A wave of illiterate “home schooled” children

Catlin Moran, the journalist, seems to have an upbringing a bit like that.

It's given her plenty to write about, anyway!

The unschoolers I knew, worried me quite a bit for the same reasons. Mum seemed tbh a bit vague, and living a level of alternative that I couldn't really relate to. The kids didn't really seem to do much in the way of learning beyond observation of what was around them, but they where clearly enjoying life at least. But compared to what we where doing it seemed very woolly and unlikely to provide well for their futures.
We'd been back footed into home education and where seeking to repair a lot of damage and try and end up with exams.
It felt like the unschoolers mum was taking a hell of risk with her casual 'Oh they'll do what they want, when they want it, if they want it' rhetoric, but what did I know.

Then the DC's started to hit their teens and what felt like out of the blue, one by one, started investigating and organizing themselves to study exam syllabuses and quizzing my DC and sometimes me, about what we where up to.
They'd developed a level of independent learning that they where able to apply to most things despite almost no previous formal study, and surprised me how easily they adapted themselves to it all.

Mum only got involved in booking and paying for exams, and a bit of help with transport for some. The DC's did most of it.
They did well, and then did the same for A levels while slouching about the rest of the time happily.
Then they applied for and took themselves off to uni with few issues, where they stood out as different, but socially adept and independent from day 1.
Mum appeared to be even more vague about what they where doing, but clearly she could afford to be.
They are all adult now, and all have careers, two of them high flyers in science. They think their radical unschooling childhood was in general a very positive thing.

It taught me not to be too opinionated or quick to judge what others are doing based on my narrower ideas about how to achieve the same end results, which is where they've all ended up, as have their home educated and school educated partners.

Unschooling doesn't mean learn nothing it means child led.
So for example. Cooking: reading, following instructions on the packed, measuring ingredients, timings prep includes so much education in a natural way.
Reading subtitles or lyrics.
Researching and learning history around a period of interest

Often when allowed to follow their own interests and timescale children can thrive

Since we have given up on LA ever providing an education we have seen so much positive progress in learning. I wish I had never sent to school.

It's not true that they learn nothing. I have a friend who unschools and her children have learned loads! They read better than most schooled children their ages. Do loads of clubs and classes.

Unschooling isn’t the same as homeschooling. They literally learn nothing. They follow no curriculum or lessons. It’s all learning through discovery and life lessons. I understand that a school setting isn’t right for every child but if you’re going to homeschool then make sure you’re able to teach your kids something that will give them a future.

Well my child has been schooled and school has not met any of their needs. They continued to be failed by LA over and over. So we would have been far better of unschooling as at least they wouldn't have been traumatised by school.

Get on to Social Services

There is a family in our village who are ‘unschooling’ which basically means they don’t learn anything. She bleats on and on on social media about how they are learning through life adventures and other such bollocks. That’s not going to help them get a job and support themselves as adults is it!

My eldest school refuser ended up home educated from year 6 in primary school onwards. He hated school.

He's now at his second year at UCL and was interviewed by Oxford.

Generally speaking he surpassed his school friends in terms of literacy/ attainment.

Alternative options for children who can't manage mainstream but who aren't seen as severe enough for specialist provision

It was this sort of thing I was wondering about - do you mean a different school or different classes? I was wondering also, do all senior schools in the UK stream classes - ie all subjects streamed into top middle and bottom? Or is it a choice individual schools make? Someone was telling me that their dc's school stream and the top stream is better behaved which is easier for everyone in it (not so much for the bottom stream). Would still need to manage crowds and lights at break and walking in between, but classes would be easier for children who find mainstream schools difficult.

Understanding of needs. Not blaming parents or the child who can not cope in that environment would be a start.
Alternative options for children who can't manage mainstream but who aren't seen as severe enough for specialist provision.
There are so many children like her unfortunately.
Would changing glaring lights to natural in glaring lights be unsuitable for those not impacted or would better lighting be something that helps everyone or at least doesn't have a detrimental impact on anyone

Heading could equally validly say "A wave of illiterate “school schooled” children" to be honest

Great poem and I understand everything she has said about how she feels and the efect of the lights and crowds etc, but what are the changes she wants? Exactly what changes to the system would make a difference for her? And how would they be managed in practical terms to run alongside what is happening with other kids, does anyone know? What percentage of your average class feels like this?

If you can get your eldest through GCSEs somehow @SMO212 I would hope things would improve. I have taught several young men like that and they all found 6th form and A-levels a lot better.

I do agree with you that the home school system is abused and children are definitely let down by the system. I have worked in education for years and been saddened by some of the children off-rolled for EHE.

On the flip side I also have two SEN teenage boys, year 9 ADHD/ASC and one year 7 with an EHCP.

This last term has honestly had me on the verge of a mental breakdown due to school. My year 9 cannot navigate social situations and is constantly getting in trouble and had a suspension this term. I do not condone his behaviour at all. Although I also feel I'm setting him up to fail by dropping him into an environment full of teenagers every day that he has no idea how to cope with. I've been tempted to say 'screw this' and pull him from school. But he is also very academically able and in top sets, I am educated to degree level, but his science and Maths work absolutely baffles me. I definitely did not learn half of this at school.

I do feel torn, if I carry on pushing him into school he will end up with more incidents, his mental health will be affected, he gets in with the wrong crowd, will he actually meet his academic potential? Or do I pull him, somehow workout finances and give it my very best shot of giving him an education but keeping his mental health stable as well. I do feel I am really loosing him at present.

This is alongside battling a specialist placement for his younger brother.

I think mainstream school does need to seriously change, the whole setting. Education hasn't kept up with a changing society and the results are really showing it. School works amazingly for some children but many others I feel it can do more harm than good.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1540938500590676/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

A poem by a child damaged by school

In my personal experience, (I'm actually very pro my home ed kids having paper qualifications) once you've got a degree, almost no one is bothered that you still can't pass GCSE maths, and don't have it in English, and you don't need them to get onto a degree course once you're 22 and classed as a 'mature' student.

GCSE's are great things to have, because they're shorthand for everyone else, and increasingly for AI selection.
But not everyone can pass an exam in them, in which case is it wise to educate to the point of what someone can't do, rather than what they can?

I took this to the courts. One Dc was deemed incapable of learning and passing exams, so pulled out of academic education by the school, to focus on learning how to tolerate being bullied better, and not presenting in a way that made them a target. ie looking and sounding autistic, and having an autistic gait.
It isn't what I sent them to school for, and schools attempts to teach them to hide their autism, where as woeful and inadequate as their teaching to test.

My argument was should the education budget be used to 'stop progression to focus on what a child is failing at, or used to allow them to progress around their 'failings' with what they succeed at?
The hope is to be able to repair gaps later, but if they can't be, isn't it better for all, than a broken, educationally failed, individual?

If we do the first, we write off every intelligent autistic child with a spiky learning profile, and refuse them a proper education, based on what they aren't good at, at specific ages and stages, not what they are.

We are basically saying spiky learning profiled human beings, who are often born 'specialists', are 'wrong' designs, and reject humans, rather than need differentiated learning if we want them to more like the 'generalists.'

It's a good way of diminishing them and their use in society, alongside others who are just not great at exams, and creating funnels for only one measure of success.
What has happened to nursing is a good example of why it isn't always a good idea, (unless you are only interested in financial profit and loss, not patient care)

Do we want a society of entirely one size fits all education conforming youngsters with those who can't compete having their options lowered and lowered until we write them off for the ease of employer job selection and use?
And say those who cannot do X are forever relegated to low level employment to prop up those who can, regardless of their other talents?

Or are their other models of what education actually is and should be used for that might actually benefit society more?

Good luck for tomorrow!

I know 3 kids homeschooling. Kid 1 has educated parents, dad does a IT type job taking him all over the country. Mum works PT wfh. Kids travel extensively, all cultural trips, forest school, drama, watersports, martial arts, music,science clubs
Child 2, less travel, but music, drama, athletics, equestrian, forest school, Hippy, alternative parents..mum a professional job though.

Child 3, forest school,.....dad nmw retail, mum pt retail. Dad heavily into conspiracy theories, thinks school brainwashes kids into 'lefties woke nonsense'..
Child 3 is the one I feel sorry for.

What is the benefit of keeping beingade.to.do something you won't pass? This is awful for self esteem and mental health.
Maybe if schools actually met needs of children in school they would have the opportunity to learn..
Instead school is destroying the mental health of so many autistic young people

My child doesn't need GCSE English or math for the field they want to go into. They are very skilled in this area. The skill /. knowledge won't be enhanced by English or math at all.
But school has caused them so much trauma that these subjects cause unbelievable anxiety and flashbacks to trauma

Maybe they will one day be able to do these subjects as adults on their own terms but making them compulsory alongside college means that college becomes unaccessible.

Don't make me laugh getting a appropriate EHCP is virtually impossible

Also, I meant to say I'm very sorry that your child suffered trauma, that must be so difficult.

I don't mean to be confrontational but the majority of jobs DO need a GCSE pass, so resitting is necessary. The majority of courses will require written communication to complete assessment portfolios even in more practical subjects such as art. In the trades to satisfy health and safety requirements you might need a GCSE in maths (for example electricians).
If you believe your child has reached the ceiling of their maths and English ability then if they have an EHCP, you should speak to the SENCO or equivalent at college. However, they won't be able to progress beyond a certain level.

(I do think it's daft many have to keep doing these subjects when they will never pass but they need to be given the chance).

Once you are 19 you can do adult classes in maths and English which are often smaller with a calmer atmosphere. Perhaps this might be a good option for some?

Don't blame the parents.if schools were suitable for autistic and sen kids then less people would.be forced to EHE.
The other issue we have is the stupid policy of having to do English and maths at college again and agin if you don't pass GCSE in this subject
.

My child.has a amazing aptitude for one area and wants to do this in college.. but the school.amd LA has massively failed them and left severe trauma. The would excel in college if they can attend and focus on this subject but as they will.have to also attend maths and English classes alongside the course we know they will not attend..

This wasn't the case years ago but is now

Absolutely agree with this @winewolfhowls
I work in FE (16-18) College. The number of EHE in our local authority has been steadily rising.
Many have had a poor experience in school , both students and parents. Some schools systems are intensely punitive, and harsh, imposing fines and court. many pull their children out to avoid this (rightly or wrongly). Many have had a similar experience with their own lack of education. There is also the knock- on effect, schools find once one family does it, others follow.

These young people are being let down, by parents and by schools. Regardless of the amount of support and adjustments we (college) put in place, the overwhelming majority are unable to manage in mainstream. The NEET numbers are still high and if they are not in education or training -where are they? Massively at risk of a whole host of safeguarding concerns.

A-fucking-men.

Well said.