‘Forced schooling’ does more harm than good, a former teacher of the year claims. Henry Hepburn reports

Schools peddle an elaborate form of social control which “stupefies” children, according to a man once named one of the United States’s best teachers. He described teachers as “stooges” for a social elite which infantilised children to maintain its own supremacy, turning pupils into “spoiled fruit”.

John Taylor Gatto, who made his radical observations at an international conference organised by the Schoolhouse Home Education Assocation in Arbroath, was named New York State teacher of the year in 1991. In the same year, he wrote a letter announcing his retirement to the Wall Street Journal, stating that he no longer wished to “hurt kids to make a living”.

Since then, he has written several books denouncing schools, including Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling and the soon-to-be-published Weapons of Mass Instruction.

During a keynote speech lasting two-and-a-half hours, Mr Gatto traced an inglorious history of “forced schooling”. Schools, he explained, continued the “elaborate system of social control” espoused by Thomas Hobbes in his book Leviathan, in which the 17th-century philosopher predicted that humans would descend into war unless they ceded rights to a protective sovereign authority.

More of the story…

MEMBERS of Arbroath Abbey Timethemes had a busy three days at the weekend during which the group was in action at Arbroath Abbey and at the famous crowning place of the Scottish Kings, Scone Palace in Perthshire.

Director Dr Richard Irvine explained: "On Friday afternoon we had the pleasure of providing a guard of honour for the guests of the Angus and Dundee Roots Festival.

"On Saturday, we provided a fitting climax to the ‘Learning without Limits’ conference being held in the town by the home education organisation Schoolhouse.

"Delegates, including children, were able to talk to a range of famous medieval characters including King Robert the Bruce and Abbot Bernard, before supporters signed a ‘Declaration of Freedom in Education’ to mark International Freedom in Education Day 2008, echoing the principles of the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath.

"Improved understanding of Scottish history is a key part of Timethemes’ activities, whether it be in school, out-of-school or in a life-long learning setting."

The Declaration of Freedom in Education is handed over at Arbroath Abbey. Pictured are, from left - Ken Lonie, John Taylor Gatto, Alison Preuss and Richard Irvine.

More of the story,
click image

BECOMING a home educator was a steep learning curve for me. Having suffered agonies with my daughter due to school-related problems and the system’s failure to accommodate her needs, I had no choice but to take back personal responsibility for her education.

It was not easy, having been badly misinformed by the council before finding reliable support from Schoolhouse, which provides information and support for those educating their children at home.

Not many parents know this, but the Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act 2000 requires local authorities to ensure the schooling they provide is "directed to the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of the child or young person to their fullest potential", and the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 entitles children to additional support where required. Under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, children have the right to have their views taken into account too.

Too often, these legal obligations are not met by authorities and children are left unsupported and vulnerable in a system which routinely ignores or denies problems and even accepts bullying as a ‘normal’ part of school life.

More of the story…

A celebration of choice, diversity and freedom in education

This weekend long event is hosted by Scotland’s national home education support organisation, Schoolhouse, and part funded by Awards for All, to mark International Freedom in Education Day 2008.

A one day formal conference on Friday 12th will focus on the broad theme of freeing education from the constraints of traditional schooling and will run in parallel with a weekend programme of family orientated arts and heritage activities in the home of the famous Declaration of Arbroath.

Full programme of events, prices and travel/accommodation information now available.

http://www.schoolhouse.org.uk/conference/index.html

John Talor Gatto will be speaking on the Friday at the formal conference and and will deliver a second presentation in a family-friendly setting on the Saturday.

Local charity Angus Arts have designed an exciting range of arts and heritage activities for all ages - far too much to fit in here so please visit the website!

We also plan to have a traditional Scottish ceilidh evening on the Saturday evening.

ok4me2 is the LFN site, providing news and resources on Arts and Culture, Science and Technology and multiple other topics, as well. It’s purpose is to support learners interested in any of the many topics covered.

More about this,
click logo

On behalf of the Schoolhouse Management Committee, I am delighted to confirm that we are going ahead with our planned conference to celebrate International Freedom in Education Day. The event will take place in Arbroath, Angus, over the weekend of 12th/13th/14th September 2008.

We are all especially delighted to announce that John Taylor Gatto has agreed to be our keynote speaker, with other speakers to be confirmed shortly.

A formal conference for individuals and public, private and voluntary sector representatives will run alongside a more family orientated gathering on the Friday, while an informal conference for families and interested individuals
will run throughout Saturday and on Sunday morning.

We will be teaming up with local charity Angus Arts (run by home educators) to put together an exciting and varied programme of activities. We also hope to secure assistance from members of the Arbroath Pageant
Society to cover the historical perspective.

Coincidentally, today (6 April) happens to be the 688th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration
of Arbroath.

"Given at Arbroath Abbey on the sixth day of April AD 1320, the Declaration
of Arbroath was seminal in its eloquent plea for the liberty of man. It
affirmed Scotland’s Nobles’ allegiance to Robert the Bruce as their king and
declared the right of the Scottish nation to self-determination. This
created a tradition in the Scottish understanding of rights which reached
its peak in the Scottish Enlightenment, and the philosophers of the
eighteenth century who set the tone for our modern understanding of human
rights. Many now see it as a precursor to the US Constitution and the UN
Declaration of Human Rights."
http://www.angusahead.com/VisitAngus/AboutAngus/History.asp

All who have already expressed an interest in attending the conference will be sent full details as soon as they are available. We would ask you to please bear with us a little longer while these are finalised as we have
only just received confirmation of the required top-up funding for this event and there is still some number crunching to do.

Please email media@schoolhouse.org.uk if you wish to be added to the mailing list for updates.

We look forward to welcoming home educators and all those with an interest
in education to this international celebration of diversity and freedom in
education.

Alison
for the Schoolhouse Management Committee

Relevant sections of The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 Section 28(1) of the Act states: In the exercise and performance of their powers and duties under this Act the Secretary of State and education authorities shall have general regard to the principle that, so far as is compatible with the provision of suitable instruction and training and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure, pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents. Section 30 of the Act states: It shall be the duty of the parent of every child of school age to provide efficient education for him suitable to his age, ability and aptitude either by causing him to attend a public school regularly or by other means. Section 35(1) of the Act states: Where a child of school age who has attended a public school on one or more occasions fails without reasonable excuse to attend regularly at the said school, then, unless the education authority have consented to the withdrawal of the child from the school (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), his parent shall be guilty of an offence against this section. As is clear from the above provisions within the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, parents are legally entitled to educate their children outwith school. This is a right, not a privilege, and the law applies equally to everyone.

The Scottish Government Education Directorate issued revised Statutory Guidance on home education on 10 January 2008 which sets out the respective roles and responsibilities of parents, children and education authorities.

You can read the Guidance online here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/17133313/0

Also available to download here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/17133313/11

New guidelines from the Scottish Government should make it easier to withdraw pupils from school to be educated at home.

Ministers recommend a six-week deadline for local authorities to decide whether a child can be taken out of mainstream education.

Parents who teach their children want the period shortened to two weeks.

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) has expressed concerns about adequate monitoring of home education.

Home educators said they had faced prejudice and an entrenched lack of understanding from some of the local authorities.

They said children flourished as a result of a more flexible approach to teaching.

Home educators have said that they faced prejudice.

More of the story,
click image

Scotland Schoolhouse Home Education Association

…information and support to parents/carers throughout Scotland who seek to take personal responsibility for the education of their children, families who have chosen, or are contemplating home-based education; and those who wish to safeguard the right of families to educate in accordance with their own philosophy and with due regard to the wishes and feelings of their children.