New U.K. Bill Requires Homeschooled Children be Registered with Authorities

LifeSiteNews.com:

The British government announced last week their acceptance of the Badman Review of home education and introduced the new Children, Schools and Families Bill that will require home educated children to be registered with the local authorities.

Undertaken by Graham Badman, the former Director of Children’s Services at Kent County Council, the review of home education has been denounced by homeschoolers as a “stitch-up” and a “statist” piece of government propaganda.

Annette Taberner of the homeschool support organisation Education Otherwise, who met twice with Graham Badman during the course of the review, said, “In a rapidly changing world, government could learn much from the good practice of home educators – instead it has decided to bring forward legislation that will stamp it out.”

Homeschooling families were furious at the review’s results and say the new bill will mean the effective end of the rights of the family in education. The bill will follow recommendations that homeschooling families be subjected to spot-checks by local authorities, and that authorities can interview homeschooled children without the presence of their parents.

Taberner said, “To suggest parents can continue to home educate but then give powers to local authorities to enter our homes and interview our children without an adult being present is just extraordinary. This is nothing short of an attempt to regulate the private lives of people.

“It is a very bad day for civil liberties in this country.”

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