What Can We Expect?

The Consultation on Elective Home Education Guidelines closed pretty promptly last night - at 23.55 hours according to at least three exasperated responders who just missed the deadline.

So what can we expect from all this?

Well, there were 858 responses or thereabouts. Given the complexity of responding and the commitment required by individuals to do it, the DfCSF would be right to conclude that home educators are serious about protecting home education and their families and that they are widely networked and well-informed. Don't mess lightly or otherwise with us!

This should mean that the DfCSF will produce guidelines along the lines of the current draft. Better still and with a greater degree of legal accuracy, they would do well to adopt the version produced by Education Otherwise with what appears to be Ian Dowty's help. If that link doesn't work, try here (EO's entire response to the consultation) and scroll down to the section on EO guidelines. This does some great work eg:

It debunks the "broad and balanced" myth explaining that this is only relevant in the maintained sector. Home education has to be suitable TO THE CHILD, not necessarily broad and balanced, (whatever that means exactly).

It addresses the issue of the Children Missing from Education Legislation and guidance, and at least partially explains how this would work when coupled with ContactPoint. There seems to be a key bit of this missing - there is a reference to flowcharts, but no page as far as I can see - (will ask Fiona N for this) but whatever these propose, and I suspect it will be a formalisation of the principle of minimal and proportionate intervention, I suspect that the reality of it is that all of us will be checked out for our provision, as a result of the convergence of CME legislation and Donaldson, but at least, with our responses, we will have limited the intrusiveness and prescriptiveness of these interventions.

Here's hoping, anyhow.