Home educators are grateful to Robin Harper MSP for lodging the following motion in the Scottish Parliament and to the MSPs who supported it.
Motion S2M-03739: Robin Harper, Lothians, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 14/12/2005
Home Education
That the Parliament expresses concern that some local education authorities in Scotland are not adhering to the statutory guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home which was issued by the Scottish Executive in March 2004 with the aim of improving relationships between local authorities and home-educating families; notes that, while the majority of councils have changed their policies, procedures and practices to reflect the statutory guidance, many others have delayed or refused consent to parents wishing to withdraw their children from school, despite those parents having provided adequate information about their home-based education provision; notes that in England and Wales the law allows for the deregistration of a pupil from any school upon written demand, whereas in Scotland parents require council consent to remove their child from a state, but not a private, school; commends the majority of councils in Scotland for engaging positively with home-educating families and making the guidance work, and supports the home education community in Scotland in their call for an amendment to section 35 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 so that children attending state schools in Scotland may be withdrawn from state schools upon written notification to the local authority.
Supported by: Donald Gorrie, Murdo Fraser, Alex Johnstone, Mike Rumbles, John Swinney, Shiona Baird, Derek Brownlee, Rosie Kane, Murray Tosh, Ted Brocklebank, Brian Adam, Alasdair Morgan, Patrick Harvie, Mark Ballard, James Douglas-Hamilton, David Davidson, Linda Fabiani, Eleanor Scott, Rosemary Byrne, Bill Aitken, Chris Ballance, Alex Neil, Annabel Goldie, David McLetchie, Margaret Mitchell, Margo MacDonald, Jim Mather, John Swinburne, Mark Ruskell, Nora Radcliffe, Colin Fox, Nanette Milne, Rob Gibson, John Scott, Tricia Marwick, Jamie McGrigor, Elaine Smith, Mike Pringle, Michael Matheson, Adam Ingram, Bruce McFee, Fiona Hyslop, Roseanna Cunningham
