Home Education in England

Firefly54

I'm sticking to England for a start, because that's what I know. Here, if a child is removed from school then the authorities will visit to see that they are ebing educated. For some reason, however, if a child never goes to school then they can quite easily slip through the net. In such cases they will often only be brought to the attention of the educational authorities if they are reported by another person as being out of school.
The most important thing, I think, for British to remember is this - education is compulsory, but school is not. You have the right to bring your child out of school - and you don't need to be a teacher to do so - and teach them at home. A lot of people don't know that - home education is not encouraged.

Certainly, it is not a choice to be made lightly. We all love our kids - of course we do, they are our own flesh and blood. But do we LIKE them? All of the time? Home education requires you to LIKE your children most of the time and accept them the rest of it. You will spend a tremendous amount of time with them - and it certainly won't all be fun! It isn't easy taking exams here as a private candidate. First problem is to find a school or college that will allow them to actually sit the exam on their premises. Parents have to pay for their children to take exams, and also for an exam invigilator, and any admin fees. Colleges are free to charge whatever they like for the second two charges, the exam fee is set by the examining body. This means that parents need to shop around and find a college that is suitable - and the atmosphere that your child will be in at this important time is, I suggest, more important than cost!

Well - having been there and done it, as they say, I could talk forever, but will now stop and wait to see what others have discovered, or would like to know.

Josso

I think going to a school is important for building your social skills especially for shy kids. Hell, it's a fact that your learning will be severely disrupted quite a lot of the time by being at a school but I think it could be potentially stressful for parents or guardians if you were to stay at home 24/7.

That's my opinion anyway, I wouldn't want to be educated at home even if it would benefit my learning a bit more. It's expensive as well Confused

Firefly54

Home schooling certainly isn't for everyone - either kids or parents! But socially, the opportunity exists to join many groups and take up opportunities for activities that you wouldn't otherwise have had time for - there is certainly no need to go short of friends, and you are more likely to meet kids with similar interests in out-of-school activities. For some people too, time is important. You learn much, much faster 1:1, and don't use up time travelling, in registration, subjects that won't advance your particular needs, etc. A lot of kids would get bored - but others can benefit by using that extra time to follow activities that they wouldn't otherwise have time for. And - if those activities are the things that they want to pursue a career in, then they can get a head start, as well as taking subjects (in addition to maths and English of course!) that will further there career. But like I said - its not for everyone. One of my sons went to school, the other stayed home. Both made the choice that benefitted them the most.

watersoul

I know the state education system has it's faults in the UK, but to completely take your child out and educate at home? ...i'm not sure about that.
My son (aged eight) is in the top band of his class, and sometimes gets bored because he has to develop at the speed of the class and in line with the national curriculum, which is less advanced to the work we do together at home. OK, there is disruption from other children, but a school is the place where you learn about society, the school itself is a cross-section or microcosm of society, and he will learn life skills that he would never learn at home - even with the "groups" mentioned earlier. Come on, get real, the home-schooled children will never meet all the different types of people on "days out", it will only be other home taught children, usually of middle income groups of society, never seeing the challenged individuals such as children from poor estates etc.
On another related issue, a few of my friends went to male only grammer schools (secondary/high school aged eleven to eighteen) and although they all have well paid careers now they are not that much better off than friends who attended the "less respected" mixed sex schools in my town. In fact, the friends at the same sex schools all complain now as adults that they missed out on interaction with girls, and find it harder to identify with women or understand them compared to the lads who went to mixed sex schools. All of this is similar to my point that while growing up i think we need as much experience of all walks of life to give us the skills we need as adults. Whatever anyone says, you cannot possibly argue that someone home educated will ever have the same diversity of experiences that someone will have in a large, mixed, community school - it simply cannot happen - you might end up with better academic grades, but the "life toolbox" will be missing some pieces that could end up to be more useful in the long run.
I'm sorry, i think if you pluck a child out of the school system, they miss out on the wider picture of what a community is. School gives us the basics in my opinion, and the couple of hours an evening I give my son for homework help & life-discussion "fine-tunes" what he's learnt in the day - whether that is academic, or simply things he's learnt in the playground from other children. I think this is the best balance for us, and i honestly feel for most children - sorry.