“The Rights of the Child?”

– Giving Them a Voice

2009 Survey of Home Educated Children & Young People

Executive Summary and Topline Results

Research conducted by Ann Newstead

© Ann Newstead 2009

Introduction

The Purpose of this Survey

In Graham Badman's Report on Home Education he wrote:

"I have sought to strike a balance between the rights of parents and the rights of the child, and offer, through registration and other recommendations, some assurance on the greater safety of a number of children." (11.2)

I wished to give children the opportunity to respond to this assertion and following the publication of the Report I issued a short survey for home educated children between the ages of 5 and 25. The survey proved to be so popular with young people in the community that the original survey was extended for two months.

Methodology

The survey began on 12^th June 2009 and the last response was collected on 6^th October 2009. The survey was publicised via home education internet lists, home educators’ Facebook pages, as well as in a direct mailshot to all families in membership of Education Otherwise and the Home Education Advisory Service.

Instructions at the start of the survey said that, should the child need help understanding the questions or in writing their answers they could ask someone for help, but to make sure that it was their own opinion.

Surveys that allow limited options for reply can sometimes produce results which in fact may be misleading. In order to avoid this, questions did not simply require the child to answer “yes”, “no” or “don’t know” but allowed the child to put as much or as little as they wanted for an answer. Some chose to just say yes or no to the question, others wrote more detailed answers. Some parents typed in the child's answer, others had to phrase the question slightly differently so that the child could understand, in which case the parent showed what actual question they had asked, and what the child's answer was.

Interpretation of the data

For brevity I have used the term "child" or "children" throughout this summary with no disrespect meant to those young people and young adults who answered.

One distinguishing characteristic of home educated young people is the inability to put them easily into a box, however for the purposes of providing a statistical summary I have categorised every answer under a more general “for” or “against” heading and have then provided examples to illustrate the range of answers. As a home educating parent of four children, organiser of a 260+ family local support group, and a local contact for Education Otherwise, I believe that I have been able to be fair to the overall meaning of each child’s response for the purposes of that summary.

Where percentages in the topline do not sum 100 this is due to rounding (up to one decimal place).

It should be remembered that this survey focuses on the child’s perceptions, and not on facts, which it is believed in this instance is the correct focus of such research. After all, it is the children who are supposed to be the ones whose wellbeing is at the focus of the Badman Review and it is upon them that the proposals will have the greatest effect.

Punctuation, grammar and spelling have been left as they were given in the original answers.

Publication of the data

This summary relates to all 777 responses is available to download from here: http://tinyurl.com/homeedchildrensurvey

768 respondents agreed for their answers to be passed to DCSF in full and will also be available to members of the Children Schools & Families Select Committee upon request.

A copy of those complete answers is available on request (see below).

Contact Details

Ann Newstead

08445 868839

Demographics

Age of Respondents

20.7% of the children who responded were between the ages of 11 and 12.

Length of Time Home Educated

20.9% of the children who responded to the survey had been educated otherwise than at school for between 1 and 2 years, with 19.2% educated at home for between 3 and 4 years.

Responses

Question: Some people think that the decision to home educate is made just by the parent and that this means children's rights are not taken into account. Do you agree?

771 children answered this question. Many gave detailed answers about how their education was decided upon and carried out, but they can be broken down generally as follows:

The vast majority (744 responses, approximately 96.5%) felt that the child(ren)'s rights were taken into account by the parent when the decision was made to home educate:

“Mummy asked me before taking me out of school, she asked lots to make sure her & Daddy were doing the right thing”

(5-6 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

Indeed many stated that the decision had wholly or primarily been their own:

“No i do not agree. I asked my mother at the age of eight to take me out of school and she did. It was totally my decision”

(15-16 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

Some children explained why the decision was made:

No. I was bullied at school for 2 years. The last year was bad. The last thing the bully did to me was to push me against a metal bench. I hit the side of my head really hard. My ear was swollen and bruised and while I was on the ground the bully kept kicking me. He was in my class and I had to see him everyday. The teachers didn't stop him. In the end I was so scared I just couldn't go inside the school anymore and my Mum asked if I wanted her to teach me at home and I said yes. I left when I was six. I was glad. I feel safe at home. I would never go back.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

I had bad time at school. I got given a tutor for hours a week by the school she made me feel like an idiot and never listened. My parents found out about home education and as it was the summer holiday we had six weeks to think and talk about it. We met some HE people. They told us the good and bad side of HE. I do not agree with the statment above as I was given the choice.

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

One young person answered:

No. Taking a child out of school is a huge inconvenience to the parents, and they have to sacrifice much time and money to do so in most cases. Children are almost always taken out of school because their parents are concerned for their welfare in some way, which is clearly supporting their rights.

In fact, I would argue that if school isn't suiting a child, and their parents do nothing, that is a far greater (and far more common) neglect of the child's rights.

Of course, not every child who is taken out of school actively asks for that; instead they may demonstrate it by becoming withdrawn, faking illness on weekdays, or getting ready for school in the mornings at a snail's pace. Many children don't realize they can be taken out of school until their parents either ask them what they would prefer, or take them out without asking, but that doesn't mean it isn't taking their rights into account, the same way that pulling a child out of the road when they don't notice a car coming isn't ignoring their right to stand in the road, it's doing what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, in the child's best interests.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

Another wrote:

It is difficult to answer this question generally as every home educating family is different - for myself, I have been home educated all my life and I cannot remember the point when it was decided that I would not go to school. The option has always been left fairly open though and should I choose/have chosen to go to school I doubt that my parents would prevent me.

Overall however I think that this is a mistaken assumption. I cannot speak for all home educating families, but in my experience most HEing parents who have taken the decision to remove their child from school tend to do so because their child is unhappy there. I cannot remember ever meeting another home educated child who felt they were being forced to stay at home or had their rights ignored. On the contrary, most HEd children/young people I have met who have previously been in school are extremely glad to be home educated.

I would also note that the same argument could be easily applied to the decision to send one's child to school - rarely do children and young people seem to have their rights taken into account on this matter.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 11-12 years)

9 respondents (approximately 1.2%) neither agreed nor disagreed, for example saying that every case could be different. A further 8 children (roughly 1%) felt that it would be natural for parents to decide when the child was younger but believed that the child would have more say in the matter as they matured.

Well, generally in the beginning it is decided upon by the parent, unless the child is old enough of course to make that decision for themselves. What I have found is that usually by the time people begin home-educating their child and them are so sick of the school system or the issues which they encountered there that they're both willing to give it a try. If a child continually doesn't enjoy it and prefers school, usually, in my experience, they have simply been inserted back into school. End of story.

(17-18 year old category, formerly home educated)

Only 10 children (1.3%) agreed that it was their parent that decided. One of these said of that decision:

My mum and dad know what is best for me.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Another child explained the reasons behind their parent’s decision:

My mum made me be educated at home because I didn't get into the secondary school i wanted an the authority wouldn’t give me transport to school. I see pictures of things like proms at school and i miss out on that and i miss my friends to.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

All of the detailed responses showed a remarkable relationship within home educating families:

My parents decided, but I like being home educated and I want to stay home educated at the moment. I probably will go to school when I am older. We will decide it together. My big sister and brother who are 17 and 14 are in school now. They were home educated for 7 years.

(7-8 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

A number of children commented on the fact that school children had no choice in whether or not to go to school, unless their parents knew about home education and offered them the choice:

Parents decide to send their children to school and dont ask the children if they want to go. I am taught at home because I want to be and my mum lets me.

(9-10 years old, home educated 5-6 years)

I think the issue is finding a balance between the parents right to home educate and the child’s right to choose. In reality, in the government’s eyes, the only issue is getting the child back into school, however. This is typical of the government, politics, and the media, however. They pick out only the arguments that support their own case. Home educators are probably among the first to point out a weakness in the government and local authorities and just because they are more vocal about it than most it doesn’t mean their own voice over shadows their childrens.

In my own case I had an awful experience at school and actually looked into home education myself and it took months of my mum hoping it would get better and there would be no need to take such drastic measures before she acknowledged that it genuinely wasn’t getting and better and I was deregistered. In my case, it was my decision and I’d like to see the government say otherwise.

(13-14 year old category, home educated under a year)

Question: Do you choose what you learn, and how you learn, or do you feel that it is all decided for you by your parent(s)?

770 children answered this question.

For 68% of the families represented in this survey it appears that the process of deciding what and how to learn is shared by parents and children alike. Their answers provide an amazing insight into the family relationships within home educating families.

Some children expressed this simply; others went into more detail as in the responses below:

I choose what i am interested - history of trains, electric, steam trains, rockets, sciences experiments at the museum. I ask mom and she takes me. Then we talk and read together. We are a happy family.

(5-6 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

Both. My parents know far more and they lead me to things that build on my knowledge and interests. e.g. we studied Japan because of my interest in the car industry and because there are so many parallels with Great Britain. I hear that Japan is not usually studied in schools but it is fascinating! Some subjects they need to input more of this leadership as I would not be interested or see the relevance unless they explained it to me.

(13-14 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Several subjects that'd be considered essential in mainstream society after I've finished my education, such as English, Maths, some Science and History are all agreed between me and my parents as needed to be studied, I choose other things that peak my interest to pursue and find out more about.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

When I left school we talked about what we were going to do together. I know I have to learn things like Maths and English and reading and writing. I couldn't read or write properly when I left school and now I can. Mum lets me mix lots of things up so they cover different subjects. Sometimes I like to do cooking and it covers bits of Geography, Science, reading and writing, Maths, ICT and Photography. We grow lots of vegetables and this year Mum and I got everything ready together. We got the beds ready and planted all the seeds. This year I hatched some Painted Lady Butterflies from tiny caterpillars and we set them free into our garden. I took pictures with my camera to show how they grew. We do lots of other things too. I like learning this way. It is much better than school . It's more fun and I feel happy and safe. I help my neighbour Jane in her garden and I have lots of friends in the street. Some are little and some are the same age as me. I go to Cubs and do loads of badges and I do Kickboxing and ride my bike a lot with my Dad. when the swimmimg pool is ready next year I will do that as well.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

A quarter (25.8%) of respondents felt very clearly that the choice was entirely theirs.

I choose what I do except when we have to go shopping.

(5-6 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Many of those responses however showed clearly that this was NOT “laissez faire” but the child being allowed the freedom to choose within a secure environment.

I decide but my mummy tells me if I haven’t done something for a long time

(7-8 year old category, home educated under a year)

Yes I am given the choice and freedom to decide what I learn and the methods by which I learn it but always within reason.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

One young person summed up this autonomous approach very well:

Our style of learning is mainly autonomous - I make use of the Internet and libraries in particular, and am largely self-taught. Often I will ask my parents questions or for help they will answer/help me, but we have no set schedule/lessons etc.
I have opted not to take GCSEs and have no plans to go to college or university at the present time, although I may consider it in the future.
I would not say that I feel forced into learning any particular subjects - in many ways I am my own 'educator' and my parents guide and support me rather than formally teaching me.

15-16 year old category, home educated 11-12 years

Only 6.2% of the children who answered this question felt that the decision on what and how to learn was entirely, or almost entirely, down to their parents. Even for those families who are quite structured in their educational approach, most of them showed by their answers that this was a process that was far fairer and open than for a school child who has absolutely no control over what, or how, they learn.

Mum and Dad choose most of it but if I say I want to learn something in particular, like the flute, then they let me do that.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

Mostly Mum and Dad choose but if I am into something we learn about it.

(11-12 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

We have a set time for writing, maths, French, Latin, and other things. Mum decides. If we are doing well with something and enjoy it we often have more time on that. I like doing Latin and French is okay. I feel I'm doing better at home

(11-12 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Some reflected the fact that the choice of what to do came down more to age, and that their involvement in the process would increase as they got older:

Mummy gives me things to do based on things I like and am interested in. We have learnt all about parts of plants this week and are growing vegetables now which is lot's of fun.

(5-6 year old category, home educated under a year)

Question: The Report has said that the local authority must be allowed to visit you to check that you are receiving a "suitable education". Do you think this is right? If so, why and if not, why not?

Out of 770 responses, 536 children (69.6%) did not feel that it was right or appropriate for the local authority to have to visit a home educating family to check that the child was receiving a “suitable” education. Most of the children were very clear as to why compulsory home visits were not acceptable to them.

I would hate to be "checked" on! It's like you dont trust my mummy to care for me!

(5-6 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

I don't want teachers coming to see my work because it is mine and not theirs.

(7-8 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

No, of course not. My education is nothing like what my friends at school learn. I think it's 'suitable ' because I love what I learn. I don't think what is learnt at school is suitable for me. It's dull and repetitive. I like languages and myths, music and beliefs and rituals in the world. I go to the British Museum all the time. A school inspector wouldn't get what I'm doing.

(11-12 year old category, home educated 11-12 years)

No. I think perhaps parents should send in an annual report as that's all they get in schools. Parents Evenings are optional so I think LA's visits should also be

(15-16 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

No, I have experience of these visits. They are literally a waste of time, because:

A) it was totally clear to the inspector that we were extremely happy and well looked after, the first time he came. He said as much.
B) the inspector took a very long time in our house, and the way he talked was provoking. He tried to get me and my sister to say that our parents forced us to do things or that we didn't like aspects of there [stet] governance. This was supposedly in fun, but still we made it clear that we didn't like this, as we are a very close family.
C) If people live in the U.K., pay their taxes and never commit crime, and crime is not suspected of them, they should have the right to exist in such a way that they are not inspected and treated as though they are doing something wrong. Friends I have who have never been to school or inspected are worried about this lack of liberty, proposed by the review.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

No. It is a huge intrusion into a family's personal life. Social Services already have the right of entry into ~any~ home if they suspect abuse. Having an 'inspector' coming into the home is stressful for everyone - especially when they usually don't have any idea about home education. We were not 'known' to our local authority and I'm very glad of it - it would have been detrimental to my education if we had to conform to someone else's ideas of what counted as 'satisfactory'.

(19-25 year old category, formerly home educated)

49 children (6.4%) either didn’t understand the question or were not sure as to what they thought about the idea and had no definite answer.

Yes and no. It's okay to 'check', but on the other hand, how can they decide what is a suitable education for each person?

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

im autistic and dont want to see them if im not feeling ok. mum doesnt mind because everything is don right but she does mind if it upsets me and my brother.

(9-10 year old category, home educated under a year)

This is fine, I do not mind. BUT will they start finding fault with everthing, to make sure they get Children back into School. Will they try making it so hard, that children will fail.[stet]

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

i think it's right for somebody to come every 2 years and we are fine about that because i am learning lots and have very good reports from the school inspector. i hear there is a law that wants to pass about school inspectors so they come every year and on their own with the child give a test on them and if they get it wrong they are forced to go back to school which is very unfair because it puts pressure onto the student so that they go back to school which they would hate. We should have more rights to say no to that because we are old enough to understand. Why can't you just leave us alone? We are doing fine.

(11-12 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

These mixed feelings were most eloquently summed up by one teenager:

I have mixed feelings about the subject. I understand that there is the potential for child abuse cases (though I’d like confirmation that all the cases the press/government have referred to are concerning home educated children) but after meeting the local authority employees at are home for the first time around two weeks ago I wouldn’t like to meet them again. They were confrontational, pretentious and generally not very nice people. I didn’t think they belonged in the job they were in if they were dealing with kids on a day to day basis and strongly considered telling them this after they said they thought I had “socialization issues”. After they left, I was glad to get rid of them. I didn’t have good expectations of them before they arrived but they were apparently better than my what my mum’s where since she said they weren’t as bad as she was expecting but they were far, far worse than I though they’d be.

I would be happier meeting with the local authorities if they were more open minded, respectful and... nice, I suppose. I don’t know if the people I met were having a bad day but they have to be more aware of the fact that they are leaving that impression for people to dwell on for another twelve months. I’m not looking forward to meeting them again in twelve months time if they have the same attitude. If they were more helpful and if they had more information, resources and knowledge I’d be happier to speak to them because they could help me set up my exams and stuff but as it was I didn’t see the point. As I said, I’d be more happy to meet them if it was possibly in a neutral location and they were more open minded, respectful, helpful and good at their job (and not in the government way of forcing kids back into school either).

(13-14 year old category, home educated under a year)

In total, 185 (24%) children would agree to a visit. However, only 125 of these (16.7%) agreed without some form of caveat. Even then, their answers showed that this agreement was either based on lack of awareness of the implications of compulsory visits, or based purely on the so-far positive experience of the particular individual from their LA who had visited them so far.

We have just had our 2nd inspection and our lady is really nice. She asks if she can come and my Mum says yes, but I don't think people should be able to come into your house without asking first even the police aren't allowed to do that.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Two children appeared to feel that they had to say yes, or be sent back to school. One child wrote:

Yes because If I dont, and I dont show them i am doing work, they might send me back to school

(9-10 year old category, home educated under a year)

Her Mum added:

(daughter then got very upset.. She is very rulebound and doesnt like to be thought of as doing wrong. She also expected them to be knocking on our door any moment now.. lots of reassurance given.)

Caveats applied by the children who were happy to have a visit were mainly to do with the issue of judging a suitable education or concern that the LA personnel would not understand what home education was.

yes its ok because I do work but it depends what they think is suitable I might not agree

(11-12 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

only if they dont tell us what to do.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

I think it is partly right, and I am proud to show what I have done. But they should not be intrusive or think they come to 'inspect', they should give help and support instead.

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

Many also said that the visit would only be acceptable to them if it was not compulsory.

The children should choose whether they get visited or not because they might not want to be visited, parents can't make children do stuff.

(7-8 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

Another thought provoking response highlighted the difference between having a visit to assess the adult's provision or the child's response:

I think that they should only visit me if I want them to. They did not visit me in school - the OFSTED only looked at how the teachers did things not how I responded - so why do it now that I am educated at home?

(13-14 year old category, home educated under a year)

One child wrote:

I don't mind as long as I can check up on them to make sure that all the children in their schools are also getting a "suitable" education as I think some of them aren't

(11-12 year old category, home educated 7-8 years)

Question: The Report wants local authorities to have the right to question you on your own, without your parent or "educator" present. Do you think this is right? If so, why and if not, why not?

This drew the largest response, with 772 children answering the question. This question also drew the widest range of answers and some of the most passionate.

30 children - around 3.9% - said that they wouldn't mind being seen without their parent or educator present.

that's ok too because i am alright with talking to anyone about what we do. maybe they will give me money to get my own computer.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

I think it is fine, if they want to question me about my education- that's fine.

(13-14 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

A further 30 children said that they did not personally have a problem with the idea but were very clear about the circumstances in which it would be acceptable such as:

It should be up to the child.

Only if the child agrees. I needn't explain why it isn't right to interrogate a child against their will.

(17-18 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

If it can be stopped at any time.

only if I can leave the room when I want

(9-10 year old category, home educated less than a year)

Pre –agreed questions.

I believe if the questions are set questions, that the parent/"educator" has the right to look at before hand, and are only intended for the purpose of assesing the child to make sure they are cared/educated properly, then it should be allowed, provided it's a one off assesment and not recurring.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

No personal questions allowed.

I think that it would be useful for the inspector to hear the views of the child in question, but that any personal questions should be avoided

(15-16 year old category, home educated 13-14 years)

Most of those who answered in this category did not believe it was appropriate for younger children, with some suggesting between 10 and 12 as a cut off point.

The concept doesn't bother me but it could prove inappropriate for younger children.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 7-8 years)

Others felt it was only acceptable if there were existing welfare concerns, maybe not realising that this is an existing legal right and therefore is no justification for this proposed new power.

Only if they have serious welfare concerns

(15-16 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

29 children (3.8%) were unsure about the recommendation and gave no clear answer, with most of them echoing the caveats mentioned by the previous category such as age, permission from the child or adult to have them interviewed alone, or set-questions.

Others acknowledged the variables that would have to be factored in before a decision could be made.

I don't really have a view on that. It would depend on the person, their past experiences and the approach taken.

(13-14 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

I think it's fine for some people and not for others so I don't know if I can answer that question. I know my self I would like my Mum around but then again I know some people would be fine about it. It depends on the child so know one can know the answer. I my self would say no. What I don't understand about it all is why the Police can't do this to you but the autorities can. If Home Ed people have to do this everybody should because it's not fair.

(11-12 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

I'm not bothered if I was on my own or not - The answers would probably be the same, - Only thing that I get cross about it that they don't understand what I say and they twist my words around to mean different things. I don't want to be questioned like I'm in some courtroom. - That's probably what it would feel like, so - on second thoughts - No - I probably wouldn't like it if they asked me questions when I was on my own - They ask stupid questions anyway!

(13-14 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Personally for myself this would not be a problem, but alot of Home Educated children are younger than myself and could be nervous/timid. My brother would not like it. It seems pretty unfair to interogate a child when they've done nothing wrong, (that's how it would come across) and again it's pretty biased towards State schools when their children aren't interogated and again loads fail. Why don't they do this to all children in all homes? Why just do it to Home educated children.

The whole system sucks, with State schools. If the Goverment is paying £5000-8000 in educating each child per year, maybe it's just best they send the children to private schools and pay the fees through that, or why don't they give money to home educated kids. I took all my GCSE's and the Government didn't give us any money at all.

If the Government is messing up why should they tell us what to do?

(15-16 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

Several children felt that potential opportunity to allow children to speak without any allegation of parental pressure would be negated by the potential for a local authority officer to put pressure on the child.

This is OK to a limit - but I'm only a child and I believe that the LEA would try and trick me into saying something that I don't mean. - I would want the questions ahead of time, so that I can have time to think about them - a bit like in the Houses of Parliament

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

One young person wrote:

It's hard to say. A child may be pressured into answering questions in a way to suit the local authority when the parents isn't present to make sure any questions are being presented to the child unbiasedly. Although then again a child could feel pressured by their parents if they want to tell the local authority something that their parents don't want them to know.

(19-25 year old category, formerly home educated)

683 children (88.5%) were completely against the idea of being interviewed without their parent or educator present. The responses ranged from angry, vehement, distressed, through to eloquent and reasoned arguments:

Wrong! Because it sounds wrong. (5-6 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

But I will be alone! (7-8 year old category, home educated 7-8 years)

unless there was a problem i can,t see why they would need to do this and i would be worried that they may try and bully me into returning to school and that would upset me secondary school was not nice actually it was hell.

(13-14 year old category, home educated less than a year)

This is preposterous, I was at school for two years and when ofsted inspectors came, they never once spoke to a student alone. I do not think it appropriate or just, as a young child can be confused by how the Local Authority would ask questions, and lets face it, they would put words in the childs mouth as they don't agree with home-education.

(17-18 years old, formerly home educated)

There have been several big cases involving interviewing children for signs of abuse, such as Cleveland, where social services have shown themselves not up to the job resulting in many children wrongly being taken away from their parents. No one can be sure that there are no leading questions slipping into an interview like this.

(13-14 year old category, formerly home educated)

Aboslutely 100% NOT right!
I met Graham Badman and told him this. I was there when groups of home educated young people over and over told him this.
My parents did what they had to do to help me overcome the damage I suffered in school. I would literally have been terrified of someone asking to speak to me on my own.
The report says that the children's views should be respected-that includes mine and my choice is NOT to see anyone from the LA especially not in my home, which for me when I first left school, was the only place I felt safe in. To impose this on home educated children would take away that feeling of safety that the parents have encouraged.
Why did Mr Badman not listen to the views of the children and young people he spoke to?

(15-16 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

One parent wrote down the dialogue that had ensued over the question:

"No." "I don't understand these questions"

[parent] I explained that they were only suggestions not yet the law and maybe wouldn't become so. I explained the question again. I asked if maybe children should be able to tell someone if they were unhappy with the choice their parents made for them. Child getting cheesed off now said

"But you didn't decide I did. I think it's good"

[parent] What if we made a bad choice for you would you like to be able to tell someone from the Local Education authority.

"I'd tell you duh! I wouldn't tell them, what could they do, you're my parents"

“No more questions Mum”

[parent] by now he was confused - he just can't envisage that we would make choices that don't take account of his needs. These questions are outside his experience.

(5-6 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

Question: What else would you like to say about the Report and its recommendations?

An amazing 645 children made additional comments about the Report and its recommendations.

Once again, these demonstrated both the range of ages of the children taking part, their level of understanding, and their passion. It is impossible to do their comments justice by summarising them, but this is just a flavour.

From one word answers such as "horrible" to the heartfelt "Why change things. We are getting on fine at the moment and I don't want things to change", the comments are a window into the lives of the children that the report is claiming to want to protect. It was also obvious from the survey that the Report and the effect it has had on many parents has deeply affected many families:

i want to be able to put our side of the story, tell the people reading this that's these are my words and not yours (My dads)

(5-6 year old category, home educated 5-6 years)

I would tell Graham Badman that he is very ignorant and doesn't really care about home educating families and that he is careless.

(7-8 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

I don't want to go to school and I don't think it's right to be made to go to school just because they don't understand what you're doing.

(9-10 year old category, home educated 9-10 years)

i think it's worrying and is putting extra pressure on me and my parents and is getting in the way of our home educating

(11-12 year old category, home educated 3-4 years)

I don't think that there's much more to say apart from I love doing Home Education and I wouldn't go back to school, given the choice. People have to understand that school isn't right for everyone! And that most of us are serious about education and want to do well. Me and my mum felt as though we didn't have a choice but to take me out of school, and people need to think about it from our point of veiw, too!

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

It feels as if they are trying to say that families and home educating is not so good for us, and that someone from the government needs to keep an eye on us, which seems really odd because all the stories that I have heard and seen in the newspapers are about bad things happening to children in schools, and when they have had social workers in their homes keeping an eye on them. So I feel that I am much safer with my family whom I can trust, learning how i want because learning about things is fun the way we do it, and I meet other people and children who aren’t scary

(13-14 year old category, home educated 1-2 years)

The Report seems based on the assumption that school is the best place for every single child. Have the negative effects on children and young people been considered?

Taking away the freedom of parents who wish their children to grow up in a healthier enviroment than that provided by schools is short-sighted and wrong. Home educators are a minority. Isn't persecuting minorities against this country's policy of rigid, unyielding political correctness?

Home-education has been accused of being a cover for child-abuse. Yet what of the news of paedophilic teachers and the children driven to suicide through school bullying? Child abuse is one of the few pieces of dirt that sticks nowdays. By flinging it, Badman's accusations border on the ridiculous.

And forced marriages? Puh-leeze, dude.

(17-18 year old category, formerly home educated)

The last word should go to one of the young people:

His report is infeasible, it would take far too much manpower and funding for many of his recommendations to implement. If they did manage to fund it, who would pay for it? The taxpayers, many of whom are home educators who don't want any of these silly, unnecessary recommendations to come into effect.

Badman's findings did not show any actual evidence of home educators abusing children in any way. He still continues suggesting that implementing all these changes will "reduce the risk of it happening"...

But there doesn't need to be a risk, child abusers don't need to use home education as a cover. They do well enough with the children when they're still going to school. Now I don't mean to sound biased against school now, I'm trying to state that the children the government does know about are still falling through the proverbial cracks. The whole report was started because of the baby Peter case, which was tragic. That was because, the system itself failed him. It wasn't anything to do with home education.

Also a letter of apology has now been sent to Education Otherwise signed by NSPCC Director of Public Policy, Phillip Noyes who was the man to originally suggest that hoe education could be a cover for abuse.

He writes: “I would like to apologise for the offence this has caused. Clearly there is no connection between home education and Victoria’s tragic death as she was not being educated at home.

These "unknown unknowns" that have been said to exist and they are the ones that need to be looked after. Well it was also said that "man will always fear the unknown" and if we are to find out what is unknown, we must build upon what we do know. What we do know is that there has been no evidence of it happening and home educated children do get a good education. That is a nice starting point don't you think?

The report sent to Mr Ed Balls by Mr Badman literally made me feel sick. The irony of it all that it is in the children's interest that this review was started, yet if the suggestions put forward by Badman are implemented then it will be the children who will ultimately suffer the most. I'm just glad that I will no longer be a home educator by the time any of these recommendations are put into effect, so I don't have to suffer from those tribulations as well.

(15-16 year old category, home educated 6-7 years)

Annex A

Questions

1. How old are you?

Category options were:

· 5-6

· 7-8

· 9-10

· 11-12

· 13-14

· 15-16

· 17-18

· 19-25

2. How long approximately have you been home educated?

Category options were:

· Less than a year

· 1-2 years

· 3-4 years

· 5-6 years

· 7-8 years

· 9-10 years

· 11-12 years

· 13-14 years

· Formerly home educated

3. Some people think that the decision to home educate is made just by the parent and that this means children's rights are not taken into account. Do you agree?

4. Do you choose what you learn, and how you learn, or do you feel that it is all decided for you by your parent(s)?

5. The Report has said that the local authority must be allowed to visit you to check that you are receiving a "suitable education". Do you think this is right? If so, why and if not, why not?

6. The Report wants local authorities to have the right to question you on your own, without your parent or "educator" present. Do you think this is right? If so, why and if not, why not?

7. What else would you like to say about the Report and its recommendations?

8. Would you like your comments to be passed onto DCSF?

Category options were:

· Yes

· No

· Don’t mind