Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A friend shared this diagram on facebook, as a commentary on our current political situation.  Having read Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World and A Handmaid's Tale, I may have accidentally on purpose shown DD2 the Buy Now/1-Click Button on Amazon and whoops, it arrived in my Kindle...

The Blurb says:

The hauntingly prophetic classic novel set in a not-too-distant future where books are burned by a special task force of firemen. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. The classic novel of a post-literate future, 'Fahrenheit 451' stands alongside Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World' as a prophetic account of Western civilization's enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity. Bradbury's powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which over fifty years from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock.

I did not know the story before I started reading the book, and as a book loving person, I hate the idea of burning books.  Even if you disagree with the book, they should be kept.  But it was timely as it reinforced that maybe Biblical Storytelling should make a comeback as a mainstream tool for Evangelism and sharing God's Word?

Though I don't think the book is suitable to young children, my DD2 was interested in what was happening, so every couple of chapters I would paraphrase the plot so she could understand.

One of the central things in the book is the idea that people don't need to think anymore, just have a TV the size of a wall (or instead of one) and have multiple screens competing for your attention all the time, and you will be 'happy'.  Books are not good for you because they encourage thinking, interpretation, and potentially bad conversations, whereas if you spend all your time only talking about superficial things like what happened in the latest reality TV series with your virtual 'family', then that is just fine.  The TV will tell you everything you ever need to know, and you should not question it, else you dare to feel bad emotions.

This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the counter balance between a dystopian future and the reality we currently find ourselves.

Garden Girls Cozy Mysteries by Hope Callaghan

I read the first of these three books years ago (probably because it was free for Kindle) and had presumably put the box set on my wishlist because it was cheaper than buying books 2 and 3 separately.  When I chose this book to read on holiday, I only had the title to go by, and thought reading 3 books would take me some time, not realising that I had already read the first.

The blurb says:

BOOK 1: Who Murdered Mr. Malone? 

Nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Belhaven. Nothing that is, until a body was found in the woods behind the local elementary school. 

With the entire town in an uproar, "Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford makes it her personal mission to find the killer or killers and solve the mystery with some help from her friends. 

With a little amateur detective work, Gloria is able to uncover enough clues that point right to the murderer. She's about to discover, however, things aren't always as clear cut as they would appear. 


BOOK 2: Grandkids Gone Wild 

"Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford, has her hands full. Her mischievous and energetic grandsons are coming for a weekend visit. To top things off, she discovers someone is living in her barn. But who and why? 

As this amateur sleuth investigates what's going on in her own backyard, another murder victim turns up in their sleepy little town. 

Hot on the trail of a murderer, trying her best to make sure her grandkids don't end up in the ER and facing a budding romance, Gloria and her small town of Belhaven are once again about to be turned upside down.


BOOK 3: Smoky Mountain Mystery 

Life is good for "Garden Girl" Gloria Rutherford. Spring has finally sprung, love is in the air, and no dead bodies have turned up in the small town of Belhaven...lately.

It seems as if it's almost too good to be true. Just as Gloria starts to get settled into her familiar routine, she receives a mysterious message from her older sister, Liz. 

Certain that her sister, the drama queen, is once again bent on turning Gloria's life upside down for no good reason, she almost chooses to ignore the dire message that she may be in danger. 

When a key to her sister's place shows up in her mailbox after Liz mysteriously vanishes, Gloria jumps in with both feet to track her down. 

Crisscrossing the country with one of the other Garden Girls in tow, the two amateur sleuths find themselves on an adventure of a lifetime. 

Gloria soon discovers her sister's mysterious disappearance is the least of her worries.

When books describe themselves as clean/cozy/sweet or other adjectives of that nature, it means that there is no swearing or sex or gore or anything else that may be considered 'adult'.  I like them because sometimes I want to read a thrilling mystery without having to delve into the dark/seedy side of murder (if that makes sense, lol).

The main character, Gloria, is a bit of a character - she is an older woman with a penchant for sticking her nose into other people's business, not offensively, but definitely likes to know what is going on in her small town.  As time goes on, she is on the other end of the gossip grapevine when she starts a romance with a local cop.  The stories are not too far-fetched (if you are happy with the idea of an amateur sleuth getting involved in this type of thing!), and thrilling enough to keep me interested.  I will be putting book 4 on my wishlist to read when I start buying books again!

Stories Aren't Just For Kids by Christine Dillon

I read this book over the summer, and really enjoyed it, even though I hadn't considered storytelling at all (would you have guessed I prefer reading books? lol).

The blurb says:

In a world increasingly anti-Christian, how can you communicate in a way that slides under listener's defences? How can you leave them hungry for more? 
Stories are God-designed way to impact hearts. 
But many Christians reject stories as just for kids. Christine Dillon has trained thousands of people in storytelling. 10 myths come up over and over again, and they block Christians from using this life-changing ministry tool. 
MYTH 1: Adults won’t listen to stories
MYTH 2: Stories are only for non-literate cultures 
MYTH 3: Men won’t listen to stories ...
MYTH 6: Storytelling won’t grow mature disciples
MYTH 8: Storytelling will lead to heresy ... 

Using stories from around the world Dillon tackles each myth and challenges you to master this tool. 

Christine Dillon is a Bible storyteller and trainer who works in Asia and Australia. Her book, Telling the Gospel Through Story: Evangelism that keeps hearers hungry for more (IVP, 2012) has inspired many to start telling the greatest story of them all.

Having read the book, I think storytelling is a pretty impressive tool to use, not least because it was how the Bible was passed from person to person in years gone by.  There is a website and a Facebook group for anyone wanting to find out more. 

I'm not in a place, right now, to be able to learn or make use of this book, but, I am very glad I have read it (and have made a note of it) so I can come back to it in the future.  I particularly liked Christine's idea of praying before every holiday/trip, in order to meet someone with whom to share your relationship with God; something I will try to do in future.  It was very inspirational.

Billy's Week

We have just returned from a glorious week at The Naturist Foundation in Orpington.  The weather was fantastic, if not a bit hot at times, so I was often found lounging, reading in the shade.  We've been going to Billy's Week for the past 4 years (though technically now Billy and Jayne's Week, as she now organises much of it), as it is a family week with tons to do: Kids Club every morning, Kids' Splash time in the heated pool every afternoon, not to mention archery, darts, petanque, miniten, badminton, table tennis, pool, swimming gala, quizzes, bingo, mens vs women trivial pursuit, disco and a hexathlon.  There's even a service on the Sunday morning, so I didn't miss going to church!

My mum, bless her, has started reading this blog and when I said we were going camping, she asked if it is a 'natural' holiday?  Yes mum, camping in the countryside is something we love and is very natural for us. 😜

One of the things I love most about camping, is that it resets my body clock - though I did stay up fairly late (especially when I only had a little bit left of a book I was reading), I wake up at dawn.  And even when I fall back to sleep, I will wake up earlier than I would do at home.  Given DD1 starts school next week, I need to get back in the habit of waking up early.  Having to wake up at 5am in order to cycle to the train station, catch a train and then a bus, to get to work for 8am seems like a lifetime ago now!

The holiday itself was really good.  We arrived on the Tuesday and set up our camp, before going down to the pavilion (where there's a cafe during the day, as well as a bar) to join in the quiz.  Given my husband and I were late, we sat separate rather than joining a team, and we still didn't come last, and actually came top of one of the rounds! 
On Wednesday we headed into London to see Joseph, as part of Kids Week.  We see a show in London every year; previous shows we've seen have included Billy Elliot, Wicked and Kinky Boots.  I've never actually seen Joseph before, but knew all the songs from singing them during music classes at school.  It was really good!  Jac Yarrow was great, and whilst I didn't rate Jason Donovan's voice, Sheridan Smith was absolutely fantastic as the narrator and made the show.  The girls loved it, and it was good to only have a short train journey back to the campsite.

Thursday was DD2's 9th birthday, and tbh, I'm not going to go through every day with exactly what we did when as I can't remember!  There was a Pool competition and I came 1st of the women (in the second time round).  The Hexathlon was on the Saturday, and my husband came 2nd out of the men, DD2 came 2nd out of the kids, and DD1 came 3rd out of the kids.  I don't have enough hand-eye coordination to join in, and missing out half the sports wouldn't be very good.  So I read my books and sunbathed instead - it's a hard life, lol!  I read over 8 books whilst away, so have plenty to write up in the next few days, and I still need to finish writing my comments about the Welsh HE Consultation, not to mention getting DD1 ready for school...

When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

A friend recommended this book to me, whose subtitle is "The Cost of Hidden Stress".  The book is
about the link between body and mind, and the fact that our emotions can make us ill, especially if we do not resolve any hidden stress in our lives.

The synopsis says:

Can a person literally die of loneliness? Is there a connection between the ability to express emotions and Alzheimer’s disease? Is there such a thing as a ‘cancer personality’?

Drawing on deep scientific research and Dr Gabor Maté’s acclaimed clinical work, When the Body Says No provides the answers to critical questions about the mind-body link – and the role that stress and our emotional makeup play in an array of common diseases.

When the Body Says No:

- Explores the role of the mind-body link in conditions and diseases such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome and multiple sclerosis. 
- Shares dozens of enlightening case studies and stories, including those of people such as Lou Gehrig (ALS), Betty Ford (breast cancer), Ronald Reagan (Alzheimer’s), Gilda Radner (ovarian cancer) and Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer)
- Reveals ‘The Seven A’s of Healing’: principles in healing and the prevention of illness from hidden stress

Now, I have to say that when people give me 'cures' for cancer - whether it be green juice, blueberries, cutting out sugar, or whatever - I am usually rightly skeptical.  So when I started reading this book, I was a bit worried that it would be of the same ilk, but I was pleasantly surprised!

This book is based in science, but links psychology to medicine via what it calls the PNI system - Psychoneuroimmunoendocrinology system. 
It is widely known that hormones can affect your physiology and how well your immune system works.  Your hormones, in turn, are affected by your emotions and what you are feeling, so it is not a big leap to hypothesise that your emotions can have a direct link to your physiological well-being, specifically if your body is rife with stress hormones such as cortisol over sustained periods due to repressed emotions.

Dr Maté says this link can lead to many illnesses and diseases from arthritis,CFS, to cancer, MND and Alzheimer's.  As much of this repression is caused by how we were brought up as children, Dr Maté is quick to mitigate the assumption of blame apportioned at our parents, though does show that this cross-generational dance of repression can manifest itself such that some diseases appear like they are hereditary, without the genetic link.

For me, I found this a really interesting book, and it wasn't too difficult to read.  It makes sense from both a scientific and a common-sense understanding, and has encouraged me that going to speak to a therapist is the right thing for me.

Skip by Perrin Briar

I read this book in a day and I was a bit disappointed, as it has the potential to be a really good bit of Sci Fi/Fantasy.

Jera Wythnos is betrothed to a wealthy family, in order to protect her own family from ruin.  However, she discovers the brothers are not all they seem to be.  Unable to get out of the engagement she decides to run away in the middle of the night.
Meanwhile, Elian Stump walks into a clock shop, claiming to be looking for a job.  The old watchmaker turns him down, until a cuckoo makes an appearance and the watchmaker changes his mind.
Jera manages bribes Elian to allow her to hide in the shop, when those searching for her break in and damage the clock tower, causing Jera and Elian to Skip forward in time.

The blurb says:

A Mysterious Clock Controls Time. What Happens When It Breaks? The clock tower is the center of the town of Time. It counts down the hours, minutes and seconds of every passing day. But unbeknownst to the local inhabitants, it is at the center of a great deal more than that. It is the center of the universe and controls time itself. But it is old and beginning to break, sending the world’s inhabitants skipping forward and back through time. Seventeen-year-old Jera Wythnos, betrothed to marry a powerful lord, runs to escape her responsibilities and pursue her dream of traveling the world. Hot on her heels is her betrothed, moving heaven and earth to find her before the wedding day. Elian Stump is an outlaw on the run from a bungled heist, but he carries with him a dangerous secret that threatens to either free or ensnare the world. They confront sinister forces at every turn, hell bent on preventing them from achieving their goal, and taking control of the clock tower for themselves. The universe has chosen this unlikely pair to collect all three replacement clock pieces scattered across the world before the clock tower, and time, breaks for good. On their journey they make friends and enemies, encounter strange and wonderful mythical creatures, and face their own internal demons.

The book is very fast paced, and doesn't go into the depth of character that I would have liked.  Additionally, the first book just stops, presumably to encourage you to buy book 2, whereas I prefer books to be roughly self-contained (even if there are overarching stories throughout the series) or at least a lead-in to the following book.  Not having read the next one, for all I know this could have been one large book that has been split up in order to make the author more money.  Book 2 isn't available on Kindle, and I didn't enjoy the story enough to warrant putting a paperbook on my wishlist.

Weekly Update No33

This week has been an up and down week, but I have lost weight overall.I got down to my lowest weight for a few months (93.7kg) on two consecutive days, but am now back up to 94kg.

Tomorrow we are going camping for a week, and I don't know what my food intake is going to be.  I'll have to research healthy foods that will keep when we don't have a fridge and try to find ways of eating veggies most. (We do have an electric cool box, that acts a bit like a fridge, but doesn't keep everything as cool so food still spoils quicker.)

Blood Singers by Tamara Rose Blodgett

The synopsis says:

A sub-species of human beings.

Twenty-year-old Julia Wade, a young woman tragically widowed, is in the middle of a bizarre bid between two mythical species who are vying for the unique gift she holds: the property of her blood. The vampires need her to balance the food load of the human species and give them their coveted "Lightwalkers." The Were wish to be moonless changers, and a Rare One such as Julia can make that a reality.

Julia wants to belong to herself.

Can she free herself and begin a new life?

I read this book, and the next two in the series, within 3 or 4 days.  It gripped me from the beginning, as good fantasy can.
At first, you don't know what is real as you are following the protagonist, Julia, and intermixed there are flashbacks, dreams and scenes with other characters; however as the story progresses all the threads join together as the different races (Singer, Vampire and Were) join together towards a common goal.

It's a Young Adult book, and though there needs to be 'mating' in order for the magical properties of the Singer blood to be shared with a different race, it's not an adult book - just a bit of snogging and actually, Julia is a virgin and holds on to her virginity as long as she can.

I really enjoyed the books, and have put books 4-6 on my wishlist so I can find out what happens next.

Welsh Consultation: Draft Statutory Guidance (2)

This is a continuation of me reading through the Draft Statutory Guidance for the Welsh Consultation. The overview can be found HERE and the first part of this document can be found HERE.

So, here are my raw, unfiltered thoughts as I read through the Draft Statutory Guidance: 58 pages long.  Anything I C&P I'll colour RED. (Apologies if this is an issue for anyone who may be colourblind.  I'll try and make it obvious in text too by indenting.)

Section 4 starts with definitions of what a suitable education means.  

To respond to  some of these points, I'll be repeating what I said before in this post.

4.6

There is currently no legal definition of what ‘full-time’ education is. Children normally attend school for between 22 and 25 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, but this measurement of ‘contact time’ is not always relevant to home educating families where there can be almost continuous one-to-one or small group contact and education may take place outside normal ‘school hours’. However, education, which is manifestly not occupying a significant proportion of a child’s life, will probably not meet the section 7 requirement.

5hrs x 190 days = 2hrs 36min every day of the year.
I'm glad it has said that home education does not have to mirror this, because it is arguable that schools do not even achieve this.  Monkeymum has done a detailed breakdown of the time spent in schools, and it comes down to 51min every day of the year!  In fact, I've seen a similar calculation on a blog (that I can't find right now), that says if you were to do school-at-home, and teach the national curriculum as set out in teacher's plans, it would take a maximum of 2 hrs a day, right up to GCSE level!
I like the quote at the end of MonkeyMum's post: "As I said earlier, I’m not anti-school. 51 minutes per day, actively learning, sounds brilliant to me. But what about all the other hours spent in school?

Our family time is too precious for that."

4.9

It is to be expected that, in some circumstances, there will be less or no formal planning of learning, in contrast to structured planning in schools. Learning activities will be very different to those in schools. Written work may not feature in the learning as much as it does in school as one to one learning may reduce the need to use written work as a tool for measuring understanding. However, the value of writing skills should not be overlooked. 

This is quite worrying, as although they concede that HE will look different to school, there is the biased assumption that HErs don't value written work, whereas the truth is that HErs allow children to learn to write, and write fluently and comprehensively, in their own time - according to their age, ability and aptitude, as per the law! 
It also means that any EHEOs reading this, may assume that this point means there has to be written work and may ask to see samples of work.

Section 4.10, though hasn't used the word 'deschooling', does suggest they don't understand it - I repeat the advice to never use the word deschooling with LAs.

4.15 includes the line "Suitable education is not simply a matter of academic learning but should also involve socialisation. These are essential in preparing the child to participate and function in society." because of course, all HE children are locked under the stairs...

Sections 4.16 and 4.17 are just bum-fluff that doesn't really say anything:

4.16

Literacy and language skills should correspond with the child’s general ability and enable the child to:  Acquire listening and speaking skills  Acquire reading skills which include vocabulary and comprehension  Acquire writing skills which include grammar, punctuation and spelling.

4.17

Numeracy skills should correspond with the child’s general ability and reflect the stage of development the child is at.

Well, duh! But unless you attach time-frames to each of these points, they do not make sense, and are just filler. If you mean that the child has to leave education knowing all this stuff, then there is no point monitoring HE in between, only to create some kind of 'leaving education certificate' or something; and given many more HE kids take some exams/qualifications than don't, it would just cost a lot of money for little gain.

4.18

In their consideration of parents' provision of home education, local authorities should reasonably expect it to include the following features:  consistent involvement of parents or other significant carers  respond to the needs and the best interest of the child, taking into account areas of learning that interest the child, and should enhance the child’s potential  ensure the child has opportunities to engage in a reasonably broad range of learning experiences  provide opportunities to develop personal and social skills to help prepare them for later life and become engaged citizens  ensure the child has opportunities to develop basic skills  presence of a philosophy or ethos with parents showing commitment, enthusiasm, and recognition of the child's needs, attitudes and aspirations  opportunities for the child to be stimulated by their learning experiences  involvement in a broad spectrum of learning opportunities and activities appropriate to the child's stage of development  access to appropriate resources and materials  the opportunity to develop digital literacy  the opportunity for an appropriate level of physical activity and play  the opportunity to interact with other children and adults.

This list is actually useful for HErs because it clearly shows what LAs are looking for, so when you prepare a brief report, or if you accept a meeting with the LA, these are the type of things you'll want to get across.

4.21

In order for a local authority to satisfy itself of the suitability of education provided by the parents, the local authority should see and speak with the child. In the absence of seeing the child, it will be questionable whether the local authority can reasonably assess suitability of education and to know if other evidence provided relates to that child. Communicating with the child will provide an opportunity for the local authority to -better understand how the child learns and what areas of learning they are interested in. 

So, this is the section where they are saying that HErs can no longer write a report, but the LA has to meet the child.  This is incredibly worrying, the two main reasons (though there are more) that spring to mind are:

1. LAs lie.  Not all LAs.  Not all the time.  But having helped HErs nationally, I have seen HErs accept visits, believing that the LA has the child's interests at heart and are happy with their provision, only for the LAs to initiate proceedings, serve notices and sometimes even get SS involved. If everything is kept in writing, and a paper-trail, there is less opportunity for 'misunderstandings'.
   Not being in Wales, I don't know if this is a new thing in this guidance, or if this has been the case for a while, but I don't like it.
2. The mental health of the child.  Some children are confident and self-assured, others have been traumatised, especially by those seen to be "in authority".  If the child had a choice whether to meet with the LA that would be one thing, but to say the LAs must see the child, surely overrides the child's right to a private life?

And "communicating with the child"? Do they ask all schooled-children whether they want to be in school? Do they understand how the schooled-child learns best and what areas of learning they are interested in? I thought not...  Section 4.24 includes "If it is clear that a child does not wish to be educated at home although the education provision is satisfactory, the local authority should discuss the reasons for this with the parents and encourage them to consider whether home education is in the best interests of the child when clearly it is not what the child wants." is the converse also true??:- 

'If it is clear that a child does not wish to be educated at school although the education provision is satisfactory, the local authority should discuss the reasons for this with the parents and encourage them to consider whether school education is in the best interests of the child when clearly it is not what the child wants.' 

I can, but, dream.

Given that meetings are compulsory, 4.26 is good "Such a meeting does not have to take place in the home; it can take place in a mutually agreed location."

4.27

The meeting should not be the only method for satisfying the local authority of the suitability of education. A local authority could – if it thought appropriate to do so – send a pre-meeting questionnaire before meeting home educating families (see Annex 3) for parents and, where appropriate, for children (see Annex 4(a)-(b)) to fill out together. This will form part of a more holistic approach to assessing the suitability of education. The local authority can use the response to the questionnaire to inform their discussion with home educating parents and children.

As yet, it hasn't said whether completion of these questionnaires are compulsory or not, and I'll wait until I get to the Annex to see what they are actually asking for. Usually I advise people not to complete questionnaires, but write a brief report in your own words, where you can control what you say, and you keep a copy.

4.28

As part of these meetings, the local authority should ask to see examples of learning, to determine the suitability of the education provided. A variety of work both complete and incomplete to varying standards can be sought and discussed with the parents and child to learn about the child’s experience of learning. This all reflects learning and progress made by the child. 

So, this is full on monitoring of education, not simply a database to discover whether any child is missing education... <eyeroll and headshake>

4.34

The frequency of meetings with home educating families should be undertaken proportionately and based on the individual circumstances of each child. A meeting should take place at least once a year to ensure the suitability of education is maintained and that the child is considered to be making suitable progress. 

 So, it's up to the LAs and individual EHEOs whether they are going to allow parents to educate their children and meet once a year, or whether they are going to harass them and make them meet every 3 months or even more frequently!

4.37

The local authority should be reasonable and accommodating when arranging these meetings. However, if the local authority is not assured that: (a) there are genuine reasons for refusing a meeting; or (b) if a family has repeatedly cancelled or not shown up for a meeting; or (c) a family has refused without giving a good reason to allow their child to take part in meetings, then it will need to consider whether it can conclude a child is receiving a suitable education (see section 4.21).

Reiteration that parents no longer have a choice to keep things in writing, and that they cannot prevent the LA from meeting their child.

(Again, whilst I understand the Welsh Government's concerns because of what happened to Dylan Seabridge, he was already known and SS already have the necessary powers to see and rescue children.  Education and Welfare should not be conflated, as they have been here.)


Section 5 is all about School Attendance Orders etc.

5.3

In the absence of information that suggests that the child is being suitably educated and that the parents’ refusal to answer is for some unrelated reason, the only conclusion that the local authority can reasonably come to is that the home education does not appear to be suitable. 

Does this apply to the questionnaire that was mentioned in 4.27?  If a parent does not answer every question, will the LA assume that the education is unsuitable?

Section 6 is about Support for Home Education.

6.5

Some of the ways in which local authorities might choose to support home educating families include:  Developing a webpage on the local authority website specifically aimed at home education  Providing general advice  Allowing access to learning centre resources  Allowing access to school resources where feasible  Allowing access to examination centres where feasible  Facilitating access to any discounted rates for educational materials  Providing access to local authority owned community and sports facilities on the same basis as for school children  Informing home educating families of any projects or programmes which might reasonably be accessed by home educated children.  

"Might choose to support home educating families"??
"Allowing access to..."??
So some LAs might choose to disallow access??

The rest of section 6 seems quite sensible.  There may be some additional support that would be better, but there wasn't anything negative that I noticed at first glance.  (As I have said before, this is just my initial read-through of the document, and my accompanying thoughts.)

Section 7 is about Safeguarding and Home Education.  Don't you remember me saying education and welfare shouldn't be mixed? Hmph!

7.14

There is no evidence to suggest that home educated children are at greater risk of neglect or abuse than children who are educated at school. Home education is a positive experience for many children. However, schools and education settings play an important role in safeguarding children. They are places where children can be routinely seen and heard. It is important, therefore, that all children enjoy the right to be safe, regardless of how and where they receive their education.

And how many schooled-children are abused but the abuse gets missed because teachers are too busy writing reports and other bureaucratic nonsense, rather than spending time with the kids? (Not the teacher's fault, I will add!) And what about the schooled children that are abused and bullied at school, whether by students or perhaps teachers?

7.15

A parent’s decision to home educate is not in itself a ground for concern about the safety and well-being of the child. However, as with any child regardless of where they are educated, there may be circumstances which, individually or combined, give practitioners cause to seek further information about a child.

If HE is not "in itself a ground for concern", then it shouldn't be included in a sentence which alludes to "circumstances which individually... ...give practitioners" cause for concern.

7.16

Local authorities should approach all cases where the suitability of home education is in doubt using their powers in the Education Act 1996 (please refer to section 5), but they should also be prepared, if a lack of suitable education appears likely to impair a child’s development, to fully exercise their safeguarding powers and duties to protect the child’s well-being, which includes their suitable education.

And even if a HEing parent is struggling and needs help to provide their child a good education, just because there is a lack of education it does not follow that their welfare is a concern.  Education and welfare are different!

7.17 includes the sentence "Reasonable cause can include the lack of any substantive information about a child’s education" :(

7.19

‘Harm’ can include the impairment of health or development, which means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development, so the provision of unsuitable education clearly can amount to this. The causing of significant harm need not be intentional or deliberate, but case law indicates that it must be ‘considerable, noteworthy or important’. This is a key point for local authorities in considering whether the use of safeguarding powers is appropriate in a case relating to a child who is not receiving a suitable education. However, local authority staff should be clear that when the use of safeguarding powers is justified, they should be used. 

I don't disagree with this, but wonder how much the LA/Welsh government get involved with  schools that are harming their pupils?  I don't specifically mean schools that fail OFSTED, rather 'good' schools but that may be failing individual students.

7.23

There may be circumstances where a child has not had direct contact with public services for a significant period of time. This is not in itself evidence that a child is at risk of harm, but should make practitioners think about what further action they may need to take in discussion with the senior officer responsible for home education. There have, however been a number of cases where children out of contact with public services have been significantly harmed. There may be cases where there are grounds to report a safeguarding concern to Social Services when there is evidence to suggest that there has been no direct contact between a child and public services for a prolonged period. An All Wales Practice Guide will be made available to provide further advice and which is to be used in conjunction with forthcoming the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. 

Again, I can see the reflexive reasoning for this knee-jerk response.  However, essentially, it is saying that if your child is fit and well (so doesn't require visiting a GP for example) that may be grounds to suggest that there may be cause to report that family to SS.
With the requirement for all HE children to be seen at least annually, that should remove the need for this section.


Now I have come to the Annexes.
I confess, I cba to read through the flow-chart in detail from Annex 1.

Annex 2 is an initial contact letter.  Given that keeping everything in writing is no longer an option, you have to agree to a meeting.  What the letter doesn't say, however, is that you can choose to have the meeting in a different location (not your home), nor does it specify whether the attached questionnaire is optional.  It does say "it would be useful..." which implies it is not mandatory, but I think it would be better if it was totally open and honest.

Annex 3 is the Pre-Visit template for parents. i.e. the questionnaire.

It asks for the Learner's Current Knowledge and Skills, Learner's Development and Progress and the Learner's Goals and How they will be Achieved.  With each of these, there is potential for them becoming a stick to beat you with.

I always normally advise people to never talk in the future tense, or about specific goals you have.  It may be that you plan to learn XYZ, however, your child has suddenly got interested in ABC - should you force your child to continue with XYZ so that the LA is satisfied you are achieving your goals, or do you allow HE to have the flexibility that it should have, and allow your child to follow their interests and continue to love learning?

Development and Progress is a funny thing too.  Just like you can't see your child growing (whereas if there's a cousin/niece who you don't see as often you can see the comparison that they have grown), it is hard to see the child developing in front of you.  Progress - and by progress I'm assuming it means 'achievements' is easier to monitor, and demonstrate, but again, it means that you will always have to be documenting things, rather than enjoying the HE journey for what it is.

And as for Learner's Current Knowledge and Skills? Unless this is a simple C&P job where you take everything you wrote last time in Progress, and dump it in this box, cumulatively, of course, then what is it's purpose?

Then there's a load more bullshit boxes: Where does the education take place? Experiences. Opportunities for physical activities and play. Interactions. Resources.

The next question is my pet peeve - after asking who provides the education, it asks about DBS checks for tutors. SELF EMPLOYED TUTORS CANNOT GET ENHANCED DBS CHECK ON THEMSELVES!!!!

The final question seems a bit of a "how often do you beat your wife?" question - "Are you happy for us to contact you again, in line with the local authority policy document?" and if you mark 'No' then that will raise a red flag.

Annex 4a is the Pre-Visit Template for children (age 5-10) - and presumably the first test is whether the child can read and write themselves.  4b (for children aged 10-16) is a bit better, and at least because they are open-answer questions, the child can reply with a simple No, if they want.

Annex 5 is the LA Visit Report.

Annex 6 is the Annual Review Letter, with the same issues that I identified with Annex 2.

Annex 7 is the Annual Home Visit Template, which is very similar to Annex 5, but includes a space for the parent's signature.  At least it means that if the parent isn't happy about something that has been written, they won't sign it and should be able to get it amended.
I don't know how the two documents will work together, unless Annex 7 is what they write up with you, and Annex 5 is what they write up about you?

Annexes 8, 9 and 10 are all about serving notices and implementing SAOs, and I haven't read them through because I'm tired, and I know that if you're reading this, you care about your child's education so it won't be applicable to you, anway.

Welsh Consultation: Draft Statutory Guidance (1)

The Welsh Government has recently opened a new consultation that affects Home Education.  It opened on the 29th July, and runs until the 21st October. Click here.

Now, I am not Welsh, and don't know whether I'm allowed to complete the consultation or not.
However, I am opinionated and have this blog, so I might as well use it to go through the documents, in the hope it is useful to someone somewhere.  Before responding to the consultation, it would be worth taking some time to read other people's thoughts too before reply, but don't wait to long if you are happy to respond - based on the English consultation in April of this year, only early responders got invited to the face-to-face consultation meetings; I don't know if there will be the same approach in Wales?

Here are my thoughts about the introduction to this consultation.

So, here are my raw, unfiltered thoughts as I read through the Draft Statutory Guidance: 58 pages long.  Anything I C&P I'll colour RED. (Apologies if this is an issue for anyone who may be colourblind.  I'll try and make it obvious in text too by indenting.)

Overview

This document provides statutory guidance for local authorities on arrangements for identifying children of compulsory school age who are resident in their area, who are not on any maintained school roll, not in education other than at school (EOTAS), not on any independent school roll and not receiving a suitable education. 

As I said on my previous post on this topic, I would like to know the legal definition of the word 'and' because in my understanding this paragraph excludes home educators.

1.5

Home education is a key aspect of parental choice. Balanced with that choice is the expectation that local authorities can assess the effectiveness of parental provision to ensure it will cause the child to receive a suitable education. In order for a local authority to carry out that function, it is not unreasonable to ask parents to explain their approach. However, it is the parent’s approach and delivery that suitability should be judged against, not the national curriculum.

If suitability of education is assessed according to parent's approach and delivery, how can we be sure that they fully understand the different approaches of HE? For example, will a parent's word be sufficient, or will they have to see the child, or the child's work? What if the parent is unschooling, so there is no formal, and little written work? What if the child is advanced in knowledge (compared to school-aged peers) but behind in reading or writing? What guarantees do the parents have with regards to judging?

1.12

Children who are home educated are not required to follow the national curriculum or any other specified curriculum or meet criteria for the number of learning hours. The home education approach can be anywhere on a continuum from a formal, structured, schedule-based and mostly within the home environment, through to autonomous or child-led education. Moreover, it can vary over time and subject. For example, a child might move from a more autonomous approach when younger to one that is more structured for GCSEs (if the child chooses to sit them). Over the course of a year, home education may be more structured throughout the winter and more responsive to the weather or local opportunities during the summer. Some subjects like mathematics may be delivered with a structured approach, while others like history by an autonomous project. 

 As far as guidance goes, this is actually quite positive (but this is relative - much I've seen has been absolutely crap!.  I do worry, however, that by naming specific subjects, it encourages LAs to see them taught only that way.  For example, whilst I prefer to tutor maths using books (books are *my* preferred method of learning), it is perfectly possible to radically unschool maths.  The biggest thing against mathematics in this country is that many many people think maths *has* to look like how it was taught in school, which wasn't taught well, so they didn't understand, so they are now fearful of maths; whereas in reality, maths is all around us. Algebra is all around us. Trigonometry is all around us! It's not scary, it's just that people have been badly taught.

Section 2 is all about the legal side of HE and Human Rights of the child.  Most of it seems pretty straight forward.

2.12

The Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 will replace the current SEN framework and comes into effect from September 2020. 

Section 13 of the Act places the duty on a local authority, where it is brought to its attention or otherwise appears to it that a child has ALN, to decide whether the child has ALN. The duty is not specific to particular groups of children and would include those who are home educated. Under section 14 of the Act, if a local authority decides the child has ALN, it must prepare and maintain an individual development plan (IDP) for the child.

The last line of the ALNET (Wales) Act 2018 says that for all children with ALN there MUST be an IDP.  I'm not hugely knowledgeable of SEN tbh, but I know that some home educated parents are thankful for having EHCP, whereas others are desperate to get rid of it.  I can envision, therefore, that the 'must' might be an additional bind for HErs who are aware that their children have SEN but have the flexibility in their daily lives to cater for it without external intrusion.

2.14

Article 12 of the UNCRC provides a right for children to express their views and for due weight to be given to those views, in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. This does not, however, give children authority over parents. Local authorities, through their services supporting the participation of children, should consider how the individual and collective voices of home educated children can be heard. 

This bit caught my eye, because of the difference between it and the English consultation, which implied that HE children want to be in schools and are being forced to stay at home because of their evil parents.

2.18

Local authorities should note that the caveat in s.436A ‘so far as it is possible to do so’ should be interpreted as meaning the local authority should do all that is reasonable, practicable and appropriate to identify children. See section 5 for more information.

And we're back to that word 'and' again.  s.436A says about finding the identities of children not in school AND not receiving an education.  Since HE children are receiving an education, they should be excluded.

2.20

Scrutiny plays an important role in promoting continuous improvement in the way in which local authorities deliver their services to their communities. Local authorities should report to relevant scrutiny committees and elected members in relation to home education matters at least annually. Reports could include topics such as (but are not limited to):  numbers of home educated children and any identified trends  issues to consider  good practice  risk assessment  forward-planning  factors contributing to home education (SEN, perceived bullying, unmet need, avoiding prosecution for non-attendance, etc.). 

Hmmm... I do wonder why they want to know the numbers of HErs, and in turn why that requires the children to be on a database?  If they want to know numbers in order to spot failing schools (shouldn't OFSTED or the Welsh equivalent, if it's different spot that) that could be a good thing, but really if you had an anonymous survey that would do the job just as well.

2.21 and 2.22 seem to be good things.

2.23

In addition, it is expected that home education officers work closely with other departments in the local authority, such as the education welfare service (EWS) and EOTAS teams, to identify and support home educated children. The EWS and home education teams should work together to prevent de-registration where it is not a fully informed, voluntary choice. This will include acting as an intermediary between the school and the learners’ family to help resolve any differences impacting the learner’s education. Where a child has been de-registered, the local authority should meet with the family as soon as possible to determine the reasons for home education. Where appropriate, the local authority should assist the family in re-application for school places or EOTAS provision. 

This, otoh, has the potential to be much more worrying. To me this reads as if they clearly think that school is the best place for all children, and whilst they accept that some parents may choose to HE, in most cases this is the wrong decision and children should be re-registered in school as soon as possible.

Schools off-rolling and getting rid of problem students by tricking parents into HE is a problem, but the LAs need to work with schools and school-parents, rather than HE parents.
Additionally, many parents who initial deregistered because they felt they had no choice, realise after a few weeks or months that their child is so much calmer and eager to learn in a home environment, they they wish they never sent their child to school in the first place!  By persuading these parents to re-apply for school places immediately, mean their child could spend many more unhappy years in school and not learning to their full potential.

Section 2.28-2.32 deal with off-rolling in more detail.

2.33

If it appears to a local authority that a child is not receiving a suitable education they must serve a notice in writing on the parent requiring that parent satisfy them within the period specified in the notice (no less than 15 days), that the child is receiving such education. If the local authority is not satisfied, or in the absence of that information then they must issue the parent with a school attendance order (SAO) in respect of that child, which details the school the child should attend

What has happened to the first part, about making informal (or even formal) enquiries, before serving a notice?

3.4

Section 29 of the Children Act 2004 allows regulations to be made that will require local authorities to maintain and populate a database of compulsory school aged children in their area in order to assist them in identifying those who are not on a school roll, education otherwise than at school (EOTAS) register or independent school roll. 

Here they haven't even made the pretence of looking for children who are not receiving a suitable education! Comparing this to the 'overview' of the consultation, you can see they have omitted the most important proviso of the whole thing!  As a reminder, here's the overview again: "This document provides statutory guidance for local authorities on arrangements for identifying children of compulsory school age who are resident in their area, who are not on any maintained school roll, not in education other than at school (EOTAS), not on any independent school roll and not receiving a suitable education."

Also, it has been stated that the database itself isn't part of this consultation, and as such, these sections should not, imo, be included here.

3.5-3.14 talk a lot about sharing information, but hasn't gone into detail about how privacy will be respected and data protected.

The end of 3.15 says about truancy sweeps:

If professionals come across a home educated child, they will need to notify the relevant local authority. Home educating parents need to be made aware that professionals involved in truancy sweeps may need to verify any information given to them in these circumstances. 

Whilst the topic of issuing Home Education cards can be controversial, it may be sensible for parents of HE teens who may be without them to give their children at least a paper copy of the law (a summary, not the whole thing!) and their contact details, so sensitive children can feel prepared if confronted with truancy officers asking intrusive questions.

3.16

Sweeps may identify children who are not on a school roll and who may be from families who are reluctant or refuse to engage with statutory services. Truancy sweeps, when arranged appropriately, can therefore be a useful way of making contact with this group.

 As I'm going through these documents in order, I have not yet come across the part that says parents MUST engage with LAs (though I assume I may do when I get to the Handbook for HErs).  Additionally, it is interesting when you compare 3.15 and 3.16 that 3.15 talks about Home Educated children, and 3.16 talks about children not on a school roll - clearly the assumption is now that you are ONLY Home Educated if you agree for your children to be on this database and the LA knows about you.  Until then, you are this class-less (or maybe the underclass?) breed of children not on the school roll.

3.17

Local authorities should be cross referencing school admissions data with the live birth register to identify reception aged children not registered at a school. It is important that local authorities try to reach as many potential first admission learners as possible, and have data sharing agreements to facilitate cross checking of children entering statutory provision against partner databases (such as early years, child care teams and health). 

If the LAs are doing this, then surely they don't need the parents to inform them of their decision to HE?


Whew, this is hard going. I'll continue section 4-onwards in a new post: Click Here

Dev Haskell Private Investigator by Mike Faricy

I read this book on holiday last week.  Actually, that's not strictly true.  I read most of this book before I went on holiday.  On holiday, however, I did finish the book, and continue to read books 2-14 in the series!

These books centre around Dev Haskell, a PI who I guess to be late 30s/40s (it may have said, I can't remember, but that's how I imagine him).  He's a bit of a ladies man to say the least, but not successful in love at all.  He shares his office with his lawyer, Louis, and together they spend much of their time in the pub opposite.  That said, he does keep getting employed for short-term contracts, which inevitably end up not being as easy as expected and he sometimes ends up on the wrong side of the law.  Whilst there are adult themes and violence, this isn't actually heavy or gruesome, but very enjoyable and funny in places.

The blurb reads:

The FIRST in the Dev Haskell series, Russian Roulette is an entertaining tale of intrigue, rank ineptitude and one night stands. Dysfunctional Private Investigator, Dev Haskell wakes up in bed with his latest client only to learn she's signed him up with the Russian mob. Their 'special' relationship quickly finds Dev at odds with the local police and an FBI task force. In the process Dev is forced to place one foot on both sides of the law.

The books are a very easy read, perfect for when relaxing by the pool, and were gripping and interesting enough for me to keep wanting more. If you want a serious(ish) insight into the life of a PI, these books are probably not for you, but if you want an enjoyable romp, then get yourself a copy.  As I said, I did read books 1-14 in less than a week, and thoroughly enjoyed them; I have put the next books (15 onwards) on my wishlist so that when I do start buying books again, I can continue to read about Dev's escapades. What I particularly liked is that some characters keep making an appearance, not only FWB Heidi or Detective Manning, but Swindle Lawless, Donna and Luscious, bit-parts who play key roles in helping (and hindering) Dev as he endeavours to solve crimes without ending up in jail himself.

Welsh Consultation Introduction

The Wales Government (Welsh Assembly??) has recently opened a new consultation that affects Home Education.  It opened on the 29th July, and runs until the 21st October. Click here.

Now, I am not Welsh, and don't know whether I'm allowed to complete the consultation or not.
However, I am opinionated and have this blog, so I might as well use it to go through the documents, in the hope it is useful to someone somewhere.

So, here are my raw, unfiltered thoughts as I read through the first document: 10 pages long.  Anything I C&P I'll colour GREEN. (Apologies if this is an issue for anyone who may be colourblind.  I'll try and make it obvious in text too by indenting.)

Ways to respond:

The closing date for responses is 21 October 2019 and you can respond in any of the following ways: 

Email: Please complete the consultation response form and send it to: WELLBEINGshare@gov.wales 

WELLBEINGshare@llyw.cymru 

Please include ‘The home education consultation – WG35754’ in the subject line. 

Post: Please complete the consultation response form and send it to: The Home Education Guidance Consultation, Pupil Wellbeing Team Support for Learners Division, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ 

@WG_Education 

Facebook/EducationWales

Ministerial Forward
 "Although the action plan sets out how the school system in Wales will move forward over the next four years, the principles of providing the necessary support for children in schools – and the rights of all children to receive an education – should apply equally to those who are home educated"

This sounds ok at first reading, as long as they are not intending HE children to have to replicate schools.

Their Intention

Using existing powers found in section 29 of the Children Act 2004 the Welsh Government intends to make regulations requiring:  Local authorities to establish and maintain a database to assist them in identifying children not on any maintained schools roll, not on any education other than at school (EOTAS) roll, or independent school roll, and not receiving a suitable education.  Local health boards (LHBs) to disclose to local authorities specified, limited, non– clinical information about a child who is ordinarily resident in that local authority’s area.  Independent schools to share data on the pupils registered with them with the local authority. 

The first bullet point says "Local authorities to establish and maintain a database to assist them in identifying children not on any maintained schools roll, not on any education other than at school (EOTAS) roll, or independent school roll, and not receiving a suitable education."
Breaking this down, 1. they are stating their intent to establish and maintain a database; and 2. to discover people who are not (a) at maintained school, (b) EOTAS or (c) at independent school AND (d) receiving a suitable education.  As HE children are receiving a suitable education, this database should not be trying to find them (based on 2.) yet they, and all other children, will be included on 1.

The second bullet point says that LHBs (and I'm assuming by this GPs etc) will need to pass on information to LAs regarding children that attend (either their appointment, or presumably attending a parent's appointment) during school hours.

The third bullet point emphasises that all children will be put on this database.

The draft Children Act 2004 Database (Wales) Regulations 2020 and the Education (Information about Children in Independent Schools) (Wales) Regulations 2020 will provide the legal framework for these proposals. We will consult separately on the draft regulations

I'm guessing this "legal framework" covers things like data protection, privacy, GDPR etc? I don't understand why they would be consulting separately for them, as surely they impact this consultation?

1. Background And Context

Section 436A of the Education Act 1996(3) places a duty on local authorities to make arrangements to enable them to establish (so far as is possible to do so) the identities of children in their area who are of compulsory school age but:  are not registered pupils at a school, and  are not receiving suitable education otherwise. 

On 30 January 2018 the Cabinet Secretary for Education announced her intention(4) to use existing powers found in section 29 of the Children Act 2004 to make regulations to require local authorities to establish a database to assist them in identifying children not receiving a suitable education.

These regulations will be consulted on separately in the coming months. This consultation seeks views on the content and suitability of the statutory guidance issued under section 436A of the Education Act 1996 to support local authorities in arrangements to assess the suitability of education provided to home educated children. 

So, if I am reading this right (and I may not be - I am being distracted by DD2 watching episodes of SkyDen in order for at least the 4th time!), this consultation is not about the regulations to make a database of all kids.  Rather, this consultation is looking at the statutory guidance to assess the suitability of Home Ed.

Now, if a child is HE, they are receiving a suitable education, and as such they should not be put on a register/database. I have written before on my dislike for a HE register. Similarly, in order to assess the suitability of HE, that would require monitoring of HE which is currently beyond the law (but I'm guessing is what this statutory guidance is looking to change).

This consultation also seeks the views on the content and suitability of the package of support to home educators, including the handbook for home educators. The level of support for and access to services by home educators is inconsistent across local authorities. Home educators have indicated that they experience a disparity in terms of support to access universal services and benefits available between children and young people in mainstream education and those who are home educated. In developing these proposals we have considered how to strengthen the support available to home educators by clarifying referral pathways to education support and services, as well as universal and specialist support services.

 At first glance, this is a worthy reason for the consultation, though I am inclined to be skeptical based on my experience of LAs.

2. The Issues

Welsh local authorities are under a duty to make arrangements to identify children who are not receiving suitable education and who are not registered at school – this can include those children who are home educated as well as those children who are not being educated at all.

To me, it depends on what it means by 'and'.  As I'm from an engineering/mathematical/logical background, the 'and' implies both - ie ...identify children who are BOTH not receiving suitable education AND who are not registered at school.  Therefore, this would NOT include home educated children.
However, judging by the second half of the sentence, they mean 'and' to be 'or' - ie. ...identify children who are not receiving suitable education OR who are not registered at school.  Therefore, imo, they should also be collecting data on children who ARE in school AND are not receiving a suitable education.  I wonder how many Welsh parents would want to be able to comment and be consulted on the lack of education of their children, but assume this consultation is not for them?
As I don't know what it means by 'and' I would be interested to hear from any legal beagles about how this sentence should be interpreted.

Local authorities have repeatedly argued they have difficulty meeting this requirement as there is no duty on parents to ‘register’ they are home educating, and that they do not have the requisite powers to assess the education that home educated children receive.  

Because, obviously, parents cannot be trusted <eye roll>.  Again, I refer you to my argument against registration as to why this is bull.

I do understand that due to the recent case of Dylan Seabridge that the Welsh Government needs to look like it's doing something. However, chasing home educators, when that's an aside rather than the main problem is not the right thing.  According to this report in The Guardian "By the time of Dylan’s death, he and his sibling were known to the authorities but professionals believed they had no right to insist on seeing the youngsters." So there needs to be more training within LAs, SS and the like as to what their roles and responsibilities are.  If SS has a concern about the welfare of a child, they can ask for police assistance and get access to any property.  This article, from The Telegraph, states "Social services were warned about the health of an eight-year-old boy a year before he died of scurvy, a leaked report has revealed."

But back to the consultation...

Local authorities are of the opinion they require more legal powers to identify home educating families, make assessments of the education they are providing, and take action where necessary, for instance when a suitable education is not been provided, will enable them to discharge their legal duty.

How to identify HEing families? Ask them.
Why do they need to assess the education? It is wearying having the same old discussions and arguments all the time.  HE is not like schooled education.  Children grow and develop at different rates and different subjects.  "Assessing" education is meaningless, unless you intend to force age-based "standards" which leads to a curriculum and forced schooling for every child.
If there are (used to suggest and argument, when I'm 99% sure there is) children who are in school who are not being educated accurately, who can the parents complain to and how can they get the education sorted? Why doesn't the government ensure they discharge their legal duty by ensuring that all the children, of parents who have elected to use schools, receive a suitable education?

3. The Welsh Government Response to Issues Raised

However, there will be a small number of instances where this is not the case, which is why we are taking these steps in order to protect the rights of children and young people. 

What is the proof? How is this judged? If the 'success' of an education can only be judged based on outcomes at the end of the education, then regular assessment in the meanwhile is meaningless.

Non–statutory guidance was issued to local authorities in respect of home educated children in January 2017. However, local authorities have called for more robust guidance in terms of identifying children and young people not receiving a suitable education, and on assessing the suitability of home education. 

4. The Proposal

Draft Statutory Guidance

To support local authorities to identify children and young people not on a maintained school register, not in EOTAS, not on an independent school roll and not receiving a suitable education, we have developed statutory guidance.

So, because the government and agencies can't do their own jobs, they want to force the onus on HEing parents to do the job for them.
This is the main focus of this consultation.

Draft Handbook for Home Educators

The consultation will also look at the proposed handbook for HErs.

Home Education Database

The Welsh Government is currently undertaking an extensive scoping exercise with stakeholders to consider the requirements of the database, existing software available, and any practical or legal limitations. As a result, the regulations for the database will be consulted on later this year.

Good(ish) - clarification that the idea of a database of HErs is not in the scope of this consultation, but there will be a further consultation later in the year.

 5. Conclusion

The overriding priority of this approach is to support local authorities in ensuring that children and young people are receiving a suitable education and to clarify the position in relation to the existing levers already at their disposal.

This will reinforce the Welsh Government’s commitment to ensuring children and young people receive a suitable education, and that that all children in Wales are given the chance to thrive and fulfil their potential. 

So "supporting LAs" rather than supporting Parents, in order to help them educate and facilitate education to the best of their abilities.

Given that this first document was only the intro, and I managed to write a fair bit, I'll look at the other documents in different posts.  I'll try to remember to include links to people can easily jump from one to the next.

Link to the first half of my read-through of the guidance: Click Here.
Link to the second half of my read-through of the guidance: Click Here