Save home education - you never know when you may need it!

[hennypenny]

The second reading of the Children, Schools and Families bill will be on 11th January. Please help us fight this rushed and badly thought out legislation by signing the open letter below.

 

The bill has been left very vaguely worded, and is open to wide interpretation - it will not only be used against home educating families, it could affect any family. The parliamentary select committee has given unprecedented criticism to this bill. The government for the first time are trying to take the responsibility of choosing how to educate their children away from the parents and handing it to the state - this will affect all families, not just home educators! Fight it now, you never know when you may need an escape route for your own children.

 

Please help us by signing the letter before January 8th 2010 here http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDQxZXlIblZ1NXdLWkZoQUFXdTg3Vmc6MA

 

Diversity in Education is precious in a democracy

 

This is an open letter to The Guardian and The Times, intended for publication on January 11th 2010, which is the date of the second reading of the Children, Schools and Families Bill in the House of Commons.

 

The letter

 

We believe that Schedule 1 of the Children Schools and Families Bill represents an unacceptable imposition of state control over families. Although it is aimed at children educated outside the school system,

it has implications for all families.

 

Most parents would not make home-based education their first choice; but any family might need it if school seriously failed their child. Currently, this choice is lawfully available to all parents. If enacted, the Bill would – for the first time – transfer responsibility for a child’s education from the parents to the state. We believe this is a matter which should be of great concern to everyone.

 

A change in the law is unnecessary. Parents are already required by law to provide an education suitable to the age, aptitude and ability of their children, and to any special educational needs they may have. Local authorities already have the power to take action if parents do not do this.

 

Evidence indicates that home education is highly effective. Many home educating families use child-led educational methods which lie outside the prevailing educational paradigm. Diversity in education is precious in a democracy, and we need the law to protect it, and to protect the best interests of each individual child.

 

The interests of children are strikingly absent from Schedule 1, which is concerned mainly with setting up a bureaucratic system administered by local authorities. Local authorities would be given the power to deny parents permission to home educate, at any time, unless parents adapt their educational approach to fit in with the requirements of the system. The resulting insecurity would be damaging to many children, especially those with special educational needs.

 

Schedule 1 directly contravenes two central principles of the Government’s own Children’s Plan: that families bring up children, not governments; and that services need to be shaped by and responsive to children, young people and families, not designed around professional boundaries.

 

Given the controversy surrounding this section of the Bill, and the serious criticisms made of it by the Children, Families and Schools Select Committee, we call on the Government to withdraw Schedule 1 of the Bill, and the accompanying clauses.

 

Add your name

To add your name as a signatory, please complete the signature form before January 8th 2010:-

 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDQxZXlIblZ1NXdLWkZoQUFXdTg3Vmc6MA

 

Further information

 

Full list of signatories

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkVyRlhyLk9rdDQxZXlIblZ1NXdLWkZoQUFXdTg3Vmc&hl=en

 

Frequently asked questions

http://bhhe.wordpress.com/open-letter-faq/

 

Schedule 1 of the CSF Bill

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmbills/008/10008.38-44.html#m01s

 

Summary and analysis of Schedule 1

http://www.takebackyourfreedom.co.uk/clause26home.htm

[RobbyBrown]

If kids are educated at home, will they not miss out on interaction with others at their school? this surely is an important part of any childs education.

 

Mixing with kids of all types, playing together etc....

 

There are many experiences that a child would miss out on, for example on trips out. I can remember when I was at school and we were on the school coach we loved nothing more than sticking the rods up to people in their cars and making obscene hand gestures to shoppers as the coach drives through a shopping area like Hillsbroough

 

Experiences like this would me missed if kids did education at home

[hennypenny]

Hi Robby

 

Funnily enough, a lot of people come into home education because of the interaction at school! I have had stories of children being pushed from school buses whilst still moving, arms broken, being stabbed etc etc given as reasons for home educating.

 

With over 200 families in Sheffield home educating our children can meet up as many times as they want with others, there is one big social meeting per week, and then dozens of other meetings for various activities, swimming, skating, language classes, art groups etc. With our teenager our only problem is keeping up with her social life, and trying to fit some study in between it!

 

Trips are obviously far easier when you can just get out and go, without having to organise a health and safety assessment first, and collect permission slips from 30 parents, so I would say that home educated children do far more trips out than school - in fact the name home education is a complete misnomer, as we are so rarely at home! For instance in 2009 our daughter went on trips with the home ed group to 2 zoos, 5 museums, one overnight adventure weekend at a youth hostel, 1 seaside trip, had 4 weeks in France, too many skating and swimming sessions to count, dancing classes, art workshops, GCSE English workshops, historical re-enactments, Japanese day at the Uni etc, etc - I am sure I haven't remembered half of them!

[mr_blue_owl]

Hi Robby

 

Funnily enough, a lot of people come into home education because of the interaction at school! I have had stories of children being pushed from school buses whilst still moving, arms broken, being stabbed etc etc QUOTE]

 

What kind of society have we become?

[hennypenny]

Hi Robby

 

Funnily enough, a lot of people come into home education because of the interaction at school! I have had stories of children being pushed from school buses whilst still moving, arms broken, being stabbed etc etc

 

What kind of society have we become?

 

I am afraid we have become a society which needs to have an escape route for it's children to get them away from the governments standardised idea of education, that does not allow for individuality.

 

Home education is the last remaining place where parents are allowed to educate their children in the way they think best, that is why the government is attacking it and trying to enforce the same substandard one size fits all education onto home educators, in spite of masses of research showing that home educated children do better than schooled children in all areas!

 

School education just does not fit all children, for some it is fitting a square peg into a round hole and currently we have the right to make a square hole individually for those children at home. The government do not agree with child led learning and are trying to impose their own hugely bureaucratic and red tape bound procedures onto us all, which is so stupid it is untrue, as so many special needs children are happily educated at home at no cost to the public instead of costing thousands at a school that doesn't suit them! They haven't taken into account the huge costs that will ensue from forcing those children back into school, insisting that the local authorities will not need any new budget to deal with it - some of our main support to fight this is coming from the local authority workers who would have to administer the new set up with no more money!

 

Please sign the letter, and this petition http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/ if you agree that home education should remain an option open to all families, not just to those that agree to do it in the form the government are trying to impose.

[mr_blue_owl]

Done. Petition duly signed

[hennypenny]

Done. Petition duly signed

 

Thank you

[hennypenny]

I have just come across this poem by a home educating parent which sums up the concerns quite well:-

 

New Year, new parents

 

There’s a new year ahead,

And an impending revolution -

The state has found a “problem”

And wants a powerful solution.

Children are not watched closely enough

Within our current system -

When there are “anomalies” in the home,

The authorities might have missed them.

 

They want powers to come in as a routine measure,

And speak to our children alone.

“Innocent ‘til proven guilty” must go -

Along with privacy of the family home.

 

Parenting decisions are far too open,

And have become a cause for concern,

Especially when the Local Authority can’t

Control what children will learn.

The National Curriculum and testing regime

Are now firmly established in schools,

But those educated “otherwise” than at school

Do so within self-defined rules.

 

A parent who doesn’t choose school for their child

Must immediately be under suspicion.

They’ll be first in the line for the new idea

Of approval of every decision.

If they have to register this parenting choice,

Then that means the child will become

A child of the state, so the state has control -

That’s it! Box ticked! Job done!

 

But please don’t forget the state must pursue

Their responsibilities under these powers,

Resources will be taken from children who need it

In order to monitor ours.

And once they establish the state in this role

All children who are not happy in school

Can hold them to blame and play the compensation game -

I hope it’s a bottomless pool!

 

Care will be needed so as not to alert

The media and those with some clout,

So they’ll start with this “home-ed” group, who seem small enough,

And who most don’t know much about.

If it sounds like it’s children they’re out to protect,

Then it’s hard to argue against.

It’s easy to hide behind smoke screens like this,

And most will just sit on the fence.

 

Then a bit later on, when it’s time to extend

These new powers and apply them to others,

There’ll be a big shout “WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?”

From the rest of the fathers and mothers.

 

 

Don’t be hoodwinked – sign our petition and prevent the Government from taking over parenting

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/

Further info

http://www.home-education.biz/news/22/60/AHEd-demands-rethink-of-home-education-policy/

http://every-child-matters.blogspot.com/2009/11/our-case-against-change.html

[Tripitaka]

Whilst I agree in principle with the argument for home schooling I disagree with it in practice.

 

1. There is an argument that homeschooling is a way of hiding and/or perpetuating the abuse of children and whilst I acknowledge 99% of parents are not abusing their children by homescholing them, I do not have any faith in the systems in place, at this time, will sniff out and stop such abuse. Although having kids in school is no way going to stop all child abuse, it may lead to some kids not being abused or their abuse being spotted.

 

2. Interaction with other kids - be it good or bad. School prepares you for life in the big wide world. I was bullied to crap at school and whilst I did not enjoy it one bit, it prepared me for the sort of life I may have out of school and at times have experienced. I do not believe that homseschooling, no matter how good the parents are, will prepare you for life in the big wide world and bullying/harrassment etc.

 

I agree that bullying should not exist but it does and it will - just an incredibly sad fact of life and ever more increasingly so. I have two young kids and the last thing I want them to have is homsechooling and then have a truly awful experience of being bullied in their first job/relationship etc and not having the experience and mental agility to be able to deal with it.

 

I also think that signing the petition will have no effect what so ever. Labour know they are going to lose in the next election and are going to rush through as much poor legislation as they can in the next 6 months to make the incoming party have to deal with all sorts of rubbish.

[hennypenny]

1. The argument that home education can be used to hide abuse is frequently trotted out, but even the Badman review that was directly set up to investigate this link found not one single case of abuse in a home educating family that was not already known to other agencies, and a incredibly low rate of any cases at all.

 

The statistics have now shown that home educated children have around half to a quarter the risk of being abused as the general population. If you think about it, that makes sense because people who abuse their children are very unlikely to make the sacrifices and put in the work necessary to educate them at home!

 

2. When at school, were you never told to "be quiet, you are not here to socialise"? From my own experience, children who are raised without being afraid, end up confident and secure, well able to deal with any bullying they come across as adults. My son has certainly never had any problems, fitting in excellently at college, university and in the dermatology department where he is now doing his PhD research. He is the only person I have ever met who could be challenged to a fight by a drunken gypsy wrestling champion (and his 6 cronys) in Manchester town centre (because he was wearing a ju-jitsu club top) and come out of it having kept it to a friendly bout, beaten the champ, and being sworn to eternal blood brotherhood with him!

 

My teenage daughter makes friends where ever she goes, she now has two new friends from a new years party we attended. She has been the target of nastiness from schooled teens before now, but tends to shrug it off with a comment wondering why those girls are so mean, usually being very insightful about their motives.