To think that most people actually do understand, and therefore support, home education...

[PennyRa]

And it's just a loud minority that are ignorant?

No sorry, Was talking about the Op.

I’ve taught a few home-educated children who started mainstream school around Year 9. I found them to be lovely, almost idyllic in their nature. They had socialised, but with other similar home-schooled children. What they struggled with was the ‘ugliness’ of real life socialisation. The variety of children found in schools, and in real life, is vast. School is a practice-run for the real world and children need to be exposed to wide variety of people to thrive later on.

So I know 3 children who are not related who are home educated, all 3 are not known to each other.

They have no additional needs but are all awful socially and come across as really sad.

The problem is that unless people sit recognised national exams it’s hard to demonstrate your intelligence/aptitude, etc. and plenty of home schooled kids don’t do GCSEs (i know some do).

i work in HE and am currently shifting through applications deciding who to interview and was reading an application from someone (18yo) who has been home schooled. Not a single gcse to their name. Has done functional maths and English and these are their only attained qualifications. Can’t remember what they’re currently studying for, ma6be a cache or a btec. They’re up against people with 10x very good gcse grades and predicted As and Bs at A level for a very competitive course. Are they going to get a place? No.

I don’t support home education for children whose parents simply think they’re too special for school without even trying it. I simply cannot understand that motivation for a second.

on the other hand I absolutely support home education for children who have needs that absolutely can’t be met in school and think it’s a really important option which needs to be properly supported

I have no time at all for NT children learning what they fancy and parents who think they can teach better at secondary than a school or college setting and I think they’re doing their children a real disservice if they are children who could manage school but parents are keeping them away due to their own prejudices

My daughter is enrolled at an online school for her A levels and loves it. She has a big group of local friends though so I'd never isolated. She has a disability that meant she couldn't access her local state school. It's been a good choice as she's already far ahead of her peers in terms of content and grade.

I can't seem to PM you for some reason - do PM me if you can.

We tried school and our NT son was fine there but when we home educated during the pandemic he was happier. Are we allowed to home educate in your eyes?

This thread really shows how many adults seem to think the only way anyone can ever learn anything is by sitting in a classroom with 30-33 of their peers, staffed by a warm adult body, who might be a subject specialist, might not be and might not even be a qualified teacher.

I'd definitely consider home education over some of my local schools if we didn't get the school we wanted.

There are some children who benefit. There are some children for whom there is no alternative. There are some parents who do it well. There are also massively over protective parents with no qualifications who HE so they can control every minute of their kids’ lives. There are parents who inflict their own anxiety on kids by treating school as an awful and traumatic place, often without ever letting their child step foot in one.

I know someone who ‘unschools’ her kids. Her entire social media feed is anti-school and smug references to what a devoted parent she is, unlike those of us who send our kids off to ‘the machine’ to be made into carbon copies of each other, apparently. It’s like a cult. She’s the one who comes across as ignorant, not me.

Full time 9-5 type breadwinner?

All these subject tutors people have in secondary sound expensive. Not sure how most afford them.

I work freelance and part time but I actually earn more now than I did in full time employment because my hourly rate is much, much higher.

Are you the breadwinner?

I agree. It is just ignorance for the most part, as demonstrated by some replies on here.

Done properly, home education is superior to many schools.

No but then I never was and never would have been. My husband works in a much more lucrative sector than I do and always did.

Yes. Of course.

I would have loved to HE my DS

The only reason I didn’t want because I’m aware that I can’t educate him to the degree teachers can and I’m not in a financial position to get tutors in

I work with children and the view about HE is mainly based around safeguarding which I find very sad

Parents aren’t trusted to look after their own children unless kids are seen daily by professionals - it’s all very sad

Well what do you want? He works in tech. I work in the voluntary sector. Should I go off and work in finance so I can out earn him?

Not that you have a chip on your shoulder or anything.

Parents aren’t trusted to look after their own children unless kids are seen daily by professionals - it’s all very sad

You'd be amazed at how much of a safety net that is.

No, it isn't.

I wouldn’t be amazed - I work within it and actually think parents are often viewed in such a sceptical light that it’s wholly negative now.

Realistically, how many children die that are being HE due to abuse compared to the children who were in school and killed my parents?

There doesn’t seem to be a link so the link shouldn’t really be assumed.

Many of us in the home ed community are totally supportive of a register and more engagement with professionals. I have always been totally happy to engage.

I normally stay well out of this subject, but on the basis if I do I'll be that silent majority who think it's all fine and dandy, I can't stop myself.

HE definitely has a place when it's generated by a need from the DC, either school is not a good fit for them or they have experienced bullying or trauma. In those cases I'm hugely supportive.

The rest of the time, I'm really not convinced, particularly for secondary where the topics are covered in depth and learning how to form friendships is so important.

The people to ask is adults who have been HE - would they say it was a good experience, is it something they would want for their own DC.

You can obviously opt out of the funded education offered to all children in the UK, but you are also agreeing to opt out of all associated funding and support deflagrated to the school system. This includes understanding that any exams/ qualifications or lack thereof are your responsibility, as are challenges with post 16 education. Also, schools take a daily register, facilitating an unobtrusive, non-judgemental and efficient initial safeguarding check, so don't kick up a self-righteous fuss about an annual check by your LA. Oh, and the overworked and underpaid EHE team is not attacking you personally when asking for minimal evidence of your statutory responsibility so be polite and don't think they care beyond the legal safeguarding and suitability of education requirements. I'm expecting strawman arguments and untruths to follow from those who believe an astrologer and free spirit on Facebook is best equipped to advise them.

Playing devil's advocate, on that basis if you were an adult who had a terrible time at school then you'd be fully justified in home educating, which on this thread has not been deemed as a justifiable reason.

I was home educated for a couple of years and I was happier during those years than any of the time I was at school. And I was not a child who was bullied.