Education Otherwise
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| Founded | 1976, |
|---|---|
| Focus | Education |
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Area served
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Primarily UK |
| Method | Support, lobbying, research |
| Website | www.education-otherwise.net |
Education Otherwise (EO) is a registered charity based in England for families whose children are being educated otherwise than at school, and for those who wish to uphold the freedom of families to take responsibility for the education of their children. It provides support and information online, by telephone and through a bi-monthly newsletter to members throughout the UK and overseas.
Established in the mid-1970s, it took its name from the (then current) 1944 Education Act (Section 36) which stated that parents are responsible for the education of their children, "either by regular attendance at school or otherwise". This clause has been retained in subsequent Education Acts (currently section 7 of the 1996 Education Act) and remains an indication of the validity afforded to an education other than by schooling.
In 1972, Royston Lambert, head of Dartington Hall School asked Dick Kitto, who had been working there since 1955, to set up a project in conjunction with Northcliffe School to provide education for a group of non-academic students who would have to take another year in school due to the pending raising of the school leaving age. Kitto established a free school or democratic school model for the running of the project and was impressed by the qualities of the students even though they had effectively unschooled themselves within the school system, where they were perceived as trouble makers.
Kitto's school caught the attention of Stan Windass, who had been working for a children's rights centre in London, through which he had become aware of several families who were educating their own children. Windass had just taken the lease of Lower Shaw Farm and wanted to establish it as a centre to explore ideas for an alternative society. Windass asked Kitto to become the warden at Lower Shaw Farm after the Northcliffe School project ended.
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