Schoolhouse enquiries are showing a worrying trend which suggests that ‘services’ are now actively seeking out home educated children and requesting health and other information. We hope to take advice on the legality of such requests soon. In the meantime we are suggesting that any parent who is in receipt of such a request should write back asking why this information is  required and for what purpose, whether or not they are obliged to provide it and, if so, on what legal basis? Unfortunately, we expect the numbers will continue to rise as the publication of the Getting Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) pathfinder…

Schoolhouse continues to be deluged with enquiries from home educators throughout the UK who are concerned about the implications of the Badman review for home educators in Scotland. Some are thinking of relocating to escape the draconian measures proposed by the DSCF, while others are concerned that the Scottish Government may have similar plans to regulate the practice of elective home education, most especially autonomous home education, out of existence. The Badman review is not directly relevant to Scotland as education is a devolved matter, although Scottish MPs are entitled to vote on English education issues. Those who are concerned…

Following the high profile case of two policewomen in England who were said by Ofsted to be acting outwith the law by entering into a reciprocal childcare arrangement, Schoolhouse contacted the  Care Commission to request clarification of the relevant regulations  in Scotland.

They have now responded to our query as  follows:

“The Care Commission takes the view that it would only be in circumstances where a person was being paid for looking after a child that we would require them to register as a childminder.”

The Children, Schools and Families Select Committee of the UK Parliament has now published the memoranda submitted for consideration in its recent inquiry into the Badman review of elective home education in England. Although Scotland is not affected by the Badman proposals as education is a devolved issue,  Schoolhouse has been inundated with enquiries from English home educators planning to relocate north of the border.  Since Graham Badman failed  to take the  Scottish statutory guidance into consideration when reviewing the framework  in England,  Schoolhouse  submitted a memorandum to the Select Committe in which it drew attention to this omission and objected…