News
this page is for latest news, updates, alerts and links to issues:
contents:
Join our campaign!
June 1st 2008 - Lone Parents lobby postcard campaign to defeat the regulations that will see lone parents forced to work or face benefit cuts!
Every Single Parent Matters - press release
Joint press release from AHEd and Schoolhouse. 1st June 2008
Lone Parents:
Continuing the long saga that began with our Letter to John Hutton in which we are reassured that the government has no intention of forcing lone parents to work or face benefit cuts, we begin a new page of news about how the government continue with their intention to force lone parents to work or face benefit cuts! Beginning with a joint press release from AHEd and Schoolhouse.
Repressive new moves - Isle of Man:
April 08: An appeal from the Isle of Man has alerted us to repressive proposals to bring in a draconian system of registration and monitoring of home education. What can Islanders do? Send suggestions and support, and watch this page! AHEd response to IOM consultation posted 16.05.08
Call for monitoring - Wales:
April 08 again: The Vale of Glamorgan has called issued the usual misinformation and called for more rigorous monitoring of home education. To see their call and the reply from AHEd man in Wales, see the Vale of Glamorgan page. More to follow...
Trouble with NT education memberships:
It seems from time to time home educators have trouble with the conditions for education group membership of the National Trust - latest, a new requirement to purchase public liability insurance!
John Taylor Gatto at Schoolhouse conference -
Schoolhouse has announced an exciting conference for 2008 to celebrate international freedom in education day with the keynote speaker, John Taylor Gatto. See the Scotland page. This conference is going to be well worth attending for the whole family.
Welfare Reform - lone parents update:
Feb 2008...
Following the In Work Better Off Consultation, we are now hearing reports from lone parents who educate their own children aged 12+ at home who are being told in their work focussed interviews that by October 2008 they must be available to work and the children must be enroled in schools or they will lose benefits .... see further info and letter to Stephen Timms MP
March 2008 ...
another letter; Ed Balls this time following further member discussions and contact with One Parent Families. March update.
Tech HEds team going to Japan!
Two teams of home-educated young people participated in the UK final of the FIRST LEGO League Robotics competition in Birmingham. The Tech HEds team came second overall and is now on it's way to Japan to participate in the Open Asia Championship in Tokyo ....
Home Educators included in NICE guidance
January 2008 ... ...
AHEd has written to the project co-ordinator of the NICE guidance on 'School, college and community-based personal, social and health education focusing on sex and relationships and alcohol education' which has now included home educated children in the scope of its guidance. Consultations will be carried out in 2008/9 and the final guidance is due to be published in September 2009.
We have received a report that some local authorities have tried to insist on giving 'puberty talks' to home educated children and it is not difficult to envisage some using this proposed guidance to put pressure on home educating parents to deliver a type of sex education they are not comfortable with, or to insist that all home
educated children attend sessions arranged by the local authority. This guidance could be used to legitimise an intrusive approach in some areas.
Your LA
To see or add news, information and comment related to your local authority look for the entry in the Local Authority list index for relevant page links.
LA responses to guidelines consultation
To read LA responses (or hunt out your LA's response) to the DCSF consultation on EHE guidelines to local authorities see LA responses to Guidelines consultation
HE children subject to CAF?
Jan 2008
Bromley Protocol For Safeguarding Children In HE illegally regulates for the e-caf of all home educated children as Bromley decided that elective home education is a prima facae case of a child in need. What we need is DCSF guidelines stating that there is no causal link to welfare concerns where a family choose elective home education!
New page with info and links re CAF
EHE Guidelines Found Wanting
January 2008
AHEd members write to the ministerial team at DCSF to warn them that the guidelines are in contention and demanding further consultation. See AHEd Guidelines Letter
November 2007
Home Educators response. Add your comments on the DCSF elective home education guidelines to local authorities here!
Innuendo and rumour re EHE
raised against Home Educators by public authorities: http://ahed.pbwiki.com/London+Safeguarding+Network
Safe in school?
see our page: Children at Risk in Schools
Press Releases
ongoing...
Keep up with AHEd AHEd Press Releases
Press releases are on this page with a table of contents.
Politicians and Parties...
Prime Minister Statement (Blair)
... From the Prime Ministers Office ... 20th March 2007... "The Government respects the rights of parents who choose to educate their children at home... Local authorities have a limited scope for intervention if it appears to them that a child in their area is not receiving a suitable education... This should be done sensitively ... home educators do not have to follow the National Curriculum and have a broad discretion as to how and when education takes place." ... For full information see: Petition to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Statement (Brown)
AHEd has written (28.06.07)to Gordon Brown. We hope he will endorse the statement of Tony Blair.
Conservative Party Statement
14.06.07 "We believe that parents should be free to choose the best education for their children, including home education, and that the Government should make sure that all the options are able to work properly" (Office of David Willets)For the full comment see this letter.
Liberal Democrat Statement
We are still awaiting a reply from the Liberal Democrats.
Access to NHS benefits
July 2007: in their response to the consultation on home education guidelines to local authorities, North Yorkshire authority ask, what about the rights of home educated children in education, aged 16+ to EMA and national health service benefits? (Question 8.)
... NHS: Support from Norman Lamb(lib-dems) here.
"I would share your concern that home educated children between the ages of 16 and 18 are being discriminated against unecessarily and unfairly." (NHS help for young people in further education.)
...NHS: Support from John Baron (Cons) here.
"We intend to ask Parliamentary questions on this subject and hope to reply soon. However, it is my understanding that Conservatives would not discriminate against children in full-time education at home for the purpose of entitlements to the NHS."
Threat to legal framework
... Consultations: Elaine Haste writes, "The Department has recently decided not to pursue any changes to monitoring arrangements. Instead we are consulting on draft guidelines for LAs" ... Helen White (DfES) writes, "The publication of this consultation follows discussions with several groups representing home educators and with local authorities. Following these discussions it has been decided not to propose any changes to monitoring arrangements or legislation." Since the AHEd complaint argued that they should drop changes to the legal framework and reconsult on guidelines, we are pleased to see the result we asked for. We recognise the small part played by the Tony Blair, (PM,) who keeps supporting the rights of parents in public. (See Ruth Kelly fiasco, and the petition to the prime minister.)
... Consultation: How serious are the DfES/DCSF about dropping changes to the legal framework and consulting properly with home educators? See the results of an FOI request for internal and external mails about this at the department to decide what you think.
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