Dear Mr Ed Balls and the DCSF- No thankyou

I will not give up. I will write persistent letter/they work for you emails to my MP, and also the DCSF. I can’t afford to just give in. I will not under any circumstances follow a chosen curriculum – however woolly it is made out to be, because i do not believe that there are any facts that are more worthy of knowledge at any particular time than the facts my child is interested in hearing or reading about then. I will not seek your permission or approval to home educate and I retain the right to provide an efficient and full time education suitable to my children’s ability and aptitude: I believe that I can fulfill this whereas your schools cannot. I will never let you speak to my children on their own. they are not criminals – otherwise they would have representation. they are minors under MY care.

Your review was flawed and would fit well into a totalitarian state. I will never make the mistake of voting labour in the future. The statistics are worthless and biased: all school children, let alone the home educated know that to do statistics you need a numerator and denominator for your groups. You do not know the number of home educated children and freely admit elsewhere that the total home ed population could be at least double the known population. This would make there no statistical difference between the groups – not that i am sure there is statistical significance in your figures. Your LA sample is still less than 50% and you have not sampled the others – whereas using the FOI act, home educator groups – with no resources other than their own time – have. you have not listened or responded to any of the 2000 home educators, children and others in agreement that responded to the review request originally. your bibliography is paltry – requiring you to rely on ‘beliefs’ rather than facts. Now you carry the juggernaut on, trying to define education! I await to see how twisted the next review is as well. I wonder what it is about home educators that makes you so desperate to control them?

As for monitoring, l blog the formal what is done as a record, but despite my blog sounding at times like school at home, it is v child led – though not autonomous – but my child wants to do science, so sees the need to do maths, loves reading etc etc. and often turns down offers to get crafty/sewing/musicy stuff with mum!! So yes, we would probably pass your ‘tests’, especially with an ex-teacher DH. But, I have no intention of co-operating with your ever increasing mission creep and information demands. I refuse. No Thankyou, I choose to retain my parental rights.

I am not a great wordsmith, and am unlikely to ever sway hearts and minds. but I am someone who just doesn’t know when to stop where my children’s benefit is concerned. DO not expect me too.