The Schools Bill, which is currently going through parliamentary process, has raised some concerns for people who home school their children. Many of those concerned have signed a public petition to be presented in the House as a way of bringing the concerns to the attention of the Minister.
John presented the petition on behalf of some 50 of his constituents. The text of the petition reads:
The petition of residents of the constituency of Henley,
Declares that the petitioners reject the imposition of an expensive, disproportionate, invasive and ill-judged registration and monitoring system for home-educated children, which undermines the long-standing statutory recognition of the primacy of parents in determining the education of their children.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons remove parts 3 and 4 of the Schools Bill and urge the Government urgently to conduct proper independent research into the outcome of home educated children and further, that the Government provide tangible support for home educating families, including in the provision of access to examinations.
John was also asked to present petitions on a cross Party basis on behalf of constituents of a number of constituencies on behalf of their MPs. The constituencies included:
Beverley and Holderness (Graham Stuart MP)
Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Nick Gibb MP)
Caerphilly (Wayne David MP)
Central Devon (Mel Stride MP)
Cheadle (Mary Robinson MP)
Chipping Barnet (Theresa Villiers MP)
Colne Valley (Jason McCartney MP)
Crawley (Henry Smith MP)
Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP)
Dartford (Gareth Johnson MP)
Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling MP)
Erith and Thamesmead (Abena Oppong-Asare MP)
Hemel Hempstead (Sir Mike Penning MP)
Huntingdon (Jonathan Djanogly MP)
Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson MP)
Loughborough (Jane Hunt MP)
Ludlow (Philip Dunne MP)
Mitcham and Morden (Siobhain McDonagh MP)
Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham MP)
Birmingham, Northfield (Gary Sambrook MP)
Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome MP)
Oxford West and Abingdon (Layla Moran MP)
Rugby (Mark Pawsey MP)
Rushcliffe (Ruth Edwards MP)
Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns MP)
Scunthorpe (Holly Mumby-Croft MP)
South Derbyshire (Heather Wheeler MP)
South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous MP)
South West Wiltshire (Dr Andrew Murrison MP)
Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey MP
St Albans (Daisy Cooper MP)
Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds MP)
Walsall South (Valerie Vaz MP)
Warwick and Leamington (Matt Western MP)
Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron MP).
