Well, if there's anyone in the Home Ed community who hasn't yet read it and despaired, here is the link to Badman's Report and a real humdinger of an intrusion into private family life it is. Quite apart from the compulsory registration, there's the recommendation for the new power for LEA inspectors to have 'right of access' to home educator's homes and the right to speak to children without their parents present. Plus the usual crap about enforcing minimum standards by forcing parents to submit plans, curricula and expected achievement outcomes. I wonder what will happen if you submit 'I expect my child to be healthy, happy and curious' as a planned learning outcome? I notice he also recommends that flexi-schooling should be made easier and that exam provision should be taken on by the LEA and should be free to parents for the 'standard' exams. Which I suppose is a good thing (trying to look for the silver lining here). However, I can't pretend that I'm not utterly depressed by this report. Why should home educators register when pupils at private schools will not have to? Why are we suspected of abuse when most of these horrific (and thankfully rare) cases occur to children who are below school age anyway? Or are they going to use these recommendations as a way of opening up compulsory state access to younger children too?
I'm utterly fed up with the govt right now. They need to sort out all the stuff that is allegedly under their control before they seek to extend their powers into things which do not concern them. Where is all the money going to come from to enforce and police all these new ideas, that's what I'd like to know? I'm going to write to my MP, of course, and suggest that everyone else does too. Even those who don't home educate yourselves - if you have children, they're after you too. Fight for everyone to still have the choice. You are your child's parent, not the state.
The consultation is here so everyone get repsonding and tell the govt to butt out of your family life and how insulting and outrageous you find it that the govt wants to register home educators, dictate curriculum to them, have the right to enter their homes for no reason, and speak to their children alone without their permission.
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7 comments:
I don't home ed (children under school age and haven't made the choice yet) - but I want to be free to do so should my children need it. I know my daughter would be petrified if asked to speack to a stranger withour mummy or daddy as she doesn't deal well with changes to rountine! I will definately respond to the condoc.
utterly miffed here too. I've done the consultation already and going to send off an email to my local MP and someone on my EY HE Yahoo group posted a link to a tory politician who is very sympathetic and raising... and of course hoping for a general election soon and the Tories decideding to throw out the report.. (yeah Iknow, but I think it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Tories will get in next time)
Joxy.
Thanks Danigirl, that's great.
Yeah, Joxy, I find it really bizarre to be hoping that a Labour govt falls and a Tory one takes their place. That so goes against my usual beliefs and I'm quite conflicted about it.
Blast the lot of them. :(
But thankyou for another articulate post for me to endorse and direct people to lol. :)
Just want to say hi, as another Pagn HE'er on the blogring. ;-)
'I expect my child to be healthy, happy and curious' - yes, and I wonder what would happen if I add 'I will educate my kid to be much smarter than the morons who devised this idiotic and costly scheme, and compassionate enough for the poor LA workers who cannot find a proper honest job.' :P
I fully agree that the government should not interfere with family life, especially where education is concerned. Badman is confusing child safety with education, they are two very separate issues and should be dealt with by specially trained people.
I want to know why is it that drug dealers, paedophiles and rapists are innocent until proven guilty, but home educating parents are guilty until proven innocent? With no specific allegations, authorities are to be given powers to enter the home and interview the children without parents consent or presence? How Draconian!
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