I just received the following information about how the NICE guidelines are due to include recommendations that local LEA's have to try and get s*x education to home educated children in their area!!! This is getting WAY too intrusive! I'll keep you posted of any updates I get, but thought you all should know.

The National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) has decided
to include home educated children in the scope of guidance being prepared on
behalf of the Department of Health regarding the teaching of PSHE. (The full
title is: 'School, college and community-based personal, social and health
education focusing on s*x and relationships and alcohol education'.)

In its draft scope, issued on 14 September 2007, NICE stated that 'children
and young people who are educated at home' would NOT be covered by the
guidance. However, in response to submissions from several bodies (see
below), the final scope now states that children in 'education other than at
school, including home education and pupil referral units' WILL be included
in the scope of the guidance -
http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/PSHEFinalScope.pdf (para 4.1.1).

The guidance will be sent to local authorities who will then mediate it to
maintained schools and home educators in their area. (Independent schools
are not covered.) While the guidance will not be statutory and not have the
force of law, it is not difficult to envisage some local authorities using
it to put pressure on home educating parents to deliver a type of s*x
education they are not comfortable with, or to insist that all home educated
children attend sessions arranged by the local authority. (It is not unheard
of for local authorities to try to insist on giving 'puberty talks' to home
educated children and I fear that this guidance could be used to legitimise
this kind of intrusive approach in some areas.)

There will be further consultation during 2008 and 2009, with the final
guidance due to be issued in September 2009.

For further information and to request registration as a stakeholder,
contact the project co-ordinator, Brian Travis, at Brian.Travis@...
Or to register your concerns with NICE, give them a ring on 020 7067 5800
and ask to speak to the person responsible for the guidance on PSHE. It may
be worth pressing the point that neither independent schools nor those
educating their children 'otherwise' than at school are bound by the
National Curriculum, yet NICE are proposing to include home educators within
the scope of the guidance. When I mentioned this to the lead official for
the guidance at NICE, she argued that independent schools were at liberty to
download the guidance from the NICE website if they wished. Hardly an
answer, since home educating parents could also download it if they wanted
to do so! The difference is that home educators are included in the
document, while independent schools are not.

Groups who asked for home educated children to be included in the scope of
the guidance were:

British Association for S*xual Health and HIV: 'The needs of those educated
at home should be considered. The assumption may be that they are not a high
risk group, but this is not known. Can resources be provided for those
home-educated?'

Central Lancashire PCT: 'Why will this not affect children and young people
educated at home?'

East Sussex County Council: 'The omission of home-educated children is a
concern; this cohort includes some very vulnerable children and young
people. Perhaps guidance could address LEA supervisory/advisory duties for
this cohort, and liaison with home educators' associations e.g. 'Education
Otherwise' could be useful.'

Healthcare Commission: 'CYP not educated at home may not be covered under
the elements of the guidance which is delivered but perhaps (hopefully) they
will have access to provision through youth, voluntary and community
services. Information for home educators could still be provided through
voluntary networks. Could explain provision for 0-4 is through other
channels and cite (perhaps that's for the guidance when published!)'

Jo's Trust: 'Children and young people educated at home should be covered by
any guidance.'

S*x Education Forum: '"Groups not covered". It is unclear why this document
would not be relevant to children educated at home.'