What’s in a word?

School v education.

Homeschool v home education.

Different images aren’t they? To me anyway, although mainstream media and politicians in this country for some reason do not seem to see this. Setting aside the implied discourtesy in using a term not in use by the ppl concerned, is this because they don’t want to accept the distinction between school and education?

How about registration v licensing?

Registration implies entering something on a register. It doesn’t imply much in the way of permission or conditions. Licensing is a whole different ball game. It’s getting that permission, satisfying those conditions.

What was proposed by Graham Badman and accepted by the government was a licensing scheme for home education. Not a registration system. Not a simple list of names, though even that would be discriminatory given that they aren’t registering under school age children, or children at private school. Instead, they are talking about submitting plans that need to be approved, a process that has to be repeated on a yearly basis.

Does that sound like a simple register?

It’s a license. A license to do what you are legally obliged to do anyway, a requirement that the state approve the education you are planning to provide your child. Which changes the balance of power and the responsibilities involved.

At the moment it’s the parents’ decision. Which is how it should be. So just say no to licensing, and call it what it is, whenever and wherever you mention it. Not registration at all.