Impact of proposed home education legislation

Dear C Blades

Request for Information (Reference 09/FOI/1607)

Thank you for your request for information for the impact of proposed home
education legislation, received on 15 September 2009.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to the principles of the
Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) and will wherever possible provide all
the information requested unless constrained by another statute or by an
exemption within the FoIA. Please note that some information you have
requested may not be provided to you; this will only be information that
can be withheld by law. In most cases the reasons will be explained to you
along with your copy of any information that can be released to you.

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response as soon
as possible and within the statutory timescale of 20 working days, as
defined by the FoIA; that date is 13 October 2009.

We may need to contact you if the request needs to be clarified; this is
to ensure that we provide you with the information you require.

If the information you have requested is held by another public authority
we will transfer the request to them. If you have any objections to this
approach please contact us as soon as possible so we know not to transfer
the request and we will provide you with the relevant contact details
instead.

Yours sincerely

Teresa Wilmshurst

Information Manager

Information Management Service

Gloucestershire County Council

Community & Adult Care Directorate

Shire Hall

Gloucester

GL1 2TG

Tel: 01452 425186

Email: [1][email address]

Go to [2]www.gloucestershire.gov.uk to find information on any County
Council service. It couldn't be easier to find information instantly and
in some cases apply for services on line.

For Freedom of Information (FOI) requests please email
[3][Gloucestershire County Council request email]

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Dear sir/madam,

Further to your recent FoI request (below), I have been trying to
coordinate a response for you. To date, it seems as if these issues have
not been discussed by the groups/forums you state, and there is little
information available or that we hold that answers your questions
specifically.

I am taking steps to further satisfy myself that this is the case, and
will contact you if I receive information that does answer your questions.

If you are unhappy with this response, you are entitled to request a
review of the decision by writing to:

Victoria Wathen

Information Manager.

Shire Hall

Westgate Street

Gloucester

GL1 2TG.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council.

The Information Commissioner can be contracted at:-

The Information Commissioner's Officer

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Yours faithfully

John

John James
Commissioning Manager ~ Data Management
Data Management Team
Commissioning Section
Children & Young People's Directorate
Information Management & Strategic Planning
Gloucestershire County Council
Quayside House Room 109
Shire Hall, Westgate Street
Gloucester GL1 2TP

( Tel: 01452 425329
2 Fax: 01452 426415
* email: [1]mailto:[email address]

Go to [2]www.gloucestershire.gov.uk to find information on any County
Council service. It could not be easier to find information instantly and
in some cases apply for services online.

P Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you
really need to.

Dear Sir or Madam,

In the wake of Graham Badman's review of Elective Home Education,

the Government is planning to introduce legislation to register,

monitor and support home educated children.

It is clear that this legislation will have financial and staffing

impacts upon local authorities and yet the Government has made it

equally clear that no extra funding will be made available to local

councils to fulfil their new responsibilities.

In the light of the expected impact of this proposed legislation:

(a) Has it been formally discussed by the committees of elected

councillors responsible for education, children's social care,

finance or any other relevant department?

(b) Has it been formally discussed by the officers responsible for

education, children's social care, finance or any other relevant

department?

(c) Have the committees responsible for education, children's

social care, finance or any other relevant department taken part in

the Government consultation into the proposed legislation, which

ends on 19 October 2009?

(d) Have the unelected local authority officers responsible for

education, children's social care, finance or any other relevant

department taken part in the Government consultation into the

proposed legislation, which ends on 19 October 2009?

(e) If the councillors or officers have not taken part in the

consultation, are they planning to do so?

Yours faithfully,

C. Blades

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Dear sir/madam,

Further to my original response and submission to you, I have now been
able to find out a little more in relation to certain of the questions you
originally asked. Please see responses in your original email, below.

If you are unhappy with this response, you are entitled to request a
review of the decision by writing to:

Victoria Wathen

Information Manager.

Shire Hall

Westgate Street

Gloucester

GL1 2TG.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council.

The Information Commissioner can be contracted at:-

The Information Commissioner's Officer

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Yours faithfully

John

John James
Commissioning Manager ~ Data Management
Data Management Team
Commissioning Section
Children & Young People's Directorate
Information Management & Strategic Planning
Gloucestershire County Council
Quayside House Room 109
Shire Hall, Westgate Street
Gloucester GL1 2TP

( Tel: 01452 425329
2 Fax: 01452 426415
* email: [1]mailto:[email address]

Go to [2]www.gloucestershire.gov.uk to find information on any County
Council service. It could not be easier to find information instantly and
in some cases apply for services online.

P Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you
really need to.

From: JAMES, John
Sent: 13 October 2009 16:45
To: '[FOI #18057 email]'
Cc: BUTT, Rebecca; WATHEN, Victoria; Freedom of Information
questions/information requests
Subject: FW: Freedom of Information Request 09/FOI/1607
Importance: High

Dear sir/madam,

Further to your recent FoI request (below), I have been trying to
coordinate a response for you. To date, it seems as if these issues have
not been discussed by the groups/forums you state, and there is little
information available or that we hold that answers your questions
specifically.

I am taking steps to further satisfy myself that this is the case, and
will contact you if I receive information that does answer your questions.

If you are unhappy with this response, you are entitled to request a
review of the decision by writing to:

Victoria Wathen

Information Manager.

Shire Hall

Westgate Street

Gloucester

GL1 2TG.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council.

The Information Commissioner can be contracted at:-

The Information Commissioner's Officer

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Yours faithfully

John

John James
Commissioning Manager ~ Data Management
Data Management Team
Commissioning Section
Children & Young People's Directorate
Information Management & Strategic Planning
Gloucestershire County Council
Quayside House Room 109
Shire Hall, Westgate Street
Gloucester GL1 2TP

( Tel: 01452 425329
2 Fax: 01452 426415
* email: [3]mailto:[email address]

Go to [4]www.gloucestershire.gov.uk to find information on any County
Council service. It could not be easier to find information instantly and
in some cases apply for services online.

P Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you
really need to.

Dear Sir or Madam,

In the wake of Graham Badman's review of Elective Home Education,

the Government is planning to introduce legislation to register,

monitor and support home educated children.

It is clear that this legislation will have financial and staffing

impacts upon local authorities and yet the Government has made it

equally clear that no extra funding will be made available to local

councils to fulfil their new responsibilities.

In the light of the expected impact of this proposed legislation:

(a) Has it been formally discussed by the committees of elected

councillors responsible for education, children's social care,

finance or any other relevant department?

(b) Has it been formally discussed by the officers responsible for

education, children's social care, finance or any other relevant

department?

Lead officer for EHE has discussed the Badman recommendations with the
Strategic Information (Commissioning Team). There is a section on Elective
Home Education in section 5 of Children and Young People's Needs Analysis
2009 [5]www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=94560

(c) Have the committees responsible for education, children's

social care, finance or any other relevant department taken part in

the Government consultation into the proposed legislation, which

ends on 19 October 2009?

No

(d) Have the unelected local authority officers responsible for

education, children's social care, finance or any other relevant

department taken part in the Government consultation into the

proposed legislation, which ends on 19 October 2009?

Not yet

(e) If the councillors or officers have not taken part in the

consultation, are they planning to do so?

The LA response to the consultation was submitted by Friday 16^th October

Yours faithfully,

C. Blades

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