Registration of home-educated children 'should not be compulsory'

It should not be compulsory for all children who are educated at home rather than school to be registered with their local authorities, a group of MPs has said.

Graham Badman has conducted a review of home education and concluded that registration should be compulsory and that children should be sent to school if their parents are not up to the task of teaching.

However, the Commons schools select committee supports a softer approach consisting of voluntary registrations and written details from parents regarding how they intend to educate their children in the home environment.

The committee's report said: "In view of the concerns expressed by home educators about compulsory registration, we suggest that registration should be voluntary."

Under the proposals set out by the Badman report, parents could face home education bans if they fail to meet the required standards.

Up to 150,000 children are currently taught at home, according to the Guardian, whether by parents or through one-to-one tuition from professionals.

Posted by Theo Foulds


Published On 17/12/2009