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Dear Chris McCafferty,
I wish to complain about the government’s current consultation on home
education which can be found here
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1605&external=no&menu=1
This consultation does not appear to follow the code of practice for
consultations, as it is only running for 4 weeks, not 12, and can only
be responded to online, thus excluding people without easy internet
access. I would also note that the e-consultation site is not currently
notifying interested parties that consultations are available, so not
everyone will know about this consultation. As Ministers are required
to explain any deviations from this code, I would appreciate if you
would enquire as to why this consultation is running at such short
notice and in such a way.
Within the consultation there is a defamatory slant, particularly in
question 6 which reads “Some people have expressed concern that home
education could be used as a cover for child abuse, forced marriage,
domestic servitude or other forms of child neglect. What do you think
Government should do to ensure this does not happen?”
The second sentence is phrased as if believing that the first is true,
when in fact it is a statement of hearsay with so far no evidence to
back it up. The NSPCC were unable to produce backing for this statement
when queried recently on the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2, and as of
yet, we have heard no evidence of this occurring. I find it deeply
concerning that this entire consultation appears to be based on
hearsay, and is victimising and harassing a minority group in the
population.
Home educating parents are parents that are deeply committed to their
children and their families, often making huge sacrifices in order to
follow the path that they believe in. We receive no assistance from
government, and are frequently subjected to this kind of lack of
understanding from people who really should know better.
I would also like to state that this latest consultation, following
closely on the heels of several others is becoming a form of government
intimidation and bullying. There appears to be wilful and persistent
spreading of rumours and slander against the home education population
without corroborative evidence, even in the press release announcing
this consultation, suggesting that the parents within that group abuse
their children or are not educating their children or looking towards
their wider welfare. There is a clear imbalance of power towards the
government, leaving home
educators feeling consistently defenceless and bullied.
Given that this consultation is happening with great speed, I would
appreciate your response as soon as possible, it concerns me that we
home educators are being vilified and persecuted for no reason that has
been stated. I shall also be sending this complaint to the Select
Committee for Children, Schools and Families at csfcom@parliament.uk
Thank you for your assistance in this matter
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