Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
Dear Sir Gus O’Donnell
Conduct of the Review of Elective Home Education
The Department for Children, Schools and Families recently published its Review of Elective Home Education in England. The Review, which was conducted by Graham Badman, appears to be in breach of both the Nolan Committee's ‘The Seven Principles of Public Life’ and the Civil Service Code. Clearly, these are serious allegations and, if correct, undermine the legitimacy of, and public trust in, the Review and its conclusions.
The Review selectively quotes from submissions it received, including a fairly lengthy extract from the Education Division of the Church of England that expresses their concerns about home education. However, the Review does not quote the Church’s overall conclusion:
‘10 We have seen no evidence to show that the majority of home educated children do not achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes, and are therefore not convinced of the need to change the current system of monitoring the standard of home education. Where there are particular concerns about the children in a (sic) home-educating this should be a matter for Children’s Services.’
Such selective quotation does not meet the Civil Service Code in terms of:
• Objectivity - the report fails to presents the Church’s views accurately and, given the Review’s findings it effectively, ignores an ‘inconvenient fact’.
• Honesty – the report omits the Church’s view that they are not convinced of further reform, yet it does quote their concerns. An honest view would have included their concerns and their reservations about the need for further reform; as this would have ‘set out the facts and relevant issues truthfully’.
We have a large number of other concerns about the conduct of this Review (please see attached letter) to the extent that there may have been maladministration. We are raising this issue with you because of its seriousness.
Yours sincerely
Prof. Bruce Stafford Mrs Maire Stafford
Link to the Civil Service Code of Conduct.
Link to the 'The Seven Principles of Public Life.
Comments (1)
maireandbruce@ntlworld.com said
at 3:18 pm on Jun 20, 2009
Further comment from Bruce:
For now I think it's important for as many people as possible to write/email their MP and Ed Balls and raise not only concerns they have about the substance of the review but also about how it was carried out. To me a poorly conducted review inevitably results in poor recommendations. Hence the focus in our letters to our MP and to Balls on the conduct of the review.
It would help if others also wrote to Gus O'Donnell. I've briefly met him and seen him address civil service staff, speaking passionately about the need for standards in public life. Thus he ought to be receptive, and concerned about the Badman review.
There are others who the home ed commununity can contact, notably the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. We may be writing to the Ombudsman once we get a reponse from Gus O'Donnell.
I would suggest that the Select Committee is approached once any legistation is laid before Parliament.
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