every body's home by law, in order to check that parents are being good parents. We need to protest now. Its too late after the law has been changed.

- Wide Awake Coffee Smeller, London

Children's Minister Delyth Morgan said: "We have to balance the rights of parents with the pre-eminent rights of children."

Why are Sweden and England doing the same thing and using the same time table to change their legislation on Home Education and why are they using Germany's ECHR defence of its total ban on home education that was brought into being by Hitler in 1938? Morgan's statement reiterates the ECHR ruling and gives the State the authority to send all children to school " Schools represent society, and it is in the children's interest to become part of that society. The parents' right to educate does not go as far as to deprive their children of that experience. ". (see Konrad v Germany) Schools do not represent society any more than the police service, hospitals or prisons do: they are aspects of society. Elizabeth Lil is right more children are failed by the state system.

There are two mechanisms in the proposed legislation that will effectively ban home education in the UK - the annual licence and the words "any thing else".

This will mean that we will have a Nazi ban in place of the most inalienable of freedoms - doing what is best for one's child. A freedom that was enshrined in law in 1944 when we really were at war.

- Suchness, London, United Kingdom

Home Educators are being scapegoated. The children who have died or been abused after being taken out of school were know to social services, the problem is with those systems not with home education. Innocent, loving families are being targeted and slandered so that the likes of Delyth Morgan can pretend that the government is doing something about child abuse.

Graham Badman totally failed to find the evidence of abuse that he was asked to but they keep repeating the lie to the press hoping that the public will think that there's no smoke without fire. Well, there's no smoke except that being blown by ministers.

As for Badman being "independent", what a joke! He's about as far from independent as it is possible to get!

The recommendations go FAR beyond refusing permission because of "clear evidence of safeguarding concerns". They allow LAs to do so if there is anything that they personally think relevant, like a particular LA might decide that single parents or the disabled shouldn't be allowed to home educate! Appeals process? What appeals process! If the LA don't like you then they will have the power to force your children into school.

- Firebird, Godalming, UK

I take issue with-In some extreme cases children have died while being neglected or abused after being withdrawn from school-This is a serious misrepresentation, implying that HE children are at greater risk.The children mentioned in these extreme cases were well known to SS. HEors are part of society HE kids tend to be at less risk than schooled kids of bullying and abuse, though it may happen-that's why there are systems set up by society for safeguarding. Even the Badman Review couldn't find evidence of any greater risk, but if you keep bandying the idea around enough people will believe it. Children's education remains the responsibility of the parent, even in school. That is every child's right and every parent's duty. If Baroness Morgan had read any of the independent research she would begin to learn how HE works and would know what she was talking about. Very few people involved with Govt or LAs seem willing to do this. We are a minority group that they think can be manipulated into carrying the can for the high profile abuse problems they can't deal with, but if they make it seem we're at fault and tighten up on us it looks as if they've done something. Do your own research and don't be sucked in. Paula Rothermel and Alan Thomas are good places to start.

- Fionna Pilgrim, Keighley

What this article doesn't say either is that the Badman Review found NO EVIDENCE at all that Home Education was being used as a cover for forced marriages or child trafficking or abuse.

It should also be noted that because a child is withdrawn from school does not automatically make that child "Home Educated". Furthermore, I can't attest to every extreme case but the ones highlighted in the papers were known to authorities. Baby P, the little girl who was starved to death.. all known - that was a failure of the systems that were suppose to protect those children and had absolutely nothing to do with Home Education.

- Jacqui, Folkestone, UK

There are many children who have been forced into Home Education by negligent councils and schools that have not provided suitable Education for Special Needs Pupils and other children who have been traumatised through Bullying or School Phobia - These families are not supported in any way by the government - the children and parents are left to find their own way in Education. They also have to provide 100% of the cost of this, as well as losing out on one of the parents incomes. Why should these families be invaded and inspected when the Local Education Authorities cannot provide a suitable education themselves.
- Wouldn't it be better to start supporting these families who are just doing the best thing that they can for their children. Help them with the cost of Education.
The families are providing Love and Nurturing to see that their chidren develop into Normal adults that are able to cope with the Real world.
It is wrong to invade peoples lives and privacy on the supposition that they are guilty of child abuse just because they have withdrawn their children from State Education. - Children that attend Private schools are not under threat of Inspections and other monitoring.
Home Educating families are being presumed as Guilty and yet, the odd inspection will not guarantee that these children are safe - It is easy to make up the information that is needed to pass an inspection. Inspections will not protect children and will cost a lot of money to administer.

- Mrs M Burdis, Haywards Heath West Sussex

" In some extreme cases, children have died while being neglected or abused after being withdrawn from school."
This is a misleading statement. As far as currently known cases go there is ONE child who has died after being removed from school. How many die as pre-schoolers?
recent freedom of information requests have gathered statistics that show home educated children are less than half as likely to be on "at risk" registers.
The report found NO evidence of increased risk of abuse, and said as much, yet still called for expensive regime changes. This will be an enormous waste of time and money, looking at families that make the huge commitment in the aim of helping their children.

- Jenn Uk, Hayes, UK

Ok, I'm joking here - but there's a serious message too.

Why doesn't the government cut out all of the softly softly approach and remove kids from parents at birth. That way they can indoctrinate them from the cradle in rock headed socialist ideals as well as protecting them from their nasty evil parents and families, and anyone else that isn't (Labour) government approved. They could give consent for DNA recording as the 'legal guardians' along with any number of socialist wish-list control measures.

And think of all the brainwashed socialist support way down the line when the grateful kiddies get to vote!

Hey, they could even use it as an excuse to raise new taxes - to pay for the kiddies upbringing, although it would all be through the general fund like everything else (and everyone would have to contribute 'out of fairness' - that 'village raising the child' thing in action). Thinking about it, this could be a real earner for the Labour lot. I wonder if Gordon is hiring....?

- Rogan, Irving

Schools closing,pupils unable to get placements and bulging classes with no discipline. Just some of the reasons our education system is failing. Shouldn't the Government be promoting home education not undermining it? not that I'm advocating it; it is very hard work. It's demanding and a drain on resources in an economic climate where most families would have two working parents. Those who home-educate are dedicated parents.
Some Councils have failed to protect children on their 'at risk' registers, statistics show that children from care have a disproportionately high rate of failure, many of them ending up in prison, prostitution and living rough. Why then would the Government wish to burden Councils further with the monitoring of caring, loving parents and well-rounded children?- it makes no sense.

The money would be better spent on insuring that current legislation works better. The government states that every child is entitled to an education suitable to their needs and ability. I can tell that this legislation is failing. My son was denied such an education and I had no option but to home educate him. He was diagnosed as being exceptionally able and entered school literate and numerate. He came out of school 18 months later suffering from PTSD, because the school failed to protect him from bullying and ignored professional advice regarding his education.

Although it was not my choice, home education works - my son is 16 and applying to Oxford this year.

- Anita Croft, S. Norwood, London

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