A series of Parliamentary Questions on home education by Irene McGugan MSP, answered by Education Minister Nicol Stephen.
To ask the Scottish Executive how long it took to draft its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home; when the draft was completed; when it sent copies to (a) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, (b) the Association of Directors of Education, (c) individual education authorities and (d) home education organisations and when a copy was posted on to its website.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (25/01/2002): The Scottish Executive undertook work to prepare the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home between July 2000 and December 2001. The draft was completed on 10 December 2001. Following printing, copies of the draft guidance were issued for consultation to (a) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, (b) the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, (c) individual education authorities, and (d) home education organisations on 20 December 2001. A copy of the draft guidance was posted on the Scottish Executive website on 27 December 2001.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25/01/2002
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To ask the Scottish Executive what views were expressed by home education organisations in advance of publication of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home; which of these views were reflected in the guidance; what consideration was given to the views expressed by the Scottish Consumer Council in its report Homeworks on the treatment by local authorities of home educating families, and in what way these views were reflected in its guidance.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (25/01/2002): During initial consultation, representatives of home education organisations and local authorities raised a range of issues that have been addressed in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home. The Scottish Consumer Council Homeworks report was also given full consideration and many of the issues raised in the report have been addressed in the draft guidance which has been issued for consultation until 29 March 2002.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25/01/2002
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To ask the Scottish Executive in what way the national priorities for schools are relevant to home education and which academic studies relating to home education were considered prior to the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (25/01/2002): The effectiveness of home education provision should be considered in the context of, but not dictated by, the philosophy behind the National Priorities which have been established for school education. The National Priorities promote the development of core skills, self-discipline, respect for self and others in society, and creativity and ambition in all children. A range of documents provided by Education Otherwise was considered in preparing the draft guidance, including a summary of Educating Children at Home by Alan Thomas and The Next Learning System by Roland Meighan.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25/01/2002
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To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently being home educated by choice and how this figure was compiled and substantiated.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (25/01/2002): In response to a Scottish Executive survey of children educated outwith school, education authorities reported that a total of 349 children were known to be receiving home education as a result of parental choice in 2000-01. The survey requested information about all children who had received education outwith school at any point during the 2000-01 school year, whether out of necessity or by parental choice. The above figure relates only to those children educated outwith school by parental choice. It does not include those who received education outwith school because they were unable to attend due to illness or exceptional circumstances. The Scottish Executive recognises that the true figure is likely to be much higher since many children who are educated at home by choice are not currently in contact with their education authority.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25/01/2002
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To ask the Scottish Executive how its plans to monitor children as outlined in its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home are connected with the proposed surveillance monitoring of all children through the collection in England of personalised school census and other data without the express consent of parents or children and what discussions it has held with the Department for Education and Skills concerning the establishment of a UK-wide tracking system for children.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (25/01/2002): The recommendations made in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home that relate to the monitoring of home education provision are not connected with any plans in England to collect pupil level school census data for statistical purposes. There were no discussions held with the Department for Education and Skills on the establishment of a UK-wide tracking system for children.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25/01/2002
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Further PQ by Brian Monteith MSP
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any internal research on the treatment by local authorities of home educating families that contributed to the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home.
Answered by Nicol Stephen (21/02/2002): The outcome of the Scottish Executive’s internal research into this issue has already been published in the form of the Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home, issued for consultation until 29 March 2002. In preparing the draft guidance, officials sought and considered the views of local authorities and representatives of home education organisations on the issues they wished to be addressed in the guidance. The Scottish Consumer Council research into the treatment of home educating families by local authorities, published in their Homeworks report, was also given careful consideration together with a range of other documents provided by Education Otherwise.
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21/02/2002
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