HomeSchooler.org.uk

Impact assessment of the Badman proposals on Elective Home Education.
Michael Crawshaw July 2009
 
This report was commissioned by the Home Education Advisory Service.
Its author is a financial analyst and management consultant. He was formerly a Head of Research for Citigroup.
 
Executive summary
 
Minimum cost estimate of £60-150m pa increase in state education spending; arising primarily from a requirement that education authorities put in place a new layer of administration to pull home education under the state umbrella.
Only 8% of these costs to provide practical support such as paying for exam fees and opening up school facilities to home educated children.
Central estimate of a £120-300m pa increase in the state education budget.
Worst case scenario costing over £500m pa if the proposals lead to a virtual extinction of the home educating population and thus a rise in the state education population by approximately 45,000 children.

Fast-track review of home education could cost the taxpayer Ł500
million per annum according to research for the Home Education Advisory
Service

HEAS calls for Government re-think and proper dialogue with the home
education community to avoid unnecessary burden on the exchequer

At a time when most independent bodies forecast that state spending will
need to be slashed, the Government is planning to make radical changes to
home education that could cost it as much as Ł500m in new spending annually,
according to research for the Home Education Advisory Service.

Alarmingly the government appears determined to push ahead without any
appreciation of these cost implications. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
(Parliamentary Under-Secretary- Department for Children, Schools and
Families) said of the proposals: "We do not expect them to place any
significant additional burdens on local authorities".

Yet research for the Home Education Advisory Service has quantified major
costs arising from Government proposals for a new monitoring and assessment
regime for home educated children, including provision of additional
services and the inevitable rise in the number of state educated children as
the home education population falls in response to the proposals. The HEAS
estimates a cost impact of Ł120-Ł300m pa. But a worse case scenario sees the
state education bill rising by half a billion pounds on an annualised basis.

Michael Crawshaw, who led the research for HEAS, said: "There are tens of
thousands of home educated children in Britain. Independent studies suggest
that they achieve emotional and educational outcomes at least as good as
those of children who attend school with a neutral or positive impact on
career progression. These outcomes cost the taxpayer nothing. Home educating
parents do this demanding job entirely at their own expense and without any
input from the state education system."

"This is Bruce's response to the answer given by the legendary Delyth Morgan in answer to Lord Lucas's question, House of Lords Written answers and statements, 29 June 2009.

It is an annotation on the What Do They Know site.

"Jax's point is key - Baroness Drefelin's response is more than disingenuous, it's the Parliamentary equivalent of being 'economical with the truth'."...more...

Lord Lucas (Conservative)
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as required by the Code of Practice on Consultation, they have published an impact assessment to accompany the "Registration and Monitoring Proposals" consultation following Mr Badman's report on Elective Home Education; and, if so, whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 29 June 2009, c6W)

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Children, Young People and Families), Department for Children, Schools and Families; Labour)
An impact assessment is not required for the consultation at this stage as the proposals are still at an early stage of development. We do not expect them to place any significant additional burdens on local authorities as most already monitor home education, and our proposals will provide additional powers that will assist local authorities in dealing more efficiently with the small number of cases where home education does not come up to scratch. If we decide to proceed with legislation we will publish an impact assessment and will place a copy in the Library of the House.

...because school spending is such a sensitive area with the public, cuts are likely to be deeper in further and higher education and at the centre of government itself.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was told in last April's Budget that it had to find an extra £650 million savings in 2010-11 on top of value-for-money savings that had already been set...