26th October
Last November the Government consulted on plans to inspect out of school educational settings which provide more than six hours a week of education for children. Since the consultation ended in January nothing further had been heard of the proposals until the Government issued its response to a report on counter-extremism made by Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. The Joint Committee raised strongly-worded concerns about complex issues including freedom of speech and the right to express religious beliefs, but the Government’s response reaffirms its commitment to protecting communities and individuals from harm and also to ensuring that children are properly safeguarded. The Joint Committee was not convinced that existing safeguarding measures are inadequate and stated plainly that its members ‘do not support a regime of routine inspections of out of school settings.’ The Joint Committee’s recommendation continues by stating that they are ‘aware of the very grave concerns around Government proposals for a regime of compulsory registration’ for out of school settings and they undertake to return to this issue when the detailed proposals are made.
The Government’s response says that they are still considering the replies and deciding ‘how best to take the policy forward’. The response undertakes to work closely with interested parties ‘to ensure that the proposed system of regulation is targeted, proportionate and focuses firmly on those settings which are failing to safeguard and promote children’s wellbeing’. HEAS will be making representations to ensure that the activities of small groups of home educating families are not affected as an unintended consequence of any new regulations.