to ask if you would consider home education?

[SundayBea]

Have read a lot of articles recently on how the numbers in home education have 'exploded' and it's on the rise by 80% a year apparently. I know of three families I think quite highly of, two of whom are ex-teachers whose children have never been to school and their children seem to be having an exceptional upbringing and education with so many fantastic experiences and opportunities. Also know of two other families who have withdrawn their children from school because of problems with their respective schools and I'm less certain of how successful it is going to be for them. Also know of several colleagues and DH's cousin who have DC under 5 who are debating not registering them when the time comes. Is this a big thing now or is it just coincidence I know of so many families like this? I was just wondering what the general consensus was.. when I mentioned socialisation one of my ex-teacher friends showed me the Facebook group she is in for her local home education community and I was amazed at the plethora of groups, classes, meet ups and outings with hundreds of members.. just for her local county! Have been debating with DP what to do about schooling at private school is unfortunately out of the question on our current salaries.. I'm now feeling like I've discovered a whole new option I hadn't considered? Sorry if this is rambling, only getting a 5 minute lunch break today!

There's no reason why home educated children can't take as many GCSEs and A levels as they wish, at the same time as their peers if they want to. FE colleges usually accept 14 year olds if they prefer that to distance learning and entering as an external candidate. No one's having their options narrowed by not being entered for GCSEs at 10 though.

" No one's having their options narrowed by not being entered for GCSEs at 10 though."

Of course not. They are by doing none, though. Or "2 or 3" like Nadia Sahwalia said earlier.

My local uni which by all accounts is highly sought after has removed the betec nvq route for a particular course I know of. Screened out before interview.

people with academic grades have individuality, quick thinking, compassion, and work experience too. They just have grades as well

So one course at one uni has changed their policy on vocational entrance qualifications?

It's not really a problem in practice, is it? ALL students should be checking university entrance requirements before choosing their A-lvels or other post-16 studies anyway.

There will always be uni courses that particularly welcome vocational courses and/or portfolios (Nursing, Arts etc). Ditto RL experience.

HEd children who want to follow a highly academic path have the option to rejoin school or college at 14+ or 16+ and get their GCSEs, A-levels and UCAS offers in the normal way and those who decide later to follow a more academic path (schooled or HE) have a number of paths open to them, including Access courses, which even Oxbridge accept.

As for 'screened out before interview'; At most HEIs, for most courses, applicants who do end up with unusual applications are more likely to be interviewed, even for courses that don't usually interview. Which is helpful for applicants in that position.

There's no reason why home educated children can't take as many GCSEs and A levels as they wish, at the same time as their peers if they want to. FE colleges usually accept 14 year olds if they prefer that to distance learning and entering as an external candidate. No one's having their options narrowed by not being entered for GCSEs at 10 though.

Exactly.

You may not wish to do those courses though, that's why we are saying it may narrow your choices.

Oh and it's nursing that has recently changed its requirements here. It's not that you can't get anywhere, it's that your options are restricted.

Have known several unusual candidates, all told by uni they won't meet requirements.

It's hard enough to get to do something you want where you want surely you want the most possible options?

Even with a degree I don't meet the requirements of a course I'd love to do. there will always be uni courses that accept vocational courses but you might not want to do those!

It matters. I had to do a course that wasn't to my taste due to inadequate qualifications. To everyone else, well I was doing a degree, decent uni, what's not to like? The course actually. The career afterwards.

Even with a degree I don't meet the requirements of a course I'd love to do. there will always be uni courses that accept vocational courses but you might not want to do those!

Of course, but by 14 and then 16, young people, (wherever they are educated,) have some idea of their strengths, weaknesses and inclinations and act accordingly. It's really not that complicated.

As I said way upthread, the DC of mine that is currently Y13 was HE, they formed certain ambitions, acted accordingly and now have strings of As and As, predicted grades of AAAa and an Oxbridge offer.

One of my other DC is following a more BTEC/A level/ Art foundation, mix and match route and also doing very well.

Some of their friends have gone down other routes including apprenticeships. In fact ALL of this large group of 17-21 year olds that I know from the HE world are engaged on education or training and they all seem very happy.

It wasn't remotely complicated or angsty for them to make those decisions. Horses for courses.

...engaged IN education....

I met up with a friend this week who has entered her DS for his maths GCSE exam for the summer. He is 12 and easily capable. They plan that he will then do two a year till he is 16. So managing to end up with all the GCSE's he requires for his next stage of study. I am beginning to wonder about the education levels are of some on here to be honest who keep on insisting that these children will be held back by lack of formal qualifications. They won't be because they're doing them, just not in the same prescribed way that mainstream children are. What exactly is so hard to understand about this?

'I had to do a course that wasn't to my taste due to inadequate qualifications'

I compromised on my degree course too, because I'd chosen the wrong A levels. I hadn't taken enough time to get to know myself, what I enjoyed, what I was good at. I worked flat out to get lots of praise and lots of As, do my part time job and see my friends in the time remaining. I didn't have time for meaningful learning or introspection. University was the first chance I had for that and I feel so lucky I could go with only several thousand incurred in debt. But it was still a compromise. My kids will need to pay £££££ for university if they go and I want them to choose - and have access to - a course they love or that helps them get a career they love. Giving them time and space to learn how they want to and about whatever they want to while they are under 14 seems extremely sensible to me. By 14, a teenager who has had plenty of autonomy growing up will be well placed to assess, with parental support and research, what qualifications would be a good idea for them to pursue and what they might risk by deferring or not doing.

"I met up with a friend this week who has entered her DS for his maths GCSE exam for the summer. He is 12 and easily capable. They plan that he will then do two a year till he is 16. So managing to end up with all the GCSE's he requires for his next stage of study."

You appear to have an issue with me-and that's fine. But next time you meet your friend, please can you make sure she's checked that whatever her ds wants to do next doesn't depend on a number of GCSEs taken at the same time? I presume she has- but please make sure.

I had a problem with your hectoring and nit picking at another poster on another thread Bertrand. It was blocking a decent discussion on THAT thread imo. I think you do it a lot tbh. I don't have any particular problem with you here though, you're not really doing it on this thread, I just don't agree with your stance on HE and I think you're somewhat ill informed and have said so.

Oh and I wasn't just addressing YOU. Not sure why you thought I was, there's a number of posters saying the same thing.

It's not "nit picking" or "ill informed" to say that some he/fe courses require a number of GCSEs to be taken at the same time.

Anything factual I have said about HE is accurate. I don't think I have expressed any opinions on this thread.

Nickifury just because someone has a different opinion to you and has had different experiences does not make them ill informed it just makes them informed in a different way.

You home educate. you like it. you can see no wrong in it. good for you. its not my experience and when I come onto a thread and say that, that should be fine, shouldn't it?

I was pleased this week to hear that there are going to be much, much tighter controls on home ed. I feel so strongly against it that I would be pleased to see it banned. you don't have to agree with me. you just have to respect the fact that I have a different opinion. it doesn't make either of us right or wrong. just different. and isn't that, after all, what you are trying to teach you own children, that we are all different?

I just think it's rather wanky to keep pontificating about how difficult things are going to be for HE kids and what poor choice their parents made when it's quite clear that the majority of them are in that situation through no fault of their own - bullying, anxiety, additional needs etc.

I guess you all got lucky that you got to choose a straight forward main stream education for your kids. The majority I know really didn't.

I'd be interested to see a source for your "But less than they did- there is far less scope than there used to be. Please don't let people go away with the idea that GCSEs and A levels aren't necessary for university entrance. In all but the most exceptional cases, they are." claim before I accept that as fact rather than opinion, TBH, Bertrand.

It's all 'academic' anyway (pardon the pun) as a majority of HE children that I meet have been forced out of the mainstream by a lack of effective provision for SN, SpLD or MH problems.

I was pleased this week to hear that there are going to be much, much tighter controls on home ed. I feel so strongly against it that I would be pleased to see it banned. you don't have to agree with me. you just have to respect the fact that I have a different opinion

WHY do you feel so strongly about the education other people provide for their children meister?

I home educate because I was forced to mummymeister. I have a child in main stream too. Life will be easier for her just like it is for all your kids in mainstream. I will have to work harder to make sure DS gets what he needs and deserves. Nothing new there though.

Haven't read the whole thread, but the social skills argument is weak.
I hated every second of secondary school.
Since leaving, I have never, not once, been herded into a group of same-age peers who form alliances in order to survive, like Hunger Games without the killing! Those who do not fit in are destroyed or have to learn to embrace themselves and survive the social weirdness.

I would love to homeschool, particularly ds3 as he is having difficulty settling into school, but the problem for me is that I'm naturally a hermit who needs loads of time alone in order to cope with everything, and I worry that I would fail him. Somehow school failing a child seems less of a taboo than a parent failing their child.

Actually meister if you are criticising and doomsaying about other people's parenting and children on thin to non-existent evidence, I don't think anyone does have to respect your opinion.

like Hunger Games without the killing!

"I just think it's rather wanky to keep pontificating about how difficult things are going to be for HE kids and what poor choice their parents made when it's quite clear that the majority of them are in that situation through no fault of their own - bullying, anxiety, additional needs etc."

was that directed at me? If so I'll respond, but I just thought I'd check.

Somehow school failing a child seems less of a taboo than a parent failing their child

Despite the fact that's it's happening on an industrial scale every single year in this country. Or maybe that's 'why'.

Well yes, I suppose it was, you amongst others. You needn't bother to respond though if you find it tiresome. I don't agree with anything you say and will still find you ill informed because you are.

If children are being home educated because they are being bullied or because their specific health needs are not being met then this is scandalous. provision should be made to deal with bullying effectively and also those with health needs. we should all be up in arms about this - the lack of equality. taking your child out does nothing to change the system. all of us, whether we have children who are bullied/have a health issue or not, should be asking questions as to why this is happening.

This as I understand it from "experts" on this thread is the main reason why people choose to home educate.

the home edders I have known have not fallen into this category. they have done it for some sort of idealogical reasons - not wanting to be apart from their children, not agreeing with state education, not wanting their children to be part of society. I feel deeply uncomfortable about this. again, just my small sample of people but in all cases the parents themselves are educated to degree level. as others have said you do unfortunately need the "bits of paper" qualifications and the requirement to have these for many courses is getting tougher and tougher. have a look yourselves. its all freely available on the internet.