Grit posted this: http://gritsday.blogspot.com/2009/06/warning-unplanned-life-ahead.html
about the recommendation in the Badman review regarding planning -
'At the time of registration parents/carers/guardians must provide a clear statement of their educational approach, intent and desired/planned outcomes for the child over the following twelve months.'
The funny thing was I've been meaning to write a post on this for ages... I started writing a reply so long thought I might as well write that post!
Several people have posted on this subject recently with negative reactions, often saying they don't and can't plan... But I see plenty of evidence of planning. Scheduled courses, that's planning! Watching a programme regularly - that's planning! Booking lessons in something - that's planning! Just because the impetus/request has come from the child (learner led - fabulous) doesn't mean it isn't a plan! I find my kids often come up with very detailed and intricate plans for stuff - it's their formulation, their topic - and yes, you guessed it, still a plan!
Planning doesn't mean not having the space for spontaneous stuff; beach if it's warm, aquarium if we can get money off tokens - is written into our planning...
Sorry. I'm trying to argue, honestly, its just... There seems to be such a negative connotation of the word 'plan' at the mo and really, it's just a description of what humans do.. Looking ahead... Considering options... We'd never have caught mammoths if we did have a didn't have an intrinsic instinct to plan, and co-operate...
I suppose I should admit that we plan. If I think about it, I like planning. It's very difficult to change your plan to suit the situation unless you have one in the first place. I like having shopping lists, a chores reminder list, planning Christmas presents, all that... We have regular family meetings where, essentially, we plan. It could be about where we want to go the next day, what behaviours everyone (and I do mean everyone - kids get to comment on Mum and Dad's behaviour!) needs to work on during the next week, or our next camping trip - everyone, adults as well as children, get valued, listened to input.
That sounds like I'm super organised, but I'm not - actually I'm dappy and scatty and absent minded, which is why shoving it down on paper appeals - then I don't have to worry about trying to remember what we did/what we discussed/what we decided to do!
Plans are what you make them. You don't want something like schools have - fine, don't have one! Have your plan as 'consulting with the children as to what topics and courses they wish to pursue and enriching with suggestions of books and other media accordingly'
If you don't want your aims and goals to be 'will be reading by 7th December at 12.45' then don't! have 'em as 'protect his current confidence in handling books, and be on hand to assist as required' (i.e., no pushing, just answer when asked 'hey mum, what does this word say' like we've done with Wig)
Job done!
Honestly, everyone plans. HEers who have decided to follow autonomy totally - that in itself is a plan. Even people who refuse to make decisions, like the Diceman - that in itself is a plan of action.
The definition of the word plan - along with imaginary planes and specific design instructions - is 'Formulated or organized method by which thing is to be done... way of proceeding' (The concise Oxford Dictionary)
Nowhere does it say that it's set in stone - no plan can be, there are so many variables that plans always have to adapt to changes in circumstance and this is specifically written in to good plans. Nowhere does it say that it has to be a certain way, nowhere does it say it has to be like another plan, like someone else's plans...
Now we come to the second bit of the recommendation I want to bring to your attention -
'Guidance should be issued to support parents in this task with an opportunity to meet local authority officers to discuss the planned approach to home education'
If anything gives you concern, it should be this bit - this is the bit that raises questions over whether there is a hidden agenda or set of criteria. Or not hidden exactly, more not spelt out yet. So I'll definitely wait and see on that bit... Although as ever I think it will come down to the individuals, the ones administering this...
Same as Health Visitors, Midwives, GPs - some you will click with and be like old friends, lots you will be able to have a workable professional relationship with without too much effort, a few you will just clash with. Which is when you have the complete legal right to request an alternative.
Don't panic boys! I've got a plan!
(In case anyone's baffled over my choice of vid, I was actually after just a straight clip of the Self Preservation Society from the Italian Job when I fell across this AWESOME video - being a die hard Dr Who fan I naturally couldn't resist - enjoy!)
Only One Way
2 hours ago
6 comments:
We do plan some things - we quite like plans. My kids plans belong to them, though, or are jointly owned with the people they are collaborating with. I don't always know about them, so why should some LA bod?
They are also not plans in the sense that Badman imagines, I am sure. This is because he *then* says,
"desired/planned outcomes for the child."
That gives the whole thing away, IMO. Badman sees education as something you do with the purpose of producing measurable effects in the child - the subject of the education. I see the whole thing in a very different way.
Yes, you're right, there's nothing wrong with plans, but this is not the point when it comes to the Badman report. Like most things in life, what we choose to do for ourselves can be transformed when they become a stipulation of those in authority. The whole thing becomes an exercise in jumping through hoops.
you are good to find the positive side and of course you are right; we plan!
the kids enrol on courses, after school clubs, workshops; i keep a diary and i also review what we do so i can assess where we are and where we go from here. if i didn't do those things i would mentally crack up.
none of what i do is informed by the national curriculum; i scarcely look at it. i planned a series for geology and chemistry and i doubt they are much in the NC for the age group we are.
but i worry that whoever would like to come and 'advise' us or 'guide' us on our 'plans' will use the NC as their prime source of ideas on what kids 'should' be learning. otherwise how can the LA do their recommended job of applying 'minimum standards' across counties.
i fear ex-head teacher Mr X won't assess my vague plan of 'find a geology meeting' as sufficient when set against his NC brain.
but that's what my plan is. i cannot tell anyone where or when i'll find that group of experts in a field, but i'm 100% confident that i will, and that it will lead onto other opportunities i didn't know existed when we began.
but you are right; there needs to be a positive way round of looking at these things, otherwise i will sink into a deep pit of negativity!
Also, what happens if you make your plans, book your lessons etc, and the child decides they don't want to do it? Or they attend a couple of the lessons, and then lose interest, decide it's not for them, or just don't want to go anymore for whatever reason? Do you force them to attend because you have written it in your plan presented to the LA, and they will be checking up on it at the end of the year - or do you continue staying true to an autonomous, child-led philosophy, and allow them to come out, do something else, or simply rest if that is what's needed at the time? Because if you choose the latter, you stand a very real chance of being refused permission to continue home educating by the LA official who will be checking.
That is why it's wrong for the LA to ask for plans - firstly why on earth should be provide them, when schools are not expected to - and secondly, it is a breach of the Human Rights Act for a Govt not to allow parents to educate their children according to their own philosophical convictions. Asking for plans, and then checking for progress against those plans the next year, goes against the entire ethos of autonomous education.
Sadly your plan will have to be approved by the LA which means any plan that boils down to "continue to AE" is likely to be rejected. Unless you are VERY lucky, have a really good EHE inspector and the DCSF doesn't include a list of compulsory requirements, you're going to be forced to include 'outcomes' against which your child can be tested.
What you call planning really isn't anything like what Badman means by the word. It's the same as the ECM outcomes, they give simple common words a totally different meaning and count on the public to take them at face value.
I know, hon, I'm in the US, not the UK, but here's the thing (which I think I've touched on before, somewhere, that you may have read; it may even have been in a comment I left here *bemused*): in the US there is no Federal mandate on homeschooling -- it's a state's rights issue, thus, every state has made their own laws. It is legal in every state, but the variations are pretty striking. So. In some (many? I don't know for certain) one must submit for approval a curriculum for each homeschooling child at the start of every (public school) academic year. And at the end of the year, assessments of the child(ren) are required. Proof that the goals of the curriculum were adequately met. In some areas, this is done through the public schools (the free, government schools), homeschooling being seen (legally) as an adjunct of public schooling. In other states, homeschooling is seen as being a completely separate educational option, like private or public schools.
I'm not going to say where I live, but I am very glad that where I do, we don't have to submit curriculums for approval. We do enter a legally binding contract with the state, however. And within that we agree to certain things. Erm. Basically to educate our children :-) But how it all plays out is up to us, and there are no assessments.
For me, that's key. One of the reasons I homeschool is because I don't want an outside body (i.e. the government) approving or rejecting the plans and methods I have for my children. I feel very strongly about this, actually: simply put, I refuse to turn them over to the state. My children belong to God; and the raising of them is my responsibility, not the state's. That freedom, not unlike the freedom to birth where I will, is of utmost importance to me.
So, yes, we all (I'll wager) plan; it's the outside yea or nay that's the issue. What can (and has, here in the US) happen then is that parents are told, 'no, you're plan isn't good enough -- change it or send the kids to school'; 'no, the children are not achieving as they ought, send them to school.'
Generally, matters have improved dramatically over that last, oh, I'd say 25 years. But specifically, as I mentioned previously, there are certain state's I simply wouldn't move to, because of their homeschooling laws.
Chatty today, aren't I?!
~ Ellie
thank you so much for all your comments! It's been tough to connect on my laptop for a while and I was thrilled to find so much comment and discussion!
Allie 'My kids plans belong to them, though, or are jointly owned with the people they are collaborating with. I don't always know about them, so why should some LA bod?' interesting point.
I guess we all kinda live in each other's pockets in this family... the kids rush round to grandmas/aunts/the library to tell all and sundry all sorts of details!
Debs - 'Also, what happens if you make your plans, book your lessons etc, and the child decides they don't want to do it?' This has happened, we've been totally open about it and why we went with it (part of our child led philospy etc etc), it didn't occur to me to worry about being open about it, and there was no negative response from our LA Home Ed lady whatsoever.
Firebird - 'What you call planning really isn't anything like what Badman means by the word.' untill Badman submits an example plan, I don't see that we can say this although I can see why you've come to that conclusion.
Ellie - 'What can (and has, here in the US) happen then is that parents are told, 'no, you're plan isn't good enough -- change it or send the kids to school'; 'no, the children are not achieving as they ought, send them to school.'
I guess I'll have to wait and see... that is worrying. However, maybe I'm just lucky, but so far I've found our Local Authority helpful and reasonable and the visiting lady lovely... We shall see what kind of regulations they have to follow in the future and what that means..
I think what I was trying to say, in the end, is that many people seem to be reacting against the idea of planning AT ALL, and the very mention of the word plan.
As I already stated, 'Guidance should be issued to support parents in this task with an opportunity to meet local authority officers to discuss the planned approach to home education'
that bit is potentially worrying, but not (in my opinion) the general idea of a plan.
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