I haven't got time to write much, and Panopticon said it all very well anyway, but just to quote you from today's piece in the Indie:
Vijay Patel, policy adviser for the NSPCC children's charity, also sees the need for a review. "Some people use home education to hide. Look at the Victoria Climbié case. No one asked where she was at school. We have no view about home education, but we do know that to find out about abuse someone has to know about the child."
How low can you go? We've already got your public admittance that "We.. the inf.. We don’t have the evidence there statistically, no." and now you want to talk about Victoria Climbié in relation to us?
Just.. don't.
She wasn't home educated. Every agency failed her, including - perhaps especially - your own. She was a real live person who needs to rest in peace now, not be exhumed everytime one of you wants to dangerously extend your power base.
There are calls for your resignation from various quarters. At the very least, we need a public apology. Can't you just behave yourself?
The first link on the NSPCC website is to express concern about a child. What if we all expressed our concern about children (and their parents), belonging to a legally recognized minority group, who are being bullied and persecuted - by govt supported by NSPCC in a very damaging and unlawful way?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that would be reason for a consultation? Into abuse of children, abuse of taxpayers money... etc
I would think so Mieke, in a sane world.
ReplyDeleteJust about to switch on Radio 4 for the PM programme, starring our no.1 fan Tony Mooney and the fabulous Shena, home educating mum.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Gill just listened to Mooneys prejudices
ReplyDeleteHe's great, isn't he? Should be in pantomime. Going to start transcribing it in a sec.
ReplyDeleteGuess Mr. Vijay is working for his pay. Not having "the evidence there statistically, no" he did what any yesmen employed by gov't will do: fabricate it. The evidence, that is. Hence, Victoria's case linked to HE. Et voila! The evidence is gathering now...
ReplyDeleteIs this guy's nickname Macchiavelli, by any chance?
"The Victoria Climbié Foundation UK is genuinely concerned about the link being made between Victoria Climbié and home education, and Victoria as a hidden child. Victoria was neither home-educated nor hidden."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.victoria-climbie.org.uk/
Ha! Stick that in yer pipe and smoke it Vijay!
I've tried to post a comment to The Independent quoting the Victoria Climbié Foundation UK, but they won't allow it... Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I've tried several times in different ways and can't get through. Anybody else cares to try?
ReplyDeleteI e-mailed them and there's a problem with the comments being blocked on that story. They said they'd get it looked into and let me know when the problem is resolved.
ReplyDeleteahh, mine also blocke, but have sent this to the dcsf
ReplyDelete.................
I am very concerned that the
review will not be unbiased. the recent article in the independent is a case
in point. Mr Badman had invited the NSPCC to sit on the review panel for
the home education review.
in the independent article, Mr Patel is quoted as saying
-Vijay Patel, policy adviser for the NSPCC children’s charity, also sees the
need for a review. “Some people use home education to hide. Look at the
Victoria Climbié case. No one asked where she was at school. We have
no view about home education, but we do know that to find out about
abuse someone has to know about the child.”-
Looking at the Victoria Climbie case she was neither hidden nor home
educated, and one of the agencies singled out for criticism in this case is
the NSPCC.
In fact, in a previous appearance on the Jeremy Vine show to speak
against home education, Mr Patel admitted that the NSPCC did not hold
any information or evidence that would suggest that home educating was a
risk of abuse.
How can you assure or reassure me that there will be any fairness or
validity in the review, when the experts asked to assess the case are
clearly biased against home educators and promulgating the concept of
home educators as abusers with either no or fabricated evidence.
Please could you ask Mr Badman to include on his panel people with
knowledge of Home Education, and not so obviously opposed to elective
home education. At present I cannot see the validity of this review, and I
am concerned that my childrens’ wellbeing will be jeopardised by an ill
informed, biased review team who are reviewing poorly written questions in
an ill conceived and unfairly shortened review.
Augustin, I think maybe in a past life it was ;-)
ReplyDeleteRuth, hurray! Thanks very much for that.
Mieke, yes it's broken.
Helen, wow! Well said, you.
Wow, this has gone completely viral now, hasn't it? Have you seen the NSPCC's Facebook page?
ReplyDeleteI have permission to quote this statement that I have just received from Graham Badman's office, after I sent over details of the references made in the Independent article by Vijay Patel about Victoria and home education and after I gave them the link to the statement made by the Victoria Climbie Foundation:
ReplyDelete"The DCSF, and Graham, know that there is no link whatsoever between the tragic death of Victoria Climbie and home education"
This statement was made to me officially today in an email written by Elizabeth Green who is working for Graham Badman during the Independent Review of Home Education.
Feel free to pass that on - you never know when it is handy to be able to refer to a quote like that...
Ann
Spokesperson & Trustee
Education Otherwise
That's nice, Ann.
ReplyDeleteIt would be good news now if they would admit that it's inappropriate to have an organisation that utters such damaging nonsense as an advisor in this review.
NSPCC just cannot be trusted to be either unbiased or knowledgeable about home education and should not be involved in the review.