News In Focus
16 February 2007
More guidance for home educators
Local authorities and home-educating families need better guidance from the Scottish Executive, says the Scottish Consumer Council in a report published today.
Home-based Education: Towards Positive Partnerships is based on a Scotland-wide survey of local authorities and case studies of those who choose to educate their families at home. It found wide variations in the approaches taken by local authorities.
Parents have a legal right to choose to educate their children at home. The Scottish Executive estimates that more than 700 children are educated at home with the most numbers in rural areas such as Argyll and Bute, the Highlands, and Perth and Kinross.
The report sets out recommendations for improving the relationship between families and their local councils. It is published on the final day of a Scottish Executive consultation reviewing guidance on home education.
Research carried out in England and Wales has shown that children educated at home perform well, challenging the view that home-based education is inferior to what is provided in schools. The main reason given for choosing to home-educate children was negative experiences at school such as bullying
However, local authorities still need to ensure that the education provided at home is “efficient and suitable.” This has led to different policies being developed across Scotland from unannounced home visits at one extreme to supportive meetings with parents, telephone discussion and the acceptance of written submissions at the other.
The report recommends changes to legislation and the Scottish Executive guidance, including:
- amending the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to allow parents to withdraw a child from school for home education by notifying the local authority in writing. (Currently, children have to remain in school until permission is granted which can take several weeks.)
- clarifying the legal role of local authorities in relation to on-going contact with families
- developing information on home education for parents for use by all local authorities.
Douglas Sinclair, the chair of the SCC, said: “The right to home-educate is a fundamental entitlement of every parent in Scotland. Problems appear to stem from the way that the initial request to home-educate is handled. While some councils approach this in a positive and supportive manner, others are employing a heavy-handed approach which can be intimidating to parents and in some cases their children.
"Often the tensions between councils and home-educating families stem from different interpretations of the law in relation to home-based education. The current Scottish Executive review of the guidance on home education offers an opportunity to clarify roles and responsibilities and build strong partnership between parents and councils."