One of the members of the facebook group working against the current home education consultation (what, you haven’t filled it in? where have you been? Off you go, now!) has received a letter from her MP as follows:
Had another letter back from my MP who has forwarded a letter from Sarah McCarthy-Fry, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Of State for Schools and Learners. She says that she is replying “as Minister responsible for Home Education”
She basically has done a copy/paste of the DCSF letter that everyone has been receiving. The use of words like “ensure” and “robust” and “abused” and “neglected” are still littering her reply.
And she also says:
“If home educators wish to make wider points we hope they will include them either in the questionaire or in a separate note to the review team. Comments can be sent to homeeducation.review@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Mr Badman fully respects the rights of parents to home educate. He is fully independent of the Department; he is not an employee and his terms of engagement do not specify any constraints to the scope of the review or the range of outcomes he can report. He has extensive experience of engaging with those opting for alternative education including experience as an Education Welfare Officer and other posts in local government. The last post he held prior to retirement was management of Kent Children’s Services.”
Now, I don’t think that Mr Badman seems particularly independent, but I know that that has been covered extensively elsewhere. I do think that sending further comments to the email address above may be a plan – I think we need to let these ppl know how we feel.
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