Dr Bernard Trafford, head of Newcastle upon Tyne Royal Grammar School, a former chairman of Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference (HMC) and a former home educator writes in TES about why attempts to monitor home education as a safeguarding measure are wrong footed
“There’s sloppy thinking in such stereotypes. Lazy media reports of child deaths (from abuse or neglect) too often suggest that the children’s injuries weren’t observed in school because they were home-educated.
Look at the case of Victoria Climbié, who was killed in 2000. The 8-year-old was missing school: yet authorities failed to investigate her absence.
That wasn’t home education, but concealment. Because of inaction and dithering, social and medical services were found to have failed to identify the abuse and protect Victoria.”
“Any measure that constrains the ability of home-educating families to take on that vital task freely, creatively and positively risks perpetrating a great wrong. We don’t scapegoat schools for these tragedies. Don’t hound home-educators either.”