Is this being reported anywhere?

[sorky]

I bought the Independent this morning thinking there would be a mention or even an article in there on this whole nonsense and there is absolutely nothing!

This is the worst thing that could happen, for it to sail through unnoticed unchallenged

Is it in any of the other papers?

Back to the OP.

It is being reported here
by a parent who choose to sends her children to school:

"Parents and teachers are all too familiar with the regime of fear and conformity that invades state schools every few years when the Ofsted inspector comes to call, and the way that the success or failure of one inspection determines the degree of intervention and regulation to which the school is then subjected"

snip

"the idea that there should be no opt-out available ? that all parents have no choice but to submit to official control over their children?s education ? cuts to the heart of the question of parental autonomy. The acceptance that parents can choose to educate their children themselves if they want to is a tacit recognition that state education is a service that parents can access for the benefit of their families. The new proposals shift that balance of power, so that state-monitored education becomes something that all children must receive ? and in the case of home schooling, parents are mere practitioners, delivering an officially approved scheme of work. This means that the scope for parents to decide that, actually, the curriculum or teaching practice on offer within schools is not the best for their child, becomes much more limited"

She was taken out to be HEed. If the teachers hadn't already had concerns they wouldn't have tried to call around. If she had been in school they would have noticed that she was starving!
I was only suggesting with the evacuee type day that if education worked at its best there would be resourses that HEers could share. I don't think that it would happen at the moment-it was more a Utopian idea!
I doubt if the HEers could manage to organise the evacuee day on such a scale with army camp help-there can be advantage with numbers.It was a superb experience for any DCs and it certainly doesn't deserve a yawn!

'Parents and teachers are all too familiar with the regime of fear and conformity that invades state schools every few years when the Ofsted inspector comes to call, and the way that the success or failure of one inspection determines the degree of intervention and regulation to which the school is then subjected"

Not in a good school! I admit the teachers don't like it-who likes being under scrutiny? There is no fear for the DCs in a 'good'school where they don't make a big thing. Parents actually like it-it gives them chance to have their say.

I don't agree with Ofsteds as they are-I think they should advise. I don't think that HE inspections will work in the way they are suggested.

Seeker said,
There is nothing in the review about looking for abuse and neglect.

From the government consultation on planned changes:
"We believe that local authorities should interview children within 4 weeks of home education starting, after 6 months has elapsed, and thereafter at least annually to assess the quality of education provided and ensure that children are safe and well."

Seeker said,
However i agree that the damage caused to families by false accusations is hideous. However, this can happen in any family. I don't see why these recommendations would make it any more likely in HE families.

Most families are not routinely visited at home with the specific purpose of checking that the children are safe and well. When people look for problems they are more likely to see them even if they are not there (satanic abuse cases and others). Just for arguments sake, lets say that around 15 per 1000 visits will result in false concerns. That's potentially around a 1000 families suffering as a result of 'safe and well' checks and we can't even be sure they will be effective at spotting real abuse.

Seeker said,
why would you tell children this? Children at school don't trust their teachers any less because OFSTED inspectors come in.

But it doesn't matter so much if a child loses trust in their teachers, many do anyway if the teacher gets something wrong, tells the child off for something they didn't do, fails to keep them safe from bullies, etc. They don't depend on the teacher in the same way as children depend on their parents. It's not comparable at all.

I don't think parents will specifically say to their children that the man/lady from the government is coming to check that they are safe, but it's exactly the sort of thing a neighbour might say to their child so it's likely to get back to the child, either in person or over the internet. Great potential for teasing there. It will also cause stress and anxiety in many parents which cannot fail to affect the children.

Seeker said,
So you tell them what your're intending to do over the year, and the child has a chat with them about the stuff they've done.

I'll copy the relevant part of a previous message again. Can I presume from your reply here that you have read this before, disagree with the theory and are happy to prevent parents giving their child the education they think is suitable for their child if they hold this view?

"Having a home visit (or any kind of face-to-face meeting) with a person standing in judgement over your whole life-style can be destructive of autonomous education, for it would be a very unusual child who did not experience a narrowing of choices, and very unusual parents who could entirely protect their child from anxiety ? and therefore from a loss of spontaneous motivation ? at the very prospect of such a judgement."
www.fitz-claridge.com/Articles/Evidence.html

Seeker said,
Acytually, that's not true - lots of people have statutory right of entry to your home. Including meter readers.

Hardly comparable. They are not there to judge and give permission for a lifestyle choice. It doesn't have to be an issue with meter readers either, all of our meters are outside.

Seeker said,

But the inspectors are not going to be breaking the door down - they are going to arrange a visit with at least two weeks notice. Is this really a massive infringement of personal liberty?

But it's still compulsory access to your home in order to examine and pass judgement on our lifestyle and have the power to change it however 'nice' they are. So yes, it certainly feels like a massive infringement to my personal liberty.

" I was only suggesting with the evacuee type day that if education worked at its best there would be resourses that HEers could share. I don't think that it would happen at the moment-it was more a Utopian idea!

I doubt if the HEers could manage to organise the evacuee day on such a scale with army camp help"

I yawned because we have organised such a day.
Thats why I said 'been there done that'.

She was taken out to be HEed. If the teachers hadn't already had concerns they wouldn't have tried to call around.

You said she might have been saved if she had been registered-meaning registered as a home educated child I thought.

She was registered as a home ed child-in the way the recommendations are suggesting.
It seems there already was concerns before she left school, and quite rightly it seems that it was reported.

So, the authorities knew there was a concern and could have insisted on seeing the child.

They didn't.

Elswhere today I read a comment by our local LA.
"If as a local authority we have any concerns about a home-educated child, we have appropriate systems in place to investigate."

Well done if you did, but I still think it was a superb thing to do and you don't need to be so patronising about it!
I don't see what was so wrong with my suggestion. I seem to remember that the one time we agreed was my ideal of a community school where people could opt in and out for things that interested them. I did say it was utopian!

"I don't think that it would happen at the moment-"

and
"I doubt if the HEers could manage to organise the evacuee day on such a scale with army camp help"

and I was patronising?

Only after you were patronising first-I was fighting back!

We seem to have got sidetracked. I don't know what you are worrying about-it is unworkable-I can't see how they can enforce it.

'I can't see how they can enforce it'.

Eer.... because this is the Government that has eroded so many other civil liberties and encroached on Children's rights all the way......

Watch www.youtube.com/user/Archrights

And read

www.archrights.org.uk/issues/databases/childrens_databases.htm

and I worry because the Barristor and home ed expert I have spoken to, is worried.

and I worry because in a speech at Westminster Lord Lucas said he smells a rat

and I worry because I am already out there trying to support home educators who already are unfairly targeted with SS putting children on the 'At Risk Register' simply because they are home educating autonomously-and that is before any changes come into being!

and I worry because I actually do spend time engaging with LA's locally and regionally and I know what is being said.

piscesmoon said,
Of course it works the other way SLS. I was only talking about me-I wanted to go and I loved it and have wonderful memories of my village primary. I have read quite a few threads on here that start 'my DC loves school but I want to HE-what do I do?'

I didn't disagree with you. I may have allowed my children a free choice but I'm aware I'm in a minority, possibly even amongst home educators (though I've no idea of the proportions). I said that the parent deciding that they know better than a 5 year old is the norm. Most parents decide they know better than a 5 year old who doesn't want to go to school and sends them anyway. Some home educators do the same in reverse. Why should home educating parents have to give more weight to their child's view than school educating parents?

piscesmoon said,
I think that a lot of HEers are all for autonomous education, as long as they approve of their DCs choices.

Then they are not practising autonomous education as I personally see it, but that doesn't mean that the parent should have less right to choose HE than other parents who choose school (with or without thier child's consent) or HE (with their child's consent).

However, as you went on to say, how people choose to educate isn't really the issue here. The issue is that the recommendations will effectively kill autonomous education as I (and others) see it. The law currently states that parents are responsible for ensuring their child receives a suitable education and until now the parent has been responsible for deciding what is suitable for each child (with safety nets for those instances when a suitable education is not being provided). The recommendations in the review would effectively transfer the choice of how the parent complies with the law to the state.

piscesmoon said,
I would say that we need a national debate on the purpose of education before the authorities even think about HE.

From my reading of various government papers over the years, many in power view our children as 'human capital'. They see our children purely as the future workforce who must be trained appropriately. Search for 'human capital education' to see what I mean.

piscesmoon said,
I know abuse is rare, but the poor little girl who starved to death might have survived with registration. Her old teachers were very concerned about her and went to the house, but of course they were powerless -they couldn't force admission.

I think basing legislation on cases like this is a bad idea. Don't they say that 'hard cases make bad law'? Besides, teachers and the police went to the house and were refused entry. Under Section 46 of the Children Act 1989 the police have the power to remove a child from their home if they believe a child is at risk, so no, I don't agree they were powerless, they just didn't use the powers they had.

I don't think it is workable julienoshoes, because what happens when the parent won't register-won't send to school-won't have an inspector come in? I suppose the ultimate would be to take the DC into care and put the parent in prison-the outcry would be tremendous-people like me, who think it a good idea for HEed DCs to be seen, would be utterly appalled by the severe breach in civil liberties -it would be fought all the way to the court of human rights.
It is like the law to ban fox hunting-unworkable-the police have said that they are not getting involved-people are still hunting.

I think that the review is a good starting point. It now needs a lot of work from all involved parties to make it into something of benefit to HEers.

I agree SLS that legislation should never come as a gut reaction to particular cases.

I think that autonomous education ought to allow for the fact that DCs choose school. I didn't like the idea that one child has to balance the demands of the family. If my parents had wanted to HE I think both brothers would have been quite happy, but I think it totally unfair that I would have been told that they wanted freedom and not the tyranny of being home at 3pm every day. I don't see why I should have been the one to be sacrificed while they all got their own way! A friend could have been found or a CM for the days they wanted to go out.There are always solutions if people want to find them.

Seeker has written a lot on here-I can't remember if I agree with it all, but certainly I agree with most of it. I don't know why she is getting such a hard time.
She is sympathetic to HE, actively involved in it and was HEed as a DC and found it a positive experience. I would say that the majority of HEers on this thread went to school themselves and yet Seeker (one of the few people with experience as a DC)is dismissed-because she isn't saying what people wish to hear.

I know that someone will take this post, line by line and tell me it is rubbish.
I am not against HE. I don't think inspections should be made at the moment by people who don't understand and/or have no sympathy with autonomous education.
I do however think that money should be spent and the HE community should work with the LEA to find a workable solution. I think that poor teachers should be weeded out and I think poor HEers should be weeded out-not protected by secrecy. A wish to HE isn't enough-in the same way that a wish to teach isn't enough-it has to be in the best interest of the DC.

I will try to keep off these threads;
I will sit on my hands when this type of question comes up and chant 'I must not get involved, I must not get involved' until the urge passes!

"I think that autonomous education ought to allow for the fact that DCs choose school."

I don't disagree
BUT
I believe in informed choice, and I believe that the vast majority of parents want to do the best that they can for their family.

That is why I don't rant at every parent of schooled children who beg to be home educated-and I include my own sister here, who has admitted her children would much prefer to home educated and at least one of them would have been much better off.

Every parent has to make an informed choice about what is best for their family at that time.

yesterday I spent very long hours travelling and then meeting with about 30 LA home ed bods. You can imagine the topics of conversation.

The home ed community is working on this, in lots of different ways.

Doesn't mean I agree with the recommendations to register, or for the child to be seen either.

Ed Balls wrote a letter of reply to Badman

Now of course I am wondering why there is a consultation on monitoring as

"We accept these recommendations in principle"

but then the consultation doesn't end until October and yet

"We will publish a fuller response to the individual recommendations by the end of September 2009."

OMG
You don't think is a stich up do you??

I was clear at the start of all this that changes were going to be made by the government. They were unhappy with the status quo.
I had hoped, perhaps naively, that the consultation process would prove a postive and constructive experience by which both the state and HEers could achieve a part of their agenda.
However the dabate was utterly polarised. The response from the HE community was relatively small and much of it uncompromising, some openly hostile. The government saw and heard nothing that would force it to reign itself in. Those of us trying to broker something were flattened by two opposing forces.

What Litchick now predicts. The state will pursue registration. This will considered by the majority electorate 'a good thing' and will stay. Although Heers will grumble it will ultimately be used by them to show they are a sizable majority who need resources, support and finances.

The state will then try to impose some sort of curriculum on HEing families. Many will refuse. Some will end up in a fight with the LA. The courst will act as arbiter and support the HEers as they has generally done in the past. Case law is on their side.
What a waste of time and money.
But the odd family will be found to be unsuitable and the state will use those to justify their interference. Sigh.

piscesmoon said,
"I think that autonomous education ought to allow for the fact that DCs choose school."

So would it be OK for structured home educators to force their children to HE? Why do you mention autonomous educators in particular?

piscesmoon said,
" I didn't like the idea that one child has to balance the demands of the family. If my parents had wanted to HE I think both brothers would have been quite happy, but I think it totally unfair that I would have been told that they wanted freedom and not the tyranny of being home at 3pm every day. I don't see why I should have been the one to be sacrificed while they all got their own way!"

Personally I agree with you. In my ideal world you would be able to go to school and your brother could home educate, neither would be forced to sacrifice their preference in favour of their sibling. But it's not really up for debate and it's not likely to be any time soon, is it? The vast, vast, vast majority of parents in the UK would never consider letting their child choose between home or school.

Litchick said,
"Those of us trying to broker something were flattened by two opposing forces."

Well that's inevitable really. Trying to broker a deal inevitable means that both 'sides' have to give up something. A deal will involve giving up freedoms from the point of view of home educators, or not getting the full control they want from the point of view of government, so why would you be expect anything else?

Well I've been involved in many consultations before and have been able to find some middle ground. Frankly, this process was a lost opportunity on both sides.

Litchick said,
"Frankly, this process was a lost opportunity on both sides."

Either that, or the government had already decide what they wanted from the review (not consultation) and have the result they wanted. I've read elsewhere that Badman asked for lots of information about home education just before he left Kent CC in November and was known to be anti-HE when there, so it doesn't sound as though the idea for the review was as recent as first appears, and certainly not unbiased given Badman's other interests.

The speed at which they put the current 'consultation' together (within 10 days of reading it) is a little disconcerting too, almost as if they knew what the review recommendations would be. Notice also that they have ignored every single recommendation that some HEers might have liked too (access to GCSEs, support, etc).

Yes, I am cynical about how much listening the state were preapred to do on this. Thye certainly had an agenda and there was never going to be an outcome where everything remained the same. I felt registration was a done deal tbh given the views of the police, SS and some of the children's charities ( and I don't just mean the NSpcc). I did think though that there was room for manoever on inspections and certainly on curriculum. A number of the judiciary flagged up the existing case law regarding that and there remains good expert evidence vis a vis autonomous education. Perhaps there is still room for movement here. I hope so. I am an optimist, I suppose.

The conclusions were almost certainly drawn up before the "consultation", or at least heavily drafted, and there was never any chance that they wouldn't be recommending some serious changes.

But we do still have the opportunity to affect this, to some extent at least, by responding to the consultation document about the way in which the proposals are likely to be enacted. Link here

The only proposals they're discussing here are the ones about registration, safugurading and monitoring. Oddly enough they're not immediately going to bring in any about making facilities available, or opening up exam options, or anything HE'rs might actually like to have available... Surprise, surprise.

But, if you want to put forward your views on questions like "Question 8 Do you agree that children about whom there are substantial safeguarding concerns should not be home educated?" and "Question 10 Do you agree that the local authority should have the power to interview the child, alone if this is judged appropriate, or if not in the presence of a trusted person who is not the parent/carer?" then you do have a chance to do so.

That's right AMIS. And the doc provides plenty of scope to comment and make positive suggestions.
I really would urge HEing families to do this, the response to the last doc was fairly small.

I think we are all waiting a few weeks, Litchick. Me personally, I'm waiting to feel more zen about the whole thing, and also to see what happens with any lobbying. I'll feel less bothered to respond to pointless consultation #379, to be honest, if the conservatives say that - as with ID cards - they'll be scrapping the totalitarian nonsense of nu-labour as soon as they take office.

The sticking point for me is the planned right of LA employees to enter anyone's private home without probable cause. the equivalent a wee while ago (customs officials) was enough to trigger the American war of independence. This is a major massive big deal legally, and I am hoping that enough politicians will get that point for them to bin it.