Local authority home education officers will often ask home educating parents to meet with them. Home educating parents can be confused about whether or not they should. Quite often, this confusion arises from the parent’s exposure to news about the conduct of some local authority officers in some regions. This article presents some facts which […]
Samples of work requests and demands
The Local Authority (LA) can ask you for copies of a child’s work. What it cannot do is demand such copies particularly under threat of a notice under the Education Act 1996 s437 (a notice to satisfy the LA) or School Attendance Order (SAO). Some LAs will ask for copies of work where they have […]
They only attack what is different, home education under threat!
The reality is that all our children begin their life as being home educated. This means that Local Authorities (LA) and Governments, are confident that parents and guardians are able to educate their child in their own style without the need to register. During these formative years, from birth to five, it is universally recognised […]
Home education: a different but equal choice
As a parent I am surprised at the lack of information freely available toparents on the options for their child’s education and that parents need to search for this information themselves. We have been taught that when our child reaches compulsory school age they are supposed to go to school. This is why, when seven […]
Survey reveals that school not COVID is a major cause of children’s mental health issues in 2021.
A very informative and useful report which confirms factors that Education Otherwise’ research identifies: We are only too aware that ‘school itself appears a major contributor to children’s poor mental health and that there is an urgent need to address this.’ This supports the need for Government and policy makers to actively support alternative forms […]
Membership trustee Blog: Helena Wilson
What does Education Otherwise believe home educators to want? I became a trustee because I believe that we can help public bodies to understand how parents feel about this question and to work toward ensuring that parents can choose to home educate going forward. As a home educating mother of eight I know my children […]
Message from the co-Chair, Wendy Charles-Warner
Home Education Assessments Regardless of how home educating parents view their local authority, it does have a right to ask for information about their education provision. That right was established in the case of Phillips v Brown (Queen’s Bench Division (Divisional Court) NO 424/78) and now enshrined within the Education Act 1996 s436a: ‘A local […]
October Blog: A Message from the Co-Chair, Ambroz Neil
We live in a society that is rich in culture, where opportunities are plentiful and freedom and choice are not words that can only be whispered and discussed under the cloak of darkness. This is not to say that things cannot be better, nor that historic and present day deeds across our society have been […]
Valletta and the Year of Changes by Simone Mansell Broome
‘Valletta and the Year of Changes’ is a beautifully illustrated book suitable for 7 to 11 year old children. We particularly liked the illustrations of Alberta and the rather cross cat, but were disappointed at the pawcity of filled spaces on the endpiece family tree. Perhaps the Author intends to fill those spaces with her […]
Magna Carta and common law
We are currently seeing a rapid rise in home educating families being lulled into listening to those who peddle what they refer to as ‘common law’ and ‘freeman’ rights. These groups are acting against the interests of every home educating family, as by peddling these untenable ideas they feed into public body fears about home […]
