I’ve been inspired by an article in a newspaper to have a quick end of year rant.
Toby Young is displaying his educational ignorance in the Independent.
As the father of three boys under five, I share the Government’s concerns. My oldest boy, four-year-old Ludo, started in reception last September and is finding it more difficult to [...]
Proportional Representation
I must admit I am not convinced by proportional representation, amongst other things I cannot quite see how it could be achieved without breaking the link between MPs and the localities they represent. At the moment, we vote for people, not parties.
However, both Labour (Blaenau Gwent, Erith and Thamesmead) and the Conservatives (South [...]
This week the submissions to the select committee inquiry have been made public. Many ppl have blogged their shock about some of the contents, or their pleasure in reading some of the reasoned arguments against the Badman review. Ppl have also wondered why the whole thing hasn’t just been thrown out – but I don’t [...]
“It takes a village to raise a child.” – An African proverb, brought into every day western language by Hillary Clinton. I’ve never read her book (despite it sitting on a bookcase in old house for some years!) so I don’t know what she meant by it, but I know what I think it means.
I [...]
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 [...]
A very short while ago I rejoined an email group that I was last a member of over 10 years ago. It’s the list that I met Tim on (awww…) and hence Big is known to them as listbabe
After a suitable pause, I brought up the topic of home education there, hoping that [...]
The consultation is available for responses online.
My response follows. I was submission 2042, my understanding is that the usual type of number responding to these things is around 300. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get ten times that number? Please, pass it on to your friends, your relatives, your home ed groups and [...]
Inspired by Helen’s letter to Ed Balls from her blog.
Dear Mr Balls
I will not give up this fight. These are my children, not yours, not the state’s. I will choose with them what they learn, and we will not follow any curriculum determined by remote politicians in Westminster, even though we may appear to follow [...]
with the flood of press releases today.
We’ve had the government’s full response to the Graham Badman review.
We’ve had the announcement of a forthcoming review into the definition of suitable education for home educated children.
We’ve seen Graham Badman’s latest attempt at proving that home educated children are more at risk than those in school [...]
If you haven’t seen the list of witnesses for the select committee the phrase read it and weep comes to mind.
From Home Education Forums
The Children, Schools and Families Committee will be taking formal oral evidence as follows:
Monday 12 October 2009 at 4.45pm
Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Witnesses:
Graham Badman CBE;
Ms Diana R Johnson MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary [...]
Recently, when I was looking for statistics for my post unwarranted government intrusion into family life I came across the RoSPA website, with the slogan “As safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.” This seemed to me to be a balanced attitude to risk and set me thinking, what does this mean in terms [...]
We all have plans for the future and hopes for our children. It’s kind of what parents do. And it is our responsibility to equip our children for a life in the community that they are part of – sounds like a sound statement of responsibility to me.
But how did the Badman home education review(pdf [...]
I was watching the local news tonight, and it turns out that the two policewomen banned from looking after each other’s children live in this area, so were interviewed on the show. They were doing each other a favour – job sharing and childcare sharing, in much the same way women in communities have done [...]
You know, us home educators who are ranting and raving about invasion of privacy following the Badman review of home education, are we just fringe nutters?
I admit we’ve made some unusual choices in our life. It isn’t standard to home educate your children after all. And if you don’t home educate them, finding a montessori [...]
By birth, and by preference, I’m a northerner. Born in Durham, grew up in Yorkshire, went back to university in Durham, and stayed there until I moved for a better job, as so many ppl have had to do over the years.
Since then, as a family we’ve just sort of drifted about Derbyshire/ Yorkshire as [...]
The Select Committee day of investigation into the conduct and findings of Graham Badman’s Home Education review is fast approaching. Someone has now found this little gem:
Please see the attached letter from Graham Badman.
Graham would like to make local authorities aware of the forthcoming Select Committee hearing in early October which is likely to examine [...]
The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable-
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.
So what’s a suitable education?
From Home Education.org.uk
1.5 There is no absolute definition of what a suitable [...]
On Weds I was heartened to receive an email from the Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families, advising me of their inquiry into the review.
Along with a response from the UK Statistics Authority implying that they are looking into the statistic use of Badman’s review, and an increasing number of MPs signing up to [...]
Small spent most of Tuesday expanding his understanding of RPGs. Every now and then he needed to regroup and spent some time back with CBeebies, mainly on tikkabilla He got lots out of fusion fall, and then eventually, I dragged him out of the house for his swimming lesson.
That meant that we walked [...]
Hi
I am writing to express my concern at the statistics used to inform Graham Badman’s review of home education, released 11 June 2009.
The review can be found here as a free download.
and the particularly disturbing section, on which the vast majority of the call to action and most upsetting recommendations are based is the section [...]
