A wave of illiterate “home schooled” children

[RedSkyatNight25]

Prepared to get torn apart, and I know many homeschool because the school environment isn’t right for their children (SEN, sensory issues - whatever else) and their needs aren’t met by school with a chronic lack of SEN placements and too much demand etc. I’m not naive to that. I also know some parents with adequate resource will ensure their children have a rounded education whilst being homeschooled.

But there seems to be a movement to homeschooling by people who are simply anti establishment with a point to prove. Their grammar and communication on social media tells me they’re not equipped to homeschool a child. Not least I think the socialisation and soft skills school provides are hugely important too. I suspect most of these parents either haven’t considered the benefits of school or hugely underestimated it, especially past primary are parents really equipped to teach ALL the subjects with sufficient skill if they lack the knowledge themselves? Are they not underestimating the skills and expertise of qualified teachers?

AIBU to think it’s really concerning? These are the next generation of our workforce and infrastructure. I personally think we are hugely privileged to live in a country with free education - I know it’s not perfect but I’m not convinced homeschooling is better for a vast majority.

You’re attributing iffended wgere there is none.

Im simply pointing out unused you've done it you have no idea, only guess work. if you’re offended by that being pointed out, then so be it

Home Ed can be brilliant, especially if the parents made a conscious choice to home ed and have a defined plan.

However, you're not wrong that there's a wave of "unschoolers" who think that children will naturally just want to learn the things they need and never need to do anything they find boring or hard. There's not a lot of research but what there is suggests that it doesn't work.

Anecdotally, I was considering home ed and one thing that put me off was the number of people who, as you say, were barely literate themselves but extremely proud that their child had made a model out of playdough without prompting, or drawn a picture, or made a sandwich, or any of the other things that most children do spontaneously after school without fanfare, and thought this showed how much more creative, independent and original their child was than schooled children. Or self-congratulatory posts about how they had a chat about fossils today and googled a question, as if parents of schooled children don't talk to them.

Then there's the parents who never wanted to home ed but their child won't go to school and they can't get the support to deal with it so they just stop going.

Abx tgat can also be said of schooled families - they choose which clubs to attend and choose who to mix with. It’s silly to say otherwise.

Well lucky you for having hit on the perfect set up. Perhaps you could share it with others who have said they find cultivating friendships more challenging, or even those who might be worried about their child being lonely if they home ed.

@NettleandBramble, @spicetails I’ll reply to you both and I hope it makes sense, because I’m not an expert or anything.

In my opinion, it is imperative to look at demographics first what percentage of kids belong to x,y,groups compared to schools. Then you compare like for like (adjusting the proportions if there is over representation).

I’ll be honest, it does bug me that there is no real data available on EHE children at all, not necessarily for comparison.Demographics, outcomes (not just academic ) etc.

Depending on the reason for EHE , unschooling can be absolutely necessary in order to get the child back on track and to actually be ready to learn… anything.

It’s nothing magic. It’s simply getting out there and being active and finding what works. There’s no hard and fast rule.

If you’re feel offended by someone who has done both speaking up then that’s up to you.

But they don’t get that choice when they are in school. And they are with other children. There will be HE who get virtually no time with their peers.

Interestingly today we had a meeting with LA who have suggested we home Ed as school can't meet needs and child won't get GCSEs so there no point staying enrolled in a school.
No other options available it's literally a school that's proven not to meet needs or home Ed.

It's cheeper and easier for LA to get SEN children to home Ed than actually give them an education

You are thinking of de-schooling which is the idea that children who have been "programmed" by school need a period of time to re-adjust before reintroducing learning. Again, not supported by any evidence, but I can see the logic behind the theory.

Unschooling isn't a temporary measure to "recover" from school- it's a permanent plan which means that you only teach your child what they ask to learn and there is little to no formal learning. You just live life and expect children to soak it up by osmosis. Fine for basic life skills, not so fine for algebra.

"Unschooling, also known as natural learning or self-directed education, is a non-structured, child-centered approach to education where learning occurs through daily life, personal interests, and play rather than a formal curriculum or scheduled lessons. Parents act as facilitators, providing resources and opportunities for the child to follow their curiosity, learn at their own pace, and decide what, how, and when they want to learn."

In my experience those who home Ed and don't mix is usually because the child can't manage mixing until they have recovered from school trauma. This can take time to recover before child is open and able to manage new things.

Honestly, I don't get the idea of parents who can't be arsed opting to home Ed. It is 1000 times easier to drop a child (who can attend/cope) at school 5 days a week if you can't be bothered to do things with them than have them at home

Those who electively home Ed do so because they want to spend time educating and learning with their child

Or

Those forced to home Ed because schools can't meet needs/school is causing trauma

And this is ,in my very cynical opinion, why there is no real data available, or a will to collect such data. That, and the fact that the right demanding things comes with extra responsibilities, and LAs are notorious for trying to shrink theirs.

A lot of these responses, of which quite a few are irrational judgements from people who have had no direct experience of home ed themselves, seem to be coming from a place of fear.

Fear based on how they would feel if it was their child who was perceived as being 'behind'. Behind in handwriting or socialisation or not being 'able' to get a job or being too 'young'. In short being different in any sense in their eyes makes that child vulnerable. What a depressing view of the world. I would expect a bit more from grown adults than to expect all children to conform to a rigid system to be successful. I am afraid they are one ones who will end up on the 'outside' in a world that is no longer about churning out identical workers.

Home schooling was not a choice for our family. Without home school, my autistic teen would have no GCSEs and possible no longer be with us at all. This way she is in the land of the living and happy to be learning. How I wish I could drop her off at the school gates and wave her off as she greets her friends!!! These types of incendiary posts are adding to the trauma of families like ours. How many home educators are the people you describe and how many are actually desperate families who have been abandoned by the system??

I am not offended by your disagreeing, I just find your comms style quite aggressive. You seemed to suggest there was some secret formula I couldn't possibly know unless I had experienced home ed for years, and yet now you say it's just "getting out there". I get out there more than most I think, but my children still gravitate towards their school friends rather than other people we encounter along the way, in the main (not exclusively , as I said).

Anyway, it doesn't massively matter. Is just a discussion.

Sorry , yes you’re right. I’m poorly and exhausted so I should probably just be quiet for a while.

YANBU
I am not in contact with my mum but I know that she took my step brother out of school at age 11 to homeschool. He is now 23, has never had a job, a girlfriend, friends!! Her idea of homeschooling is like you say learning to cook ect. He basically spent the time he should have been at school playing call of duty.
I met a woman recently who also claims to have homeschooled her children, her 20 year old daughter hasn’t taken any exams or had a job, her 13 year old son can’t read.

There’s a reason why it takes Teachers years of studying and hard work to become qualified. Most parents who Homeschool are woefully inadequate at doing so. I suspect in a few years we’ll look back aghast at how it was even allowed.

As a qualified teacher I can categorically state that the skills I need to teach a group of 30 ish is very different to the skills I need to teach a small group or 1:1 lesson.

I have taught professionally in full classes, small groups and 1:1

Home Ed is also about facilitating rather than teaching like you would in a school.

Being a qualified teacher is not a requirement of being a home educator in fact many of the best home educators I know don't have a teaching background (although many others home educators do)

@Elleherd It sounds absolutely vile. I remember being bullied and beaten at school and it was 55 years ago.
I sincerely hope these events did not happen at Primary school.
The person I am thinking of is affluent and could easily attend a middle of the road Primary. They choose not to and that seems wrong to me.

Some teachers are obviously amazing, but having a pgce doesn't make you a specialist or expert. The discussion here is as though teachers are magical, mystical beings, the chosen few with special powers who are the only ones who could possibly teach.

Again. It's unusual for home ed parents to deliver the entire curriculum. Have you read the posts from home ed parents explaining how education is delivered in an out-of-school setting?

As pp have mentioned, many teachers home educate - I know quite a few - and their perspective on it all is interesting.

Most parents who Homeschool are woefully inadequate at doing so

What data are you referring to here?

Home education isn’t about parents pretending to be teachers or running a PGCE at the kitchen table. It’s a legally recognised form of education that draws on tutors, online courses, libraries, museums, and community groups to create something schools often can’t: a tailored, flexible path for the child. A PGCE trains someone to manage a class of 30; it doesn’t prove that learning outside a classroom is automatically second-rate.

I have never met a home edder who is anti establishment either and to stop the other usual refrain, home edders ARE inspected. Local Authorities have specific departments for this.

There are roughly 150,000 home-ed children in this country, you’ve maybe met a few. Many take GCSEs earlier and achieve higher than their schooled peers. At our local comprehensive only 21% get five GCSEs at grade 4/5 or above. In the home-ed community, the rate is far higher. Please reconsider whether mainstream education automatically delivers better outcomes.

No other options available it's literally a school that's proven not to meet needs or home Ed.

There are other options. LAs rarely offer them without being forced, but they absolutely do exist and parents can force LAs to provide provision. Obviously if parents choose to EHE, that is their decision and is a completely valid choice.

Yes I know the options exist but the battle is exhausting and just when you think your making headway, they throw a new curve ball or barrier your way