Category Archives: Home education

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to uphold that parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of their child

Home education, Parenting,

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to uphold that parents have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of their child, to not undermine parents legitimately fulfilling their fundamental duties, and to assume that the best interests of their child is the basic concern of parents unless there is specific evidence to the contrary

In particular, the government should ensure :-
• No right of access to the family home without evidence of a crime
• No right to interview a child alone without evidence of risk of serious harm
• No CRB checks or registration for parents to look after their own children, or to informally look after those of their friends, family etc
• No licensing / registration / assessment / monitoring of methods by which parents fulfil their duties without evidence that they are failing to do so, and with specific recognition that education “otherwise” than at school is a perfectly legal option to fulfil their duty regarding education
• No undermining of parents as being in the best position to determine how to meet their child’s needs, according to their age, ability, aptitude, and any special needs they may have
• Greater focus on applying existing resources and procedures to cases of children known to be at risk, rather than dilution of these resources by routinely monitoring whole sections of the community
• Compliance with the fundamental presumption of innocence unless there is specific evidence to the contrary

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/ – Sign this petition
You do need to be British citizen to sign, but you do not need to be of voting age – children can sign too as long as they have their own email address. REMEMBER TO CLICK ON THE LINK IN THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM NUMBER 10, OR YOUR SIGNATURE WILL NOT BE ADDED

Home educated adults more socially engaged, have higher incomes and are happier than average

Home education, Learning

A new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Home Education reveals
that home-educated adults excel in all measured areas of adult life.

The study surveyed adults whose parents responded to a 1994 study on home
education. Ranging in age from 15 to 34, they answered questions on a
variety of topics with comparable data from Statistics Canada. The results
were astounding.

When measured against the Canadian average, home-educated adults were more
socially engaged and almost twice as likely to have voted in a federal
election. Average income was higher with more sources of investment income
and self employment, and no cases of government support as the primary
source of income. They were happier in their work and their lives in
general. When reflecting on the value of being home educated, most felt that
it was an advantage in their adult life.

“In terms of income, education, entrepreneurial endeavours, involvement in
their community, and all the other characteristics measured, home-educated
adults not only excel, but also make meaningful contributions to their
communities. They are the type of neighbours we all want,” says president
Paul Faris.

The study Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults is available in
full form and as a synopsis at www.hslda.ca/cche.

Submissions to Select Committee on Badman Review

Home education,

Those of us watching the Badman Review and the Government steps to register, monitor and control education outside school have been aware for a long time of the poor quality of the review and how it was obviously conducted to give Ed Balls the answere he wanted, rather than an independent review.
The Select Committee has now published the submissions to the inquiry into the review. The most interesting submissions include:
Ofsted wants parents CRB checked to look after their own children!
Badman seems to consider parents who home educate to be mentally ill!
And emminent Professor James C Conroy, member of Graham Badman’s Expert Reference Group concludes that “In my 30 odd years of professional life in education I have rarely encountered a process, the entirety of which was so slap dash, panic driven, and nakedly and naively populist.”
http://every-child-matters.blogspot.com/2009/11/our-case-against-change.html reviews the submissions

Mass Lobby of Parliament

Home education, ,

Had an exciting and hopeful day at the Houses of Parliament. A big group of families – picnicing, playing, demonstrating and seeing their MPs.
We need to keep up the fight to make sure that every familiy has the right to choose the education that works best for their children. The recommendations would mean that parents would no longer have responbsibility for their children, that the state would be primarily responsible for them!
For the many children removed from school because of special needs, bullying or educational problems there would be NO PROTECTION from the very Local Authorites who have already been shown to be unable to provide a suitable education or protect them whilst at school.
LAs would be able to interview children alone, prevent families from home educating for any reason they like, without any appeal.
LAs already have all the powers they need.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/acmenormans/

Home educated children snatched by authorites

Home education, ,

Home educators in Europe are fighting for the right to choose to home educate and in some cases are having their children snatched away JUST because they home educate.
The worst offenders are Germany (acting on legistlation introduced by Hilter) and Sweden, which is in the process of banning home education.

Four children of a family that fled Germany to avoid further fines for homeschooling have been snatched from their home in France by police and accused of “being alone,”

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=112106

The desperate situation of a 7-year-old homeschooled child who was nabbed by Swedish police from an airliner as his family was departing on a move to India

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=110109

Not back to school picnic news stories

Home education

Families protest against proposed changes to home schooling
Stroud News and Journal
By David Wiles » FAMILIES staged a protest in Stratford Park, Stroud against proposed Government reforms which they fear would make home education too …

Home schooling: Hey, teachers, leave us kids alone
As protesters gather in London today to campaign against tighter restrictions on home schooling, our writer, educated in a council house with her seven siblings, gives a learned riposte to those who doubt its benefits

Parents protest over tougher restrictions on home schooling
This is London.
They say the rules will reduce the risk of home education being used as a cover for child abuse. But campaigners argue the move will restrict parents’ …

BBC coverage
(39 minutes into the programme)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00mq5xg

Not back to school picnic

Home education

With the shops full of ‘back to school’ bargains, Home Educating families in Hertfordshire are joining together for a ‘Not Back to School’ picnic in St. Albans.
Across the country picnics are being organised for families to meet with old friends and make new ones, dispelling the myth that home educated children do not get a chance to socialise. This will also be a chance for families new to home education to find out about the many activities that run in the county. As well as various one off events, regular groups give children the chance to take part in sports, music, art, craft, science, history as well as making new friends. Getting together with other home educating families also gives parents the chance to network and share tips and ideas.
Hundreds of children in the county are educated ‘otherwise than at school’ be it in a structured school at home setting, or a more ‘free-range’ autonomous approach.
The gatherings also are hoping to show that Home Educating families are part of the wider community, we would welcome anybody wishing to find out more about Home Education to come along and join in the fun.
The St. Albans picnic will take place in Verulamium Park on Tuesday 15th September between 12:30pm and 3pm.

To show solidarity with similar events across the country that week, there will be a mass bubble-blowing at 2pm, as a peaceful protest against the new restrictions on Home Education proposed in the Badman report recently presented to the government.