warning for families new to home education......

[julienoshoes]

You not need to get any qualifications to home educate.
You can get any information you need, to home educate your own child, for free from the home educating community here, in real life at home ed groups, from national and local yahoo email support groups, and from national and local home education pages on FaceBook.

There are plenty of us who have learned much from those who have walked this path before, who are willing to pass on all the information we have learned to you for free.

I know it can be scarey to start out with, but please don't part with your hard earned cash, spending hundreds of pounds, to companies such as the Blackford Institute for any sort of home education course.

I'm furious that companies such as this take advantage of people by selling them information you can get for free!

Talk about taking money from the mouths of babes.......

You are already the expert in your own child........and everything else you need you can get without financial outlay!

Thanks for posting this JNS I am appalled and too.
I googled Blackford insitute and it would seem that they offer lots of courses in different subjects - but the webpage for each course makes it look (to me at least) as if the Blackford Institute offer that subject and that subject alone - as if its a 'specialised' institute.

I also noted that all reviews for 'Blackford' seem to be on their own website (or affiliated sites). Nothing negative obviously - all happy satisfied customers with their (probably) useless certificates in dog grooming or whatever.

I think it would help a lot if all those of us with HE blogs posted about it in a similar way to your op as that would obviously really help to raise awareness that HE isnt something you need a diploma in. Also bombarding the Blackford email inbox with questioning emails.

I find it worrying too because obviously there are many in govt who would love us to be regulated in the same way that schools, childminders etc are and institutes offering diplomas is obviously not something we want!

I am shocked that any fellow HErs feel it is ok to fleece newbies like this :(

Hi J, is this post down to something off a yahoo list or has there been another instance of the Blackford Institute elsewhere in HE land?

I don't understand the question, zebidee. Someone posted on the EO Yahoo list to say that they were doing some writing for this course and various others of us have found out more about writing for it.

Sdeuchars - people writing for the 'course'? - perhaps that was on the eo forum?

As I understand it the eo yahoo list has been appalled about the whole thing - £479 for easily available knowledge is a joke imho.
I think anyone contributing to such a thing should be ashamed personally. There are honourable ways to make money and I don't think this is one of them!

Just to clarify - Im not a member of eo anymore so can't access that forum - I'm shocked that anyone thinks this is a good idea (sorry I am repeating myself!)

There are free to access websites and plenty if books for under £10 each - a lot less than £479......

I wondered whether someone had asked whether it was a good idea to study on the course or something similar, or if julienoshoes was only posting here due to the messages on EO yahoo. There was a quick silencing of the matter so I was curious what the fallout has been.

Their Foot Health course is good value for money and includes videos on footcare all aspects, other footcare courses do not include videos and they cost a lot more. You can pay in instalments and you can take your time over the course. Other courses there is often a deadline to meet which can be highly stressful. They give you lots of business advice once you have completed the course. I would highly recommend this Stonebridge Foot Health Course

I think it's just helpful to let those new to HE know that you do not have to make a huge financial outlay to do home ed. The more you know, the less likely you'll be taken advantage of by a company that is only looking to make a profit.

hi I'm new here just started home ed for my 15 year old,im looking for as much advice as possible and hopefully to maybe look for books/worksheet for her thank you

haylz81
This thread is 6 years old, you'd be better starting a new thread, the first questions I think people are going to ask you are; are you in the UK, is your DD doing GCSEs have you just deregistered. Give a bit of info and there's lots of advice.

Denise do you have a personal connection with the Blackford institute? (or Stonebridge whoever they may be)
I cant help but think you have as why else dredge up a thread that is 6 years old just to comment on their apparently marvelous foot health course.

Thankfully the course mentioned by Julie in the op rarely gets mentioned by newbies to HE so hopefully not too many waste their money on it.