Introduction & History |
| education otherwise was formed
by a small group of parents at the beginning of 1977. It is a membership
organisation, with over three thousand families, groups and individual
members distributed throughout the UK and abroad, and has evolved
into a self-help organisation which can offer support, advice and
information to families who are practising or contemplating home-based
education as an alternative to schooling.
We have a network of over 70 voluntary local contacts spread over the country who are usually willing to give personal help to members in their area. They are backed up by people who have specialised experience in various aspects of education "otherwise." We take our name from the Education Act, which states that parents are responsible for their children's education, "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise." An increasing number of parents and children want an alternative to school. Our reasons are many, and we often differ widely in our views, but as parents we share the desire to take back direct responsibility for the education of our children rather than to delegate it to schools. We aim to offer an immediate service for our members and also to establish the freedom of all families to make responsible choices about the sort of education best suited to them. We do not have any source of funding other than members' subscriptions and donations, and everything we do is dependent upon the work and commitment of volunteer members. The practice of education "otherwise" is steadily spreading and our membership is increasing: membership is open to anyone - as well as those practising education "otherwise," we have many members who simply want to support us. The larger our membership, the better our services and resources will be and the more clearly our voice be heard. So even if you are not thinking of practising education "otherwise" immediately, we hope that you will join us. |
