Stop Blaming Home Education: Sara Sharif’s Tragedy and Systemic Failures
The heartbreaking death of Sara Sharif has sent shockwaves across the nation, leaving an enduring sense of grief and anger. However, the aftermath of this tragedy has seen the government and media exploit Sara’s story to unfairly target the home education community, perpetuating harmful misconceptions while neglecting the true systemic failures that led to her untimely death.
The Misplaced Blame
Sara’s death has been wielded as a tool to further an agenda, positioning home education as the scapegoat in a narrative riddled with inaccuracies. Sara was known to social services before she was even born, and her abuse was reported while she was still in school. Despite being on every at-risk register, the systems designed to protect her failed at every turn.
This tragedy had absolutely nothing to do with home education. Suggesting otherwise is not only incorrect but deeply unjust to the thousands of families who choose home education as a safe and nurturing alternative to a failing school system.
If existing protections did not prevent Sara’s death, how would a Children Not In School (CNIS) register make any difference? The Victoria Climbié Foundation has pointedly stated:
“Sara Sharif was not a hidden child – she was known to the authorities. As in the tragic case of Victoria Climbié, she simply fell through the gaps and was failed by services involved in her life. Concerns had been raised and seemingly not acted upon within a multi-agency framework.”
(VCF statement, 16 December 2024)
The Danger of Misguided Agendas
The government’s efforts to tie Sara’s death to home education appear to be part of a broader push to legitimise the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which includes the introduction of the CNIS register. This bill threatens to undermine parents’ rights to choose the best educational path for their children and risks opening the door to greater abuses and manipulation within a school system already failing many of its students.
This narrative not only shifts focus from addressing critical gaps in child protection but also fuels distrust and hostility towards home-educating families. Increased scrutiny, unnecessary bureaucratic burdens, and the erosion of parental rights could be the devastating result of this misplaced blame.
Lessons from the Past
The failings of similar systems in the past are well-documented. The ContactPoint database, created under the Children Act 2004, cost £224 million to set up and £41 million annually to run. Despite its vast scope and resources, it was abandoned in 2010. As Tim Loughton observed in The Guardian:
“It’s not a computer system that will save vulnerable children. It’s the performance of the professionals at the sharp end, who need to be properly trained and resourced.”
(The Guardian, 2013)
The risks associated with such databases are clear. They create a false sense of security, where compliance with procedures takes precedence over effective action. The resources spent on these systems could be far better allocated to training and empowering frontline social workers to intervene meaningfully in the lives of at-risk children.
A Call for Accountability
The systemic failures that led to Sara’s death demand urgent attention. Perhaps now is the time for an independent public investigation into the effectiveness of the child protection system, as we mark 25 years since the tragic case of Victoria Climbié. How many more children must suffer before real changes are made?
It’s time to stop scapegoating home education and start holding the appropriate systems accountable. Protecting vulnerable children requires addressing the root causes of systemic failures, not vilifying communities that have nothing to do with these tragedies. Let’s focus on improving the performance of those at the sharp end of child protection and ensure that no more children fall through the cracks.
What You Can Do
This site has links to a downloadable letter to send your MP, how to complain to the BBC and a petition to sign. All handily in one place, so there is no excuse not to add your voice.
