What is the problem with the csf?

[ButterPie]

Hi,
I'm having trouble finding out what is the problem with the csf. Isn't it just that they want to come round and see the kids every now and again? I'm probably being thick here tbh, so can anyone explain, in simple, non paranoid conspiricy theory, terms, what the problem is for most He'rs?

massive un-thought-out damage to children with SEN of an enforced visit (selective mutism? children on the spectrum? and that's the just the most obvious)

disregard of the wishes of teh children - n a poll last year, 77% said they did not want to be interviewed by LA people

disregard of the principle of innocent until proven guilty - with teh plans and visits, HEers would be expected to prove their innocence (of educational neglect) not once but repeatedly; LA staffer would have right of entry to private homes without "probable cause" (ie without any grounds for suspicion of illegality) - something police and social services don't have - and could insist on interviewing the child alone without parental or child's consent and without probable cause - again, something police and SS dont have

Massive (but not properly costed) cost of monitoring with zero money actually going towards the education of the children. So where for most children, LAs draw down tax money from the centre to pay for schools, for us they'd draw down the money from the centre to monitor us

Oh God, there's so many more reasons. It is an evil evil example of policy based evidence making. 94% of respondents to a government consultation said they disagreed with the idea of interviewing children alone. Ed Balls, on record in the house of commons, turned that into "a minority". There have been so many lies from him and the DCSF... the whole thing, I personally think, was an attempt to smokescreen criticism of Birmingham Childrens Services post Kyra Ishaq. If they could claim she was HEed (which she wasn't - her absence from school was unauthorized until the LA (I think it was) insisted that the school take her off the school roll although she hadn't been deregistered...) then her death could be blamed (wrongly) on insufficient powers for the LA home ed team, rather than where it squarely lay - with the failures of Birmingham Children's Services.

But be of good cheer. Unless Brown, Balls and their chums have a quick personality transplant in order to be reelectable, , they've run out of time to get the bill through.

Also:

Too many places where legislation can be changed later by the Sec of State without further legislative scrutiny - especially as the government plan to review what consititutes a 'suitable education'. They could easily apply unreasonable targets etc to home educators. Potential to be particularly bad for those who are unstructured/autonomous.

Also:

If you are unlucky enough to have an ignorant inspector (and, let's face it, we all know there are plenty of ignorant people in every profession!), and you take a totally autonomous approach, you may find that you have a big job on your hands proving that your children are learning, even though you know they are, and even if you know that if the LA insist on you insisting that your children 'do' work will be harmful to them, you may have to do it anyway.

Waiting for confirmation when they discuss it in the House of Lords later - BUT it looks like the home ed clauses are out of the Bill!

Nothing wrong with it now - the relevant bits are dead! Balls is promising to resurrect it in the next parliament but who knows if he'll have the power or inclination? Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, so we can all heave a sigh of relief and get on with our lives until at least the end of May.

Big grin on my face at the moment! Now just got to get Labour out and then we're find for at least another four years....

If the tories get in, I know at least my kids won't get the chance of HE. They will be at breakfast club, school and after school club while me and DP struggle to keep a roof over our heads. Minimum wage, tax credits, child benefit, more rights for tenants, all Labour policies...

Are you saying we should vote Labour, despite the fact that if they get back in, the first thing Ed Balls will do is to put through his beloved csf bill, thereby giving LA numpties more power over our children - right to interview alone, with or without their consent - than police or SS have????

It would also give them the right to deny us the option of Home Education based on their own prejudices about what sorts of people ought to be allowed to HE and in what style.

Frankly, if you or your DP is on minimum wage, non-home owner, that in itself could well make the LA numpties up at county hall stamp "Permission Denied" on your form in three minutes flat, if you wanted to home ed. And, under Ed's plans, you would not them be permitted to move to another, less prejudiced, Local Authority and apply for permission to HE there. And if you decided not to risk trying to get registered but went ahead and HEed your children anyway, and you were found out, your children would be forced back into school and the courts would not be allowed to consider the quality of education you had been providing.

It was all there in the bill.

I'm a single issue voter. Ed Balls is an evil man. He must not be in office any more. I don't get to vote in his constituency, but that means it has to be anyone but Labour for me and, if there's the slightest chance of a Labour MP being elected in my constituency, holding my nose and voting for whoever is most likely to topple them.

I am very cynical about the Tories' policy on HE, and convinced that if it becomes politically expedient anywhere along the line (ie depending on what the Sun or Mail dredge up), they'll soon enough jump horses.

I would really be very very wary about voting for any party based on any single issue. IME they all operate in this manner...

I'm less cynical, if only because the conservatives

a) strongly opposed this bill
b) have developed a habit of listening to HEers over the last 15 months
c) have in their ranks several people who pretty much get it - Graham Stuart, Lord Lucas - and who have been our vocal supporters in the last 15 months.

I just don't believe they'd try to bully us in the way Ed did.

I think Home Ed fits really neatly into this Big Society thing they've got going, actually. It's not gov funded, HE networks are informal, community based, taking responsibility for ourselves - just the sort of thing that NuLabour hated with a passion.