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Category Archives: Stealing your freedom
All the old chestnuts again – home education is not a safeguarding issue.
There’s a letter floating around Facebook and creeping on to blogs, from a Kent county council employee, referencing new intentions from the secretary of state for education to link HE children to schools and include them in school attainment targets. … Continue reading
Tax, benefits, morality and #spartacusreport
I’ve been arguing with the HMRC website this afternoon. It’s coming up to the deadline for SA returns, and even though I’m fairly sure I don’t owe anything, I have to submit on time or I get a £100 fine. … Continue reading
Can you imagine it?
Yesterday I posted about the spartacus report and the government welfare reform bill and what you can do about it. I tweeted lots, watched the post views triple, emailed my MP, signed and shared the epetition, was featured by Mumsnetbloggers, … Continue reading
I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this any more.
I read an article in the Guardian last night. It had chilling echoes for me of a previous situation where a government decided they didn’t like something and would legislate against it, regardless of the actual facts of the situation. … Continue reading
I have been accused of neglect.
Again. Oh no, it’s not the first time. No, it’s not me personally. It’s worse than that in a way. It’s yet another invidious slight against the home education community. This time at the hands of the TES (times educational … Continue reading
Won’t you think of the children?
There’s a journalist on twitter this afternoon rehashing old ground and proposing that home ed families should submit to monthly visits to ensure that their children are safe and not being abused. Leaving aside the issue of how a quick … Continue reading
Politics – Wish List – Electoral Reform
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 … Continue reading
I thought I’d seen it all.
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 … Continue reading
The difference between community and state.
“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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
People like us.
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 … Continue reading
Consultation response.
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 … Continue reading
Dear Mr Ed Balls and the DCSF- No thank you
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 … Continue reading
It’s hard to know where to start
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 … Continue reading
Select Committee witnesses
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 … Continue reading
As safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.
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 … Continue reading
Unwarranted government intrusion into family life.
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 – … Continue reading
Are we just a crackpot minority?
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 … Continue reading
Thinking about community.
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 … Continue reading
Oh dear, Mr Badman, don’t the figures add up?
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 … Continue reading
