Richard Benyon said,

"I recognise the right of parents to educate their children at home. It is the parents’ decision and, as such, must be respected. Home educators from West Berkshire whom I have met have impressed me with their approach to the responsible task of educating their children. Of course it is not for everyone but I totally reject the Governments ham fisted attempt to over regulate this group of parents"

Richard Benyon has also written to Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, on behalf of home educating parents.

Notes

• Wording on the petition states :-

The Petition of persons resident in the Newbury parliamentary constituency.

Declare that they are concerned about the recommendations of the Badman Report, which suggest closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people’s homes for local authority officials; further declares that the petitioners believe the recommendations are based on a review that was extremely rushed, failed to give due consideration to the evidence, failed to ensure that the data it collected were sufficiently robust, and failed to take proper account of the existing legislative framework.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families either not to bring forward, or to withdraw, proposed legislative measures providing for tighter registration and monitoring of children educated at home in the absence of a thorough independent inquiry into the condition and future of elective home education in England; but instead to take the steps necessary to ensure that the existing Elective Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities are properly implemented, learning from current best practice, in all local authorities in England.