The Freedom In Education Under Threat blog is one of the reality distorting points of view that seem to predominate the home education blogging world. The Home Education and Religion post is a typical non-story that is inflated to bizarre proportions.

Selectively quoting is a dangerous game. Peter Traves was responding to a comment about failing schools. The full quote is:

May I respond to that? I don’t see how the issue of failing schools negates the issue about our responsibility to children who are not educated in schools. We have a responsibility to improve all schools, and that is absolutely right and proper. On the issue of withdrawal, parents withdraw their children from school for a whole range of reasons. I did six years of home visits, and there were parents who withdrew their children because we had failed them-that is absolutely true. There were parents who had withdrawn their children for ideological reasons because they had a profound belief in a different form of education, which I respected. There were also parents who withdrew their children for particular religious views because they wanted those views inculcated in that child. It is not just about the rights of parents, but about the rights of children. It is not necessarily about the state’s responsibility to children, but about the community’s responsibility to them.

So what is the complaint? Are we being asked to support the Indoctrination of children? Who knows? The original complaint is conflated with some perceived descent into a fascist state.

Really? The evidence seems to be a little slim.

Shall we just ignore “The council said the children would not have been moved solely on the basis of weight.” Perhaps they were the only fat family in town and so singled out. Perhaps not.

Nowhere in the linked article or in the report is there mention of “Your 5 year old being taught how to masturbate”

But why let mere facts get in the way of good rant story.