"As the option is open to only a small minority is is, of course, elitist. "

No, the option is there for *everyone*, but it's damned hard!

Hey, you think I'm 'rolling in it'? You think I have loadsa money?
No way! I lived the early years of our Home Edding in the library, borrowing books, reading with them...I've always collected books, so I had many for them to read here at home. I lived in charity shops, always widening the book collection we had. I bought videos there too.

On line you have the entire WORLD at your fingertips...and you can get that for free at your library too, for an hour every day.

We scrimped and scraped and worked bloody hard in those early years.

Local holidays, cheap holidays...just scraping by with the bills, sometimes getting into debt, but you know, it's been worth every bloody penny!

Even our dear Education Welfare Officer brought us books, music CDs for my children, art books for my daughter...It was all he could give us, from his own collection! He gave Nonny his entire collection, years worth, of National Geographic Magazines, which she still has to this day...from there she found their website...turned the wonderful photos into her own paintings.

He inspired her! He inspired Josh! He made my kids feel like a million dollars whenever he came round. He absolutely despaired at what is happening in schools..and spent the rest of his work time trying to tutor the kids who'd been expelled, because they were eligible for 25 hours free tuition a week! but if The System has damaged you almost beyond repair and you choose to opt out, before you FALL out, you get NOTHING!

Well, he gave us his love and support.

Sadly, he's HAD to take retirement now, even though he doesn't want to, because they're 'cutting back'....He's a great loss to us, and we have only one more EWO visit before my son is really free at last.

So no, don't tell me it's elitist, because ANYONE can do it, but it's damned hard work!