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Anomalywho

Page history last edited by starkfamily1@... 14 years, 7 months ago

contents:


 

 

Anomaly Who?

 

Every year tens of thousands of children are educated outside the school system by choice. This is an ancient freedom which has been enshrined in law for as long as education has been compulsory in the British Isles. Local authorities have the right to ask us about our childrens' education and to order us to register them at state schools if their education does not meet legal requirements. However, school attendance orders are very rarely required and research shows excellent outcomes for electively home educated children. Some of us call our children "Free Range!" 

 

The political party currently in power does not like these freedoms and has called us an "anomaly" that must be brought into line with government provisions and policies for children. However, we and our children have our own plans and policies for our own lives. But who are we? Perhaps you already know some home educating families; perhaps you are home educators yourselves; perhaps you have heard a lot of stories about us in the press? The government is suspicous, saying that we might really be criminals - should they be? - are you? If you saw us in the street, would we be any different from you?

 

Slide Show - Spot the Anomaly!

 

Q. See if you can spot the home educators in this slide show?

(Answer is below.)

 

Anomalous people? 

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see updated pictures with gallery view, original view or full screen.

 

In February 2007 home educators took part in the AHEd Anomaly Campaign. AHEd members wrote:

 

"Home Education may be an "anomaly" in the eyes of the DfES ..... but it would be a very shortsighted government indeed that chose to bring it "into line" ... we will vehemently resist any such action.

 

Besides being a perfectly suitable education choice, proven to be efficacious on many levels, sometimes Home Education is the only safety valve families have available to them when school harms or fails their children."

 

But government is so determined to have control over every aspect and detail of the lives of our children that they are now intent on bringing in changes that threaten all families. They will stop at nothing, including forced access to our homes and routine compulsory questioning of children separated from their families and interviewed by strangers to see if they are safe in the care of their parents, and with no reasonable cause to suspect otherwise. If they get away with doing this to us ... who will be next? You?

 

We asked, "Can you spot the home educators in this slide show?"

Answer: All these people are home educating (except Graham Badman; a real name of a real person. He is the one with the glass to the wall. He recommends more than just a spot of surveillance of everyone who is doing that suspicious home education thing! Graham Badman does not like free range home education.)

 

see also: Children at Risk in Schools

 

How You Can Help!

 

ONE

Please tell your MP that the recommendations of the Badman Review are unacceptable and you would like to know what your MP will do to oppose these changes.

 

You can read more about this in the AHEd Briefing Paper.

 

You can comment below, contact the wiki owner (button at base of page) or write to AHEd at ahed@ahed.org.uk We would be very interested in the results of any actions you take.

 

TWO

 

Tell your MP that a consultation is running " Home Education - registration and monitoring proposals "  from 11th June to 19th October 2009. This is unusually short  because the existing consultation period spans the parliamentary summer recess and the traditional family holiday period and therefore it should be extended until at least December. Ask your MP to request an extension for this consultation.

UPDATE: July... There is currently a Select Committee Inquiry into the conduct and recommendations of the home education review conducted on behalf of the DCSF by Graham Badman. The consultation is based on the recommendations of the review and is about the implimentation of those recommendations. It is therefore imperative that the consultation should be halted at least until the inquiry into the review on which it is based has made its report. Please ask your MP to ask about a halt to the consultation pending the report of the Select Committee.

 

THREE

 

Write to the consultation website to request an extension to the consultation period for Home Education - registration and monitoring proposals until December because the existing period spans the parliamentary summer recess and your family summer holiday and is therefore unreasonable short. 

 

In view of the update, above, this request should be replaced with a request to your MP and/or the consultation website that there is a halt to the review until the Select Committee reports.

 

FOUR

Please ask your MP to sign this Early Day Motion:

 

EDM 1785

HOME EDUCATION AND THE BADMAN REVIEW

01.07.2009

Field, Mark 

 

That this House acknowledges and celebrates the hard work of the many home educators in Britain who teach their children to an exceptionally high standard; recognises the excellent value they represent to the Government; notes with concern the conflation of welfare concerns with education issues in Government statements on home education; further notes with concern the recommendations of the Badman Review which suggest closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people's homes for local authority officials; and calls on the Government to focus on its own ability to fulfil the Every Child Matters objectives rather than undermine the independence and integrity of home educators by enforcing the Badman recommendations.

 

If your MP does not want to sign this EDM, perhaps they will consider putting one forward themselves?

 

FIVE

 

Please sign this petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EHEreview/

 

Here is a global petition in support of home education freedoms: http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/29197.html 

(Please show this to friends from countries outside the UK.

 

SIX

 

Sign the Parents' Declaration.

 

Contact information:

 

You can email info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Telephone: 0870 000 2288

Textphone/Minicom: 01928 794274

Fax: 01928 794248

Phone lines are open 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

 

You can also write to the Department:

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Sanctuary Buildings

Great Smith Street

London

SW1P 3BT

Please note that the Department aims to reply to written correspondence within 15 working days.

 

 

 

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