To think that families who choose to home educate should receive government funding?

[PinkyU]

It costs the uk government(s) circa 75K to educate a child from 4/5-18.

AIBU to suggest that families who HE (home educate) should receive a percentage (50%-75%) of this to aid in their ability to provide learning opportunities for their child, given that it would still save the government money?

Do you think more families would HE if it seemed more financially viable?

I’m torn. I can see that part of the plethora of reasons school education exists in the format it does is to allow for (potentially) two adults to be working full time and paying tax, so the money saving aspect may fall down there.

From another perspective, accepting government involvement financially may come at the cost of government involvement concerning how and what the child should learn which is the antithesis of what HE seeks to do.

I do think that part funding HE would allow much more access to learning opportunities which would hugely benefit the child.

What do others think?

(Rambling over)

No. Taxation pays for education via state funded schools. If you don't want your children to receive that then you do what those who choose to educate their children privately do....pay for it yourself.

@ChloeDecker

As well as state school which is free and available to all, we also now have online education options via BBC Bitesize and Oak National Academy.

We do currently but going forward, the govt are threatening to no longer support Oak National Academy so that could well shut down and although the static website for BBC Bitesize should stay, the lessons that go with it are not scheduled to continue.
I do agree that these platforms could be a compromise that benefits not just HE children.

I would like to see these remain, even if not added to. Not necessarily for HE but they are useful for parents if a child is off school short term (maybe a broken limb, well in themselves but not able to go school) or need hospital school - they could be directed to the right subject area by their own schools. Also could be useful for 'snow days' and as children get older, revision supplements. BBC Bitesize has always been fairly useful for revision help so hopefully the newly expanded site will continue in this way at least.

The title of the thread literally states "choose to Home Ed". I see someone who has had to remove their DC from school due to it being physically or mentally harmful for them as very different from choosing to Home Ed as a life choice.

@Kitchendilemmas

Where does it end though, should people who pay for private education also get support from the government, given they're also saving them £75K per child?

Why not? There are many countries that offer tax rebate to parents who send their children to private schools. In the UK it seems more of a cultural rather than economic issue.

@Soontobe60

OP, how much do you think would be a feasible amount to pay parents to HE? Currently, schools get approx £4500 per pupil. For a class of 30 children that = £135000. Subtract the cost of the class teacher and perhaps a full time TA = 60000. Then subtract the cost of maintaining the classroom, purchase of resources, proportional costs of the Headteacher / DHT / Senco = £75000 and you're left with approx £25000. All the costs I’ve listed need to be paid regardless of whether little Johnny is being HTed or not. Share the remaining balance between a potential 30 pupils = £833.33 per pupil. I tutor primary pupils and charge £25 an hour - very low compared with some tutors. So that £833 would buy you less than an hour a week of my time over the school year.

This - schools don't pay teachers any less just because one child has stopped attending, and they already aren't rolling in cash. Many teachers buy supplies like pens etc for their classes from their own money, just like HE parents do, only they have to pay for 40 at a time.

Absolutely not for several obvious reasons:

1. People pay taxes for a range of services in this country that we all use in differing amounts. Should childless people or those who privately educated get a tax rebate? Should people who rarely use the NHS or go private get a tax rebate? Should those who don’t drive or use libraries or have never had to use the police force get a tax rebate? Of course not. We accept as a society we pay for things we may not all use in equal amounts.

2. We pay our taxes towards state education not because of our “own individual child” to be educated but to educate the nation and future workforce in general. We pay to create nurses and teachers and doctors and engineers and scientists and architects because it’s an investment in the country.

3. Giving people financial incentives to keep their children at home is unbelievably ripe for abuse. Some parents will keep their kids at home and not educate them in any way just to get the attractive financial incentive to do so.

4. Children suffering abuse or neglect at home would be in an even more dire position. Checks at school is the only way some of them ever get a chance to escape or tell anyone.

5. Schools just like the NHS and Police Force work on economies of scale. One or two children being HE from a school saves the school virtually nothing. The same school still needs to be resourced, heated, a teacher still needs to be paid regardless of whether he is teaching a class of 29 kids or a class of 30 kids. It’s not a case that a child being HE each year saves the school a literal £5,000 for each child. Nowhere near that.

6. Whilst no doubt some parents home educate successfully and brilliantly, the vast majority do not have the luxury of one parent being able to afford not to work, nor the adequate specialism in 12-16 different subjects to teach it effectively at Secondary level, especially if they have low educational attainment themselves.

7. Children may miss out on essential parts of the curriculum and be more subject to religious or political based teaching, especially if it is government incentivised. 100% “Child-centric learning” as you keep mentioning OP is never going to produce good results. The most effective teaching involves a range of different strategies dependent on child, subject, complexity of content and prior knowledge. It’s a mixture of teacher-led direct instructional processes and organic inquiry learning.

8. School suits the vast vast majority of children (over a wide range of the normal distribution curve) not just educationally but for social, constructivist and emotional reasons.

That might encourage home schooling though. The government need all children to be subjected to their garbage curriculum

@Morgoth

Absolutely not for several obvious reasons:

1. People pay taxes for a range of services in this country that we all use in differing amounts. Should childless people or those who privately educated get a tax rebate? Should people who rarely use the NHS or go private get a tax rebate? Should those who don’t drive or use libraries or have never had to use the police force get a tax rebate? Of course not. We accept as a society we pay for things we may not all use in equal amounts.

2. We pay our taxes towards state education not because of our “own individual child” to be educated but to educate the nation and future workforce in general. We pay to create nurses and teachers and doctors and engineers and scientists and architects because it’s an investment in the country.

3. Giving people financial incentives to keep their children at home is unbelievably ripe for abuse. Some parents will keep their kids at home and not educate them in any way just to get the attractive financial incentive to do so.

4. Children suffering abuse or neglect at home would be in an even more dire position. Checks at school is the only way some of them ever get a chance to escape or tell anyone.

5. Schools just like the NHS and Police Force work on economies of scale. One or two children being HE from a school saves the school virtually nothing. The same school still needs to be resourced, heated, a teacher still needs to be paid regardless of whether he is teaching a class of 29 kids or a class of 30 kids. It’s not a case that a child being HE each year saves the school a literal £5,000 for each child. Nowhere near that.

6. Whilst no doubt some parents home educate successfully and brilliantly, the vast majority do not have the luxury of one parent being able to afford not to work, nor the adequate specialism in 12-16 different subjects to teach it effectively at Secondary level, especially if they have low educational attainment themselves.

7. Children may miss out on essential parts of the curriculum and be more subject to religious or political based teaching, especially if it is government incentivised. 100% “Child-centric learning” as you keep mentioning OP is never going to produce good results. The most effective teaching involves a range of different strategies dependent on child, subject, complexity of content and prior knowledge. It’s a mixture of teacher-led direct instructional processes and organic inquiry learning.

8. School suits the vast vast majority of children (over a wide range of the normal distribution curve) not just educationally but for social, constructivist and emotional reasons.

What @Morgoth said

When the school system is failing the child, then yes I have a lot of sympathy with this view. Sometimes the best way to educate a kid would be to fund the parents to do so.

But as a whole it just doesn't work. It would force families on the breaking not to send their children to school, as that's be desperate for the home schooling payment.

Maybe you could subsidise specific educational purchases like books - but to be fair the library system exists for that purpose already.

ARG *on the breadline

We don't fund public services on a pay what you use, refund if you don't type basis. The sums would not add up
OP is ignoring this point as it doesn’t fit her agenda.

Well no. By your argument the government should pay a chunk of my DCs private school fees. I mean I wouldn't say no, but why should they? They provide an alternative qhich I could access for free and I've chosen not to use it.

@listsandbudgets

Well no. By your argument the government should pay a chunk of my DCs private school fees. I mean I wouldn't say no, but why should they? They provide an alternative qhich I could access for free and I've chosen not to use it.

And what do you imagine those parents who are unable to "access education for free" do?

As a general rule no. There are always exceptions which may be considered, however how many parents would want to produce forward planning, evidence learning and progression just for the amall sum of cash you would recieve.
Hats off to all parents who home school successfully, I know I couldn't. Lots of parents also successfully manage part time schooling/HE. £75000 is a very simplistic number and the reality would be very little money would be available individually. Also for those for whoom HE fails would we then expect the parents to reimburse for extra costs involved in supporting their education.

YABU. Utterly mad idea and a terrible waste of taxpayers money.

Many home educators may be well intended, but as unqualified parents who mostly aren’t teachers there’s no guarantee they’ll do a good job. I can think of far better uses of my tax money than throwing it away on hippy parents who want to “opt out of the system”

The lack of awareness on this thread is absolutely mind blowing...

Access to free resources and free exams absolutely. But no funding . Most people I know who HE do it to get out the system and teach at own pace. Funding would come with certain standards that needed to met. Lots of boxes needing ticking.

@doubleshotespresso

The lack of awareness on this thread is absolutely mind blowing...

Just reflects real life IMO. Some people are lucky to never have to worry about this.

@doubleshotespresso

The lack of awareness on this thread is absolutely mind blowing...

Yes. All this talk about choices and hippy mums and what not, when a lot of the parents that end up HE do so because there is no good alternative for their child in the state system.

@BroccoliRob and @AccidentallyOnPurpose yes very sad so many are utterly incapable of looking outside their own bubble for a second.
The "hippy parents" comment made me belly laugh-such blinding ignorance alongside any thoughts that this actually represents an "easy way out" .
Sad times.

We are second generation HE - I HE'd my children and now my Grandchildren are HE and i would say an absolute categorical firm NO No No - hope my position is clear enough.

It would come with strings and expectations that would not be acceptable.

We choose to HE for many reasons but a huge dislike of the current education system and a feeling we should take responsibility for our own children are two of the massive ones.

Financial support would come with inspections and expectations that we would do and teach what schools do and that is unacceptable to us - if we wanted our children to have that education we would send them to school.

Access to exams would be great and very popular and the costs for this could be minimal - just give schools/collages the duty to provide any HE child within their catchment the ability to sit their exams in their exam hall alongside their children - not sure of the cost but it would be relatively tiny.

I didn't know much about HE prior to this thread, but it seems a bit self destructive not to provide exams for free for HE students. I didn't realise they had to be paid for by the individuals family.

@ILiveInSalemsLot

Unfortunately, I think that idea could get abused. All those people claiming to HE for the extra money. Maybe, if they got inspected like schools, but then, they’d need to spend more money employing inspectors.

Agree it would be open to abuse.

I suppose the marginalisation of SEN children is good training for when they get older and have to face the same as an adult. Gets them into the mindset early on, lets them know where they stand.

Can you imagine if this was happening to other minorities? There'd be hell on.

All the horror on here because people had to work and supervise the education of their children during lockdown. Having to work and educate your child because they don't have a school is normal business for some people.