Sunday 4 July 2010

The Swedish model

It was, to say the least of it, unfortunate that Michael Gove should have chosen to announce his 'free schools' initiative and trumpet the wonders of the scheme as it works in Sweden, only a few days before the Swedes began moves to abolish home education in their country. It goes without saying that many home educating parents in this country smelt a rat and saw the introduction of free schools as the beginning of the end for British home education. There are no coincidences in Home Education Land and it wasn't long before conspiracy theorists were seeing a sinister pattern. Here's how the theory works out.

The Swedes have free schools which seem to do very well. They also grudgingly allow home education. Then they introduce a law which simultaneously outlaws home education for philosophical or religious reasons and also imposes a state approved curriculum in all schools. Could this be the shape of things to come in this country?

One can see why some home educators might be getting a little twitchy about this sequences of events. Here's the Education Secretary in this country shooting his mouth off about how wonderful Sweden's educational system is and then a few days later their parliament approves a law which effectively bans home education. As if this was not enough, the case of Dominic Johansson also came back into public awareness at pretty much the same time. I am a little dubious about this case. The more we learn about it, the more it seems that the Swedish authorities were acting in the best interest of the child. I think that the Johansson case is really a bit of a red herring; nothing to do with home education in fact.

So what is it about the whole free schools thing that some home educating parents find a little alarming? It seems that the suspicion is that some home educating parents, probably the more structured, organised and middle class ones, will take the opportunity to set up such schools. After a while, more home educated children might be enrolled in free schools and the number actually learning at home could dwindle. This could be a chance for a new government to start trying to discourage the practice and perhaps imposing new restrictions. And then, as we have seen in Sweden, there is nothing to stop a government imposing a very detailed and prescriptive curriculum on the free schools, something a bit like the National Curriculum. In Sweden from now on, every child will be compelled to learn precisely what the government dictates. This will be the case whether they are at a state school or one of the soc-called free schools.

I have to say, I don't see this scenario as being very likely. To begin with, the number of parents who will be setting up schools here is likely to be very tiny indeed. I doubt that many of those who have expressed interest in this scheme will get past even the first stage of the process. Any new schools which are set up are far more likely to be run by charities or churches than they are by groups of parents. Besides, I can't see the government being willing to fund a places like Summerhill. If they do give out taxpayers' money, it will only be to schools which are providing teaching and will have measurable outcomes. I think that might just rule out most autonomous educators right from the start. Secondly, I have never felt that anybody in either this administration or the last is actually opposed to home education. True, there is an uneasiness about some aspects of it and a feeling that new regulations are needed, but I honestly don't think anybody wants to ban it. This is in stark contrast to Sweden, where the practice has always been discouraged and home educators have been viewed as being dangerous cranks.

Personally, I can't see that the free school thing is going to make any difference at all to home education in this country. I suppose that one or two groups of home educators might get it together to start schools, but I find even that pretty unlikely. I certainly don't think that home education is going to be squeezed out of existence by all these new schools and that after a time some new government will begin acting like Sweden.

13 comments:

  1. Old Simon says-Secondly, I have never felt that anybody in either this administration or the last is actually opposed to home education. True, there is an uneasiness about some aspects of it and a feeling that new regulations are needed, but I honestly don't think anybody wants to ban it.

    That is not true Balls?Badman wanted to ban it by making it much harder to home educate many hoops to go though before you are allowed to home educate thus puting off many people.Balls himself said he would not home educate and states that school is best for all children.

    of course now that Balls/labour have lost the election they are no plans by the new Tory/liberal government to regulate home education? M.Gove puting forward a new education act to the house but they is NO mention of home education! and with the deep cuts in the education budget it means that home education is safe for many years is that not good news Simon? did you see the deep cuts in the school building programme? no government or council is going to waste money on a bunch of home educators we in a very strong postion now and can do as we like!

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  2. "I can't see the government being willing to fund a places like Summerhill. If they do give out taxpayers' money, it will only be to schools which are providing teaching and will have measurable outcomes."

    Summerhill does provide teaching, and have measurable outcomes.

    I think that might just rule out most autonomous educators right from the start."

    Do you *still* think that autonomous educators don't provide teaching? And that autonomously educated children don't have measurable outcomes?

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  3. "Summerhill does provide teaching"

    It does, but attendance at lessons always used to be voluntary. Perhaps things have changed. I mentioned Summerhill becuae many unstructured home educators in this country found inspiration from it.

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  4. "I am a little dubious about this case. The more we learn about it, the more it seems that the Swedish authorities were acting in the best interest of the child. I think that the Johansson case is really a bit of a red herring;"

    I would be interested in hearing any evidence aside from vaccinations and a couple of cavities. If this were the level of criteria for taking children into care, I suspect more children would be in care than with their parents.

    "Any new schools which are set up are far more likely to be run by charities or churches than they are by groups of parents. Besides, I can't see the government being willing to fund a places like Summerhill. If they do give out taxpayers' money, it will only be to schools which are providing teaching and will have measurable outcomes. I think that might just rule out most autonomous educators right from the start."

    Part of the fear behind the new initiative is that it may drive smaller private schools out of business and reduce choice. Most schools would then be under state control (I don't see them putting their favourite schools like Eton at risk - otherwise their darlings would be in the same schools as the hoi palloi) and there would be nothing to stop them removing the 'free' from free schools and making them all follow a future NC or any regime they can get away with once this has happened.

    If free schools are initially allowed to offer alternative styles of education, alternative enough to attract parents from fee paying alternative schools and home education to a free, state provided provision, you can see how this might work... Private schools for the lower middle classes and home education would shrink is size and be much easier to put a stop to at some point in future. Sweden had little trouble in this regard partly because there are so few home educators there. Now they have banned it and introduced a NC. Do they still count as free schools? Do they have a private school system alongside state provision?

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  5. I am a little surprised that you think the Johansson case is a red herring. Have you checked out www.domenicjohansson.com and read some of the background? The Swedish social workers were actually interviewed a week before they snatched him and in the interview they were talking about how they were intervening to see that he had the opportunity to attend government schools! That seems to be the most telling interview. In it they mentioned no abuse, it was about them trying to get him in the government schools. Also, with such a public outcry, one would think that if they had some documented abuse, they would have brought it to light by now.

    I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this--

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  6. I don't hink that there was any suggestion of abuse. I'm actually planning to do a post on this for tomorrow, as the case seems to be generating a lot of interest.

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  7. They are NO New laws being brought forward for parliament to do with home education? you lost Simon home educators won we defeated you and your mate balls/Badman. your a loser!

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  8. "To begin with, the number of parents who will be setting up schools here is likely to be very tiny indeed. I doubt that many of those who have expressed interest in this scheme will get past even the first stage of the process."

    What makes you think these schools will be limited to those set up by parents? Over 700 *groups* have expressed an interest in starting schools - half of them are teachers. Private companies and charities are free to open and run free schools. Yes, I agree with you that not many parents will set up these schools (who wants that much hassle for a few years of your child's education), but plenty may be set up in such a way as to attract those who currently home educate because they do not like state schools but cannot afford private schools - those not against schools in principle. There is money to be made so they will want to attract customers.

    In principle I'm not against this - I would much prefer people who prefer schools to be able to find a school that they think suits their children. However, the state funded nature of these free schools will make it especially easy for the state to take them back into the fold at some point in the future as policies and governments change. In the mean time, smaller poorer private schools will close and home education may shrink to a more manageable level (from the point of view of government), with the ultimate risk that choice will be reduced.

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  9. "What makes you think these schools will be limited to those set up by parents? Over 700 *groups* have expressed an interest in starting schools "

    Yes, that's what I said above:

    "Any new schools which are set up are far more likely to be run by charities or churches than they are by groups of parents."

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  10. Sorry, missed that through skim reading. Can you not see that it doesn't really matter who sets up the schools for them to affect HE and private education? Any free school must attract support from parents in order to gain permission to start (and presumably to continue running) so they will have to attract customers by providing what the customer wants. There are plenty of parents out there who want school but not state schools, both home educating parents and those scrimping and saving to afford private schools. It's inevitable the HE numbers and private schools will reduce as a direct result of new free schools opening. These parents are the ones who feel strongly enough about state schools to search out alternatives so they will be first in line for acceptable free alternatives that are likely to be marketed with them in mind.

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  11. Simon, to learn more about the Johansson case, simply read the recently filed application to the European Court of Human Rights. Go here: http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/JohanssonApplication.pdf

    Also, as another has previously noted above, in an article from June 2009 on the Swedish website, Hello Gotland, chair of Sweden's department of Children and Education Lena Celion made it perfectly clear that Annie and Christer's parental right to manage the education of their child was not to be granted. Instead, Celion said it is Domenic's right to be enrolled in school, and the municipality is exercising its duty by forcing the family to enroll the boy, even though the family clearly communicated their intentions to leave the country. In the article Celion said, "It's his right. We are doing this for the boy's sake." You can read the article here: http://www.helagotland.se/nyheter/artikel.aspx?ArticleId=5350456 Use Google Translate, if need be. There has never been any other substantiated allegations of abuse or neglect against the Johanssons. They've never been charged with a crime. Instead, the Swedes are holding this family up as an example to any other Swede who may dare to buck the state system. I weep for this family.

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  12. Yes, I have read all this. I have posted a piece about this today, from a slightly different angle, ignoring the home education aspect.

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  13. Yes, a malicious, gossip aspect.

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