Why do parents opt for Homeschooling?

I stand by what I said, ill-informed and sexist. The decision-making involves both parents.

Off-rolling of pupils by unscrupulous headteachers / Senior Leadership and refusal to implement expert recommendations (e.g. from educational psychologist) and refusal to allow flexi-schooling or acceleration are big factors for some groups of children (SEN, G&T).

The idea that all children are better off in school is simply an assumption which most people make. Once you've seen your own child failed by the system, you're forced to question that assumption and consider the possibility that UK schools are actually not healthy places to be, and are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/may/22/evidence-of-uks-child-mental-health-crisis-is-stark-and-compelling

In my experience, it’s either:

SEN and have been failed by mainstream (either diagnosed or parents refusing to diagnose)
Being hippy, anti-establishment types
Being religious, anti-real world types

Your dh should use Facebook to find local groups and meet up with other HE families asap. This is harder in winter but not impossible. If you live rurally he will need to be willing to drive a lot.

To the OP: for us, it was more fun! My (NT, some developmental delays but nothing massive) kids have had amazing childhoods, have good friends, optimistic outlooks and self-motivation and have achieved/are likely to achieve the GCSEs they need for further study, which we, their parents, value. We both work but flexibly & part time (0.8) now, but when they were little it is true that my (the mum in a straight relationship) career was severely impacted and I had several stagnant very pt (0.2) years. I’ve a good job now and no regrets.

Can I ask on here, how best to consider this seriously for our DS. He is autistic with a PDA profile and is struggling with school hugely. We didn't send him in for the final week of term as it was destroying him and his anxiety is so high ahead of school starting again on Monday. He is only 6.

It would have to be DH who would home school as I have the higher income.

OU requires no prior qualifications for most courses and they can start, I believe from 16 years old.

They can even opt for a certificate of higher education gaining 60 credits out of the 360 credits needed for a bachelors.

Lightswerve - not sexist, factual. I’ve encountered many homeschooled children in all cases they were being educated by a SAHM.
Many women have also given up jobs to homeschool children that have been failed by the school system - it is very rarely men who take this on. If you are going to homeschool it does mean one parent not working!

This is a very curious post.

Anyway, some major reasons are:

1. A situation where MS school doesn't/won't meet the needs of the child;
2. A philosophical preference for home education as opposed to institution-based education;
3. A desire to provide a tailored/alternative curriculum;
4. A need to provide stable education when there will be other disruption in the future - e.g relocations.

Ill-informed and sexist.

In my case, it was because I had two autistic children who couldn't cope with state secondary school. Neither were diagnosed at the time and both had been to primary school, although they'd had problems there too.

Just to explain how traumatic secondary school was for my children: my older child had a breakdown; my younger child developed an eating disorder. We also think it was the trigger that triggered his autoimmune disease.

I was able to get one child into a special school after a couple of years of home ed (his choice). My DH and I continued to home-educate my other child. He's off to sixth-form college later this year 😊.

.

Many have been failed by other schools - as shown in this thread.
but there are others who are home educated for reasons that are more to do with their mothers’ (and it is always mothers) reluctance to ‘let them go’ or because they want to shelter them from the real world, I’ve met several children like this and it is very sad to see.

@Scarletttulips

You can advocate for whatever you like: but I stand by my decision being the best for DD. A specialist school is not what DD needs. The opportunity for 'enrichment' leaves a sick taste in my mouth. I have a child who is selective mute and deeply anxious around anyone but her immediate family. We work in this in her own time.

@TimeToChange23 what a brilliant story. If I may ask what age was he when he did his GCSEs and how did he go straight to a degree?

Asking because we may need to think out of the box for my Y10

Like so many parents who move to home education it was when the school was no longer a viable option.

Son blossomed with home education.
Failed every subject in his last school report in Y10. Had severe anxiety and was constantly sick.

Came out of home education with all 8s, 9s and A*s. And more importantly came out happy and confident.

Moved from IGCSEs straight to an Open university degree and is overseas studying and volunteering in an orphanage in Asia.

Best decision we ever made and wish we had of done it years earlier.

I didn’t opt for it. Dd is autistic and school couldn’t meet her needs but the LA refused a special school so I had no choice. (Mainstream accepted they couldn’t meet her needs) I’m on a home ed group on Facebook though and a lot of them just home educate through choice though

HahahahhahHhahahahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahaha.

Gimme a sec.... hahhahahahhahahahahhaha.

@Scarletttulips
Ds had problems from Nursery but despite first seeing a Paediatrician as a three year old he didn't get an ASD diagnosis until he was 12. Therefore no access to a specialist school or unit.

It took a further year to get ASD added to his Statement (in Northern Ireland we still have statements.) By this time irreparable damage had been done to his mental health and his confidence.

Home Education has been a godsend for both of us. I wish I had started much earlier.

@consciousmum go on the Facebook group "not fine in school".
Then you will understand why so many children are being homeschooled.
"quite decent" - ha ha ha ha ha that's hilarious!

I'd have wondered this too, op. Until one of my own dcs became unable to attend school due to ASD. We don't homeschool, she will be joining an online school, and yes I'd far rather she attended school but it is what it is.

Because the education isn’t quite decent. My child was hurt repeatedly at his special school and at a meeting with the senco, head teacher, EWO, we were told it was something they couldn’t control because “that was the cohort he was in”. If your child was slapped and punched and terrified in order to receive an “education” you too would have to home school.
In the groups we joined over the years he was at home of which there were many, the vast majority of homeschoolers had additional needs. It’s not the parents who should be ashamed of that.

Very odd that you’d use quotation marks for baby…

How is mine and other people’s experiences not something I would choose my child’s path based on? If you (and multiple others) had a crap experience of something why would you then put your child through that. I’ve heard no one in my life praise the SS their child is at, only be upset that their child isn’t receiving the care/attention they deserve.

I think my child learning to express herself, figuring out her out her own interests and becoming her own person are all valid points.

I don’t understand what would be your reasons to be pro-HE if not those?

DD, who is autistic, was quite literally traumatised going though the system. When I eventually took her out it was life changing for her

I would absolutely advocate for specialist schools - ASD for example, quiet schools, very little or no changes or surprises, transitions to be quick.

Bar the core subjects the children could enrich themselves in Hubie’s, music or anything really without following ridged curriculum / Pace

They could get extra tuition of social skills.

Most ASD children are bright - they just need a better system.

"DD, who is autistic, was quite literally traumatised going though the system. When I eventually took her out it was life changing for her."

Exactly this but for DS

@Nttttt I'm very pro home education, but your post reads that it's about fulfilling your needs rather than your "baby's".

So many parents don't "opt". Home education groups are full of parents whose dc were suicidal/self harming/school refusing due to neuro divergence or mental health issues and they were receiving zero support in school. My dc has a statement, in September when she started back there was no assistant for her. In October there was still no assistant. In November I was told there was an assistant for Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. This is a child who requires 100% supervision. She only attended school for the first 10 days last term and I have yet to receive a single phonecall from the school to ask about her.