NCHENZ

If you scroll down the page a little, you will see a logo for NCHENZ, and the information that SHEAF is a 'Friend of NCHENZ'

Here is a brief description of NCHENZ and how they relate to us as home educators.

The National Council of Home Educators exists "to provide a forum in which home educators may unite for their mutual benefit in matters of national, political or common interest."

NCHENZ seeks to be a voice for a wide range of home educators throughout the country, especially for matters which affect all or most home educators - such as government legislation, policy, or implementation.

SHEAF is a 'Friend of NCHENZ', which means that although we are not a formal (paid-up, voting) member of NCHENZ, we do share some aims in common with NCHENZ and have opted for an informal connection with them.

Individual membership of NCHENZ is available to any and all home educators for a small ($10) annual fee (see their website for more details).

The advantage of individual membership is, principally, to keep up with what might be happening, home-education-wise, at a national/governmental/policy type level, and to contribute to NCHENZ's stance on that.

In the past, these issues have included what stance NCHENZ should take on ERO reviews, who should be conducting those reviews, and whether or not to lobby for a raise in the home education allowance. Around the last election, NCHENZ also kept a close eye on the whole National Standards of Assessment thing - which will begin being implemented in state schools next year - and how that might impact on home educators. (At the moment it looks like it won't - but we'll have to wait and see how ERO actually conducts its reviews once the new policy is in place).

If you'd like to be kept in the loop with these issues and contribute to NCHENZ's democratic processes, have a look at their website and consider joining as an individual member.