Home Education Consultation
There is to be a debate on 27th March about whether or not to put all Home Educated children on a Children not in School (CNIS) register. There is a consultation being run in advance with a deadline of 10am 13th March.
These are in response to the petition ‘Do not impose any new requirements on parents who are home-educating,’ which was closed in February 2022 with 24261 signatures. The petition’s content is as follows:
Ministers have said they are committed to a registration system for children who are not in school…
We believe there is no evidential basis for increased requirements for home education, for registration, assessment or testing. If introduced, these recommendations could stigmatise and even destroy the very essence of home education: it is not school. We, the undersigned, call upon the Government not to introduce any such measures.
The consultation for Children not in School registration was closed in 2019, and the consultation response was NOT published until February 2022. Despite the fact that 82% of parents and young people stating they were not in favour of a CNIS register the Government launched the School Bill is introduced as the government’s attempt to make CNIS registration a law.
Education Otherwise, a charity formed in 1977 to support home-education parents published a briefing paper that dissected the proposed bill and its adverse impacts on home-educating families and communities. The Government then decided to scrap the Bill due to pushback and are trying to bring in the CNIS register another way – which is what this consultation and debate is about.
Even if you don’t currently Home Educate or plan to this is still important.
Why? Because the Government recently changed the rules on withdrawing your child from Relationship and Sex Education, even on religious grounds. This means they have unprecedented control over the beliefs and values being instilled in our children. Once they start on these slippery slopes we can only anticipate it getting worse. So you might not currently be a home educator but with the way the curriculum is going you might want the freedom to change your mind in the future.
But maybe you’re not a parent at all or your children are grown? It’s still important because we are all only as free as the least free of the nation. If we allow it for Home Educators because we aren’t one, we are essentially saying we allow it for ourselves.
Please take time to fill in the consultation, using the guides and email your MP using the form.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE AND FURTHER INFORMATION
WRITE TO YOUR MP
We want MPs to know now, before the Schools Bill comes to the House of Commons that we do not want the CNIS register. So please ensure you email your MP to let them know as well as ask them to attend the debate.
If you choose to “Opt in” to the campaign, we will email your MP immediately when you hit submit but also on:
- Friday 24th March to remind them of the debate on Monday.
- Monday 27th March in the morning to remind them to attend that day.
- Thursday 30th March to either thank them or ask why they didn’t attend.
CONSULTATION GUIDANCE
FOR CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS
You only have five questions so it’s quick and easy, but you can still make a strong and compelling argument.
Watch out for the trick question. Use the guide here:
FOR HOME EDUCATORS
This is technically an anonymous survey, so you ought not to be able to be identified by anything you input.
You have the option of selecting “prefer not to say” whenever you want, to any of the questions though if you would feel more comfortable doing so.
Use the guide here:
