The worst ad ever for Home Ed

[Allthebestnamesareused]

So I just saw this on Facebook

www.comeonengland.org/2017/02/02/mum-homeschools-kids-by-letting-them-play-video-ga/

Each to their own and all that and I assume she is being checked to see that she is really home schooling but AIBU to say she is not doing home educators a massive favour here?

She has a blog here thegallivanters.blogspot.co.uk and as you can see, they do far more than play computer games, are actively involved in their local home ed community and the wider community and have a wide range of interests. The newspaper articles and tv interview were typical sensationalism. When you look at what theyre actually learning as opposed to what the media says they're learning I don't personally see any reason for concern about the education they're receiving.

Having said that, I'm amazed that she thought going public was a good idea, knowing how the media would inevitably portray things. It fuels all the usual misconceptions about home ed and has opened her own children up to ridicule. I'd like to think it was just naivety but actually she's by her own admission media savvy and knew full well what she was going into, yet seems more interested in promoting herself than promoting home ed. It hasn't done her family or the wider home ed community any favours.

have a wide range of interests

Exercising and going outside don't seem to be among them. Those poor children don't look very healthy to me. I say this as a person who enjoys video games and sees no harm in it as a hobby. I'm sure there's more to this story, but I still think those children are not getting the best lifestyle.

All three children are very overweight, it doesn't look like they get much exercise or nutritionally-balanced diets.

As I said, have a look at their blog, they do swimming and rock climbing among other activites, attend plenty of social and activity groups and spend plenty of time outside. I'm not defending her as such, in fact I think she's a bloody idiot for running to the media and she certainly doesn't speak for all or even most home educators, but I also think the media have deliberately played up the gaming angle whilst ignoring the wide variety of other activities they do. I know plenty of school kids who do nothing but play computer games from the minute they get home from school until bedtime and so probably spend a similar amount of time gaming as these children if not moreso.

They were on This morning today. Phi and Holly were very

She doesn't do herself or her children any favours whatsoever. If they do ever enter mainstream education, they will struggle to keep up with their peers. And they are all overweight, despite the weekly swimming.

I home ed. It doesn't reflect my experience at all. She's very naive engaging with the press imho.

Allthebestnamesareused "I assume she is being checked to see that she is really home schooling" She actually is, it says so in the article. But, that being said, local authorities are not legally required to monitor home education.

I read this today in the supermarket, it was a headline in one of the porn comics so I didn't take it too seriously. Even in there, among the sensationalism, the author conceded that they did other stuff too.

I don't see what their weight has to do with home ed. There are plenty of overweight children in schools.

Do people who home ed have to cover P.E. ?
I hope she takes them to the park for exercise every day.
Children need physical exercise.

whatsthepointofmorgan "Do people who home ed have to cover P.E. ?" not if they don't want to.

We don't have to follow the NC, have set hours, term times, have a special work area set up or emulate school in any way.

The children go swimming and rock climbing. They do more than my 5 home ed kids, and for some reason, I have 5 normal weight kids. Maybe these kids are on the higher end of the bell curve because of genetics not lack of exercise. If they were in school and still on the heavy side, what would people blame then?

She was naive to allow an interview, many who know her have pointed out that her family are very active and gaming is just their current project/thing. The papers are jumping on it to distract from other things when it really isn't a big deal.

Commenting on children's weight and appearance is way below the belt.

All three children are very overweight, it doesn't look like they get much exercise or nutritionally-balanced diets

I could slap that Mum for exposing her kids to this level of bile and vitriol, its like the fuckers that BF their 8 year olds on TV

bad bad publicity hungry mummy

Home educators don't have to follow the national curriculum, so no, they don't have to do PE. That said, I don't know any HErs in real life (so I'm not talking about this family) who don't at least go to the park/cycle/do gardening regularly, if they don't do paid-for classes/sessions. For my family, I've got sucked into being a dance mum, so my eldest does 9 hrs of classes/wk and my youngest does just over 4hrs/wk.

Most He kids I know are out and about all the time.

Home educators have to cause their children to receive a suitable education. Suitable is defined as 'that which equips the learner for life in the community of which he is a member'. How they achieve it is upto them and there is no requirement to follow the national curriculum, teach specific subjects or teach in a school-like way. So no, no requirement to have to do PE although most right minded people realise that regular exercise is important. I do think it's interesting that the previous poster feels home educated children should be taken to the park every single day; most children in school only do PE once or twice a week. As most home educators prefer to learn - in part or whole - through practical activities, getting out and about, spending time with others and getting involved in their local community, I'd say most home ed kids probably get more exercise than many children in school.

Lots of parents of overweight children (not just Home Edders) claim they are "very active" and eat a healthy diet. It is invariably rubbish. Very active children just aren't so overweight.

And yes, being overweight is nothing to do with whether you go to school or not.

I can see this happening if I let mice just go on their tablets whenever they wanted- which is why we have screen time. (about an hour a session before dinner some days)

I think this is neglect.

Mine not mice!

Neglect both physical and mental, sadly.

MommaL - that depends what you mean by "monitoring HE". The LEA do, of course, need to be satisfied that the legal obligation to provide a suitable full-time education for one's school-aged children. And can issue a school attendance order if they believe that children are not receiving a suitable education (but don't have to engage in the sort of ongoing assessment of suitability that Ofsted, for example, provides for schools).

I'm sure you know all this, but for the benefit of any readers who don't, it's really important to understand that HE doesn't mean that the LEA completely absolves itself of all responsibilities

I don't think she's a typical home educator tbh. Those poor kids need some exercise.

I find with these publicity seeking home edders it seems to be all about them. Not all home elders I mean, I'm sure most are fine, but the publicity seekers. I mean, saying she didn't want to be 'just a school run mum' It's not about her- it's about the children!

I do think it's interesting that the previous poster feels home educated children should be taken to the park every single day; most children in school only do PE once or twice a week.

Aren't you forgetting the the fact they are out playing for nearly an hour at lunchtime, not forgetting morning breaks as well.

PE isn't the only time a child gets exercise at school.