Celebrate

Walking in a winter wonderland

AHEd press release: Radical rethink in Education policy needed following government inquiry

That select committee report..

Trying to keep up

CSF bill: Equality Impact Assessment. "Just a paper exercise"?

"It is really time that we started demanding an end to compulsion in education altogether."

Lord Lucas speaks, and the one political dividing line between home educators

Please don't be surveyed by OFSTEd

I have signed this petition

Assessment has an *ass* in it

I think this question is key

Well, here it is

I like it when people put their names to what they write

On pragmatism

The voice of the child was heard by DCSF - for 45 minutes precisely. (But the child was not allowed to publish its film of the incident.)

Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy?!

More happens when you leave it alone

Notes on the transcripts (10) - Qualifications, the UNCRC and 'a world defined by systems of knowledge'.

Notes on the transcripts (9) - Funding, outcomes, sides of A4 again and yet more 'hope'.

Notes on the transcripts (8) - The voice of the child. Sought, heard, but not necessarily believed.

Notes on the transcripts (7) - Entering the home and interviewing the child

Notes on the transcripts (6) - 'registration' (licensing)

Notes on the transcripts (5) - SEN, AWPU, govt co-option of charities and the concept of 'support'

Transcript of Barry Sheerman on Ed Balls: Today

My consult response - on deadline day, as usual!

Notes on the transcripts (4) - statistical spaghetti and the appeals culture

Notes on the transcripts (3) - Child abuse and FOI requests

Notes on the transcripts (2) - Badman continues

Haha, a transcript (1)

Desperately seeking transcripts

Another thing Badman got WRONG

"There has to be something that comes from the parents."

DCSF coughs, papers fly everywhere..

Two things to love about today

About that 2007 EHE guidance

Magna

Erm – we missed a couple, didn’t we?

Stress testing the Badman report: summary of weak points

Stress testing the Badman report: points arising: Financial

Stress testing the Badman report: points arising: Illogical

Stress testing the Badman report: points arising: Legal

I confess

Stress testing the Badman report: points arising: Safeguarding

Stress testing the Badman report: points arising: Language

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 12

Natural living, natural learning

“How do you know when you can read?”

I am still here, sort of. Here's an update to prove it.

RIP: Freedom

Protected: At ten to nine

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 11

Visiting our MP

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 10

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 9

Recovering, rethinking, redesigning, rescheduling

Protected: A photoblog – with a *few* words ;-)

"The number .. known to children’s social care in some LAs is disproportionately high relative to the size of their home educating population."

“Hey Mum, five and five is ten…”

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 8

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 7

It’s going to be stone. Eventually.

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 6

Solstice

Midsummer growth

Bedtime reading and the history of inventions

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 5

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 4

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 3

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 2

Stress testing the Badman report: looking for weak points: Part 1

He must have despised us from the start

"For example by the age of eight, I think they should be autonomous learners, able to read."

To lie to one's child, or tell the truth? Home education post-Badman

Autonomous learning can't be planned

The review report

Yesterday in parliament, tomorrow in the news

"We need to embed a children's rights agenda instead of a parents' rights agenda."

A poll: would you?

I know I've had a break, but....

EO's bombshell: questions and answers

Becta.. Capita... other things ending in 'a'.. (and 'o', and 'net' etc.) - Part 2

You’d think it would be easy

Becta.. Capita... other things ending in 'a'.. (and 'o', and 'net' etc.) - Part 1

Driving again

Stepping up

A valliant hero

Reading again

Parents' declaration

It's a bit like asking a fox to review the chickens, isn't it? "Yum."

EO's bombshell again

EO's bombshell: the reaction

EO's bombshell: the document

EO's bombshell

Planting out

Scales, pictures, strawberries and hedgehogs

The digging is nearly finished now

It’s tomorrow!

LOL no, it was yesterday

Here is our Beltane fire

Twelve good men and true?

Looking at the panel (6)

Looking at the panel (7)

Looking at the panel (8)

Looking at the panel (9)

Looking at the panel (10)

Looking at the panel (11)

Let's have a look at this panel, then

Looking at the panel (2)

Looking at the panel (3)

Looking at the panel (4)

Looking at the panel (5)

Hit and run job - oh and the new panel, official line-up

Another Badman meeting (and a post about university)

“There I was, a-digging this hole..

A good salad

I’ve got to say..

More about the review panel

Success

Is she ever going to blog again?

Personalised learning and autonomous education: the differences between the two

The hole truth

Field to table - already!

This week, we’ve been mostly…

Mr Badman, Professor Heppell, bullying, Notschool and Becta

When you’re in a hole…

"They can't do this. It's in contravention of article 16 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:

"One side of A4, on my desk, first thing Monday morning." "Please Sir, sorry Sir, the dog ate it.."

I just went for a blog walk and ended up at Becta

Potting on...

"Maintaining the status quo is out of the question." Time for some blue skies thinking.

Autodidacts, Tasmanian devils and many-headed hydra. The whole menagerie.

“Are we in Australia yet?”

Things to do, always with the 'things to do'.....

Worcestershire, Tasmania and the land of Notschool: "Curiouser and curiouser," said Alice.

The first cut is the deepest..

Equinox cake

The rules of engagement

NSPCC Part 3: anti child?

Equinox

The deep breath before the plunge

Planting progress

Support, strings, other stuff and seeds

Going public, in every sense

NSPCC part 2: anti family?

Mr Badman: a bad man?

*My* 2020 Vision: a voice from the future

Bonds and bridges (glue and oil): "Aspiration and attainment amongst young people in deprived communities" - *or* 'They're at it again'.

NSPCC part 1: anti HE?

Dear gov.uk, you asked for my opinions...

That fifth outcome and the NSPCC

2020: compliance techniques

The world *is* changing

A poll about 'fending for themselves', and other news.

CME: did this slip under the radar?

'At risk of poor outcomes'

Choices, choices..

ECM schedule: 2009

Malevolent voices that despise our freedoms - by Philip Pullman

Blindsided? 21st Century Schools: A World-Class Education for Every Child / A School Report Card: consultation document

A very long post in which I try to find out whether ECM is a monster or not. It is.

AHEd press release: NSPCC should withdraw from government review into home education.

Letter from AHEd to NSPCC Chief Executive

Transcript of Radio 4's PM interview with Shena Deuchars and Tony Mooney

The real team around the child

Hey, Vijay

The Team Around the Child

Freedom keeps us busy

Two more questions. Where did *they* come from?

ECM: Brave New World

AHEd press release: PERSECUTION OF MINORITY GROUP IS "ABUSE OF PUBLIC FUNDS"

Local Authority monitoring and why we hate it

So, what can the review do for you?

My answers to the review questions

A précis on our specific problems with the five outcomes. And a brief note about Professor Heppell.

In the light of this - a poll

The vultures are circling

For *all* parents

"If the law below is passed it takes away our our fundamental freedom of choice with respect to the food we eat."

ECM: Did it really all come from Laming?

A closer look at the Local Authority position

The ECM tangled web: how legitimate is it?

Enjoy and achieve

And finally: stay safe

Boiling frogs, but making them achieve economic wellbeing first

Be healthy

Prudence is a criminal and will be suitably punished.

"Make a positive contribution" and the "Path to success"

It all looks so different in the snow

Today is the Local Authorities' deadline

Action

The petition, and DCSF replies

Facebook group press release

Facebook group's letter to CRAE

Growing a sidebar, joining the dots

“People are generally relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather…

"It's like magic falling from the sky!"

Planting: I've finally got a plan

My letter to my MP

One problem solved, anyway

Candlemas tomorrow

Business and industry

Don't try to tell me..

When schools fail

What kind of person have they chosen to conduct this *independent review* then?

One observation

"We would therefore recommend that DCSF review the legislation pertaining to children educated at home.."

Writing to my MP and wow, the formidable Facebook group!

"Gordon Brown finally speaks the truth"

Very NICE

NSPCC and government: hand in glove?

Review links and quotes

Stroking snakes, fraternising with ferrets..

Mike Fortune-Wood speaks about the latest UK attack on Home-Education

AHEd Press Release

The review questions (non-LA version)

Transcript of Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show section on Home Education, 20th January 2009

Facebook: you are invited to join a group

The five outcomes

DSCF press release: freedom to home educate under government attack *again*

Sneaky tree

Trading whilst insolvent

Red shoots

Midwinter, firmly put to bed.

No crunchin' here

Clarkson's got it sussed

The number 0

What it's like to live in Palestine this week

“I’m a lumberjack and I’m ok..

Epiphany

Things it's taken me 40 years to learn

About Gaza

What's orgo planning, Precious?

2009 plans

The light returns

Protected: Conditions