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

Weekly Update No32

I did put on weight on holiday - about half a stone.  But the holiday was really good, and I didn't eat ridiculously, just spent a lot of time laying down reading.  Even when in the pool, apart from when I was taking part in 'Aquagym', the pool was too crowded to do any swimming, and my girls just wanted to play and splash about.

I have lost weight since I returned last Wednesday, however that was because of two unfortunate incidents.
Firstly, on the Thursday, I was struck down with a 24hour tummy bug - actually, both the girls were ill as well as me - so I didn't eat anything for that day, other than drinking plenty of water and I ate some toast when I was finally starting to even contemplate food again.

Then, yesterday, I was struck by crippling stomach pain again. About lunchtime, despite not having eaten anything, I became 'aware' of my stomach. My husband suggested it might be because I was hungry. We went out for lunch and I ate a delicious salad, but couldn't finish it, as my stomach was hurting.  All afternoon I was uncomfortable and the pain was getting worse.  By bed-time I took some paracetamol, but couldn't sleep because of the pain and discomfort.  I saw 2am come and go before I finally managed to get some rest. After the previous occurrence in April, I did make an appointment with the doctor.  He agreed with my assessment that it was likely to be either gallstones or a stomach ulcer, and he referred to to have an ultrasound.  If that came up clear, I would need to be referred for an endoscopy.  The ultrasound was clear, so it's unlikely to be gallstones, but I've yet been unable to get to see a GP to be get the next referral.I have even tried getting a phone appointment and been unsuccessful.  I thought (naively hoped) that maybe the pain would miraculously have stopped, so I didn't pursue it as much as I could have, but then last night the pain returned. Ouch.

Looking on the positive side, I have lost most of the weight I had put on over the holiday.
I feel like I can't plan meals too far ahead because we might be going camping next week.  We often go to the same place at the end of August, but we haven't booked yet.  I do have smoothies in the fridge, so will get back to drinking those, and try to only drink a portion at a time, rather than a whole bottle...

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I was lent this book by a friend months and months ago <blush> and finally got around to reading it whilst on holiday last week.  Born a Crime follows the story of Trevor Noah's childhood, having been born as mixed race in South Africa during Apartheid.

The write-up says:

One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents' indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother - a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.
Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah's own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read. 

The book is hugely funny and scary (because of it's truth) in equal measure. As someone who is privileged for growing white in the UK, it's shocking to read of what others grow up and experience as 'normal' in other parts of the world, within my lifetime.

The only criticism of this book I had, and it's just a personal thing, is that knowing him (ok, about him) as a stand-up now, I would like to have read about his transition from the teenager in South Africa getting up to high jinx to the popular comedian on prime time TV in the US.  That said, he could be purposely saving that for a sequel - I know I would want to read it.

Redcoats in the Buff

So last night, my husband and I had a night off from the kids, and went to see Mikron's show Redcoats.  Hailed by Ox in a Box that it was a "UK First", that's actually not true, as audiences were able to see the musical Hair when nude, back in 2017.  The fact it was a naturist event wasn't the reason we didn't take the kids as you know we love our Butlin's holidays! (I've spoken before about children and naturism), rather that it was in a gin distillery and I wanted to enjoy myself!


The show was fantastic!  The story followed Lynn, a lady who had been a Redcoat for 50years and was busy rehearsing (or trying to!) for her final show before she retires.  Unfortunately for her, the other characters, technician Terrence, Redcoat Barry and marketing-guru Destiny, have made some "tweaks" to her script.  The story goes through the history of how Billy Butlin started his holiday empire, and what Butlin's means to both Redcoats and holidaymakers who attend.  There is a good mix of laugh-out-loud humour, and more poignant moments, such as during the war.
My only criticism was when Terrence (aka @leccybaker123) says that his cakes get more follows/likes (or whatever - I don't insta) than sprockets and flanges.  Now, if he were a leccy, then he'd know that nobody cares about sprockets and flanges, but post a pic of a transistor or capacitor - whew, now I'm interested! lol

I often find shows with smaller casts have to try really hard to keep the audience's attention, but that was no problem for this crew.  The four actors are all brilliant singers and amazing musicians, swapping between various instruments (guitar, ukulele, violin, cello, saxophone, accordion and percussion) with ease, as well as portraying the characters very believably.
TBH, given some of the interesting tribute acts I've seen at Butlin's, this would be a good addition to the holiday parks; maybe not every year, but for anniversaries, or even every 5 years, this would be an amusing and interesting show.

I had not heard of Mikron before this, but I would recommend them.
And if Butlin's isn't your thing - they are also currently touring a show about The Wrens.

Enjoy Your Prayer Live by Michael Reeves

I was given a copy of Enjoy Your Prayer Life for free by my church, as a summer read.  Then at the end of August, there will be a Church BBQ where we can sit and discuss what we have learned, what has struck us and how we have changed since reading it.

The blurb says:

Sadly, most of us struggle to set aside time to pray. But, fear not, this is not another book that will pile on the guilt, simply saying pray better and more often. Instead, Michael Reeves shows us not only why prayer is so essential, but also how we can enjoy it too.Taking his cue from Calvin's definition that prayer is the chief exercise of faith,' Reeves helps us understand that prayer should be a natural expression of our faith. Just as faith is awakened as we grasp the wonders of the gospel, so prayer follows as our hearts respond to these glorious truths. Enjoy your prayer life is a delightful read; and as you turn the pages, it'll show you that prayer doesn't have to be a duty to be performed, but is rather a gift to be enjoyed.

The book is organised into 14 chapters of a few pages each, it is very easy to read but challenging and thought-provoking enough for a strong Christian to gain something from the book. 

I, otoh, don't consider myself a strong Christian, and my prayer life is lacking at many times.  This book was just what I needed right now, specifically that we shouldn't think of prayer as something we "do", but actually prayer is how we live our lives. Prayer is something that does not come naturally to me, at least, but through prayer the Holy Spirit can draw us closer to God, as we look to imitate Jesus' relationship with the Father.

So would I recommend this book? Yes, I would to anybody who wants to understand prayer deeper, but in simple, coherent language.  Though the book could be read easily in 30min, I took my time and read 2 chapters a day whilst on holiday, as that gave me time to reflect and put into practice what was being said.  Even reading one chapter a day for a fortnight would only take a minute or two, but could enrich your life greatly.