In my previous post 'Guidance Queens & Pushy Authoritarian Types' I linked to a facebook thread on the wall of Graham Stuart MP, who was supportive of home education when the Badman fiasco was in full swing and instrumental in helping to prevent the home education parts of the CSF Bill from becoming law. It has been revealed that he is involved with a select & secretive group of self appointed home education 'experts' & that this group is in the process of helping to draw up 'draft guidelines' for local authorities on how to deal with home educating families.
Many have been vocal in their concern & outrage over what they see as an underhand attempt by a few to direct future government policy regarding home education & are curious as to what the deeper motives might be of a group of people who are unwilling to present themselves & their 'ideas' to the advance scrutiny of all of those who will be affected.
Yesterday Lord Lucas started a home-education.biz forum thread which stated:
Over the next six months or so we will have at least two Bills which potentially affect HE:
Social Security: new terms for current benefits, and the foundations of the new system
Education: perhaps something on the new SEN system, and the possibility of amending 436A and consequent guidance.
As and when I hear news I will post it on this thread.
I would be glad of your views as to how HE should be treated and consulted about either subject.
Ralph Lucas
House of Lords
When challenged over lack of transparency & asked to disclose the ultimate goals of the secret guidelines group (SGG), Lord Lucas merely used 'soothing' tones to deflect the frustrations of the enquirers but failed to reveal anything more about specifics (don't you just love how politicians do that), only commiting himself to...
"...I want to listen to you..."
...but then excusing the exclusivity & cloak & dagger tactics of the group with...
"...it's just not practical to draft proposals in a large group many of whom are opposed to the whole idea."There have been expressed some very succinct & well reasoned arguments against the writing of new guidelines & of alternative means of illiciting change in education legislation put forth by some very knowledgeable & experienced individuals but it would seem that the SGG are hell bent on running with their 'baby' in spite of any objections from 'stakeholders'. Those who have pleaded with the SGG to stop with their arrogant, overbearing & potentially harmful onslaught have been accused of the very bullying the SGG are themselves enacting upon all home educators by their hijacking of an important civil liberties issue.
However I hope that those who refuse to be blackmailed or bullied into silencing their concerns for the SGG's chosen modus operandi do take up His Lordships kind invitation to...
"tell me why I am wrong."...
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