I came across this little article this morning.

I suspect that in most other areas, something like Kilquhanity, an alternative school that will cater for just 15 pupils, would simply be known as a local home education group (without the £1.2k/term fees).

Given the current climate I have been hypothesising about the implications of setting up an independent, attendance-not-compulsory "school" utilising a model that aimed to facilitate autonomous learning and living - Sudbury Schools are worth a peek. From our personal point of view, this still wouldn't be ideal, but I do wonder whether setting oneself up as a school would secure more overall freedoms than a monitored and regulated system of home-based education, which might include a regime of logging into web-based systems, evidencing work, demonstrating breadth of education and submitting to frequent LA inspections, for example. All in the name of child protection, of course.

Anyway, those were my whimsical musings, and I am in no doubt that the independent education sector experiences its fair share of meddlers and do-gooders.

The first 'myth' post will be published today; I am, however, off to a public lecture at Keele University this evening, so expect it later on tonight.