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Imposing school standards on home Ed - a thread.
The LGA published a report on “Children Missing Education” which 1) conflated HE with CME & 2) tried to use a definition of education which excludes anything but school-style education.
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The LGA published a report on “Children Missing Education” which 1) conflated HE with CME & 2) tried to use a definition of education which excludes anything but school-style education.
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This is hugely problematic- and not just for home Ed.
Narrowing the definition of “education” affects what can be done in schools & will prevent change for the better.
We already know how judging Steiner & Montessori schools by state school standards went - badly!
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Narrowing the definition of “education” affects what can be done in schools & will prevent change for the better.
We already know how judging Steiner & Montessori schools by state school standards went - badly!
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When you apply the standards, aims and outcomes of one model to a different model IT DOES NOT WORK.
It’s like asking a plumber to sit an electrician’s exam to get his plumbing qualifications because electricians are the only standards you are willing to measure people by.
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It’s like asking a plumber to sit an electrician’s exam to get his plumbing qualifications because electricians are the only standards you are willing to measure people by.
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Furthermore, you don’t just fail the plumbers this way by failing to recognise the different model they work in, but you also fail a sub-set of those within the electricians model (who may be colourblind for example) if you rigidly refuse to accept any other model.
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The current situation in home Ed is that since the LGA report, most LAs have started demanding school-style work & using “safeguarding” to pressure parents into being monitored or having home visits in a pandemic!
This shift will cause harm to children. Sounds dramatic, right?
This shift will cause harm to children. Sounds dramatic, right?
The education a child receives should allow the child to reach its full potential. For some children, the school system does this.
But for those that the school system doesn’t support effectively, then there must be alternative provision & for many, that is Home Ed.
But for those that the school system doesn’t support effectively, then there must be alternative provision & for many, that is Home Ed.
Education is the parent’s duty. It is YOUR choice on how an education is provided. That includes the choice to educate in ways that aren’t used in schools.
LAs having a shift towards “school at home” being the only acceptable education is not my failing - it’s theirs.
LAs having a shift towards “school at home” being the only acceptable education is not my failing - it’s theirs.
Dictating provision can only work if the LAW changes & that opens them up to legal action because for a considerable number of children (at home & in school), school-style Ed WILL fail them.
If the law does not change, they are still open to legal action....
If the law does not change, they are still open to legal action....
I would argue that dictating provision IS denying my child’s right to an education as defined by current law. It is also denying the rights of the child to have their voice heard. And for many kids with SEN, the case for a human rights breach is stronger.
Right now, the current situation is “merely” discriminatory against home educators.
The push to change the definition of education from the LGA will be discriminatory against ALL kids & actively harmful to home Ed.
End.
The push to change the definition of education from the LGA will be discriminatory against ALL kids & actively harmful to home Ed.
End.
