To understand why so many home educate

[OPthefirst]

I am a teacher and a parent. Recently there have been quite a number of times I thought that home education or a move to a small private school are two more beneficial options for my children. I have taught in both sectors, currently in state ed, as our my children. My state secondary is struggling. So much paperwork and bureaucracy that the children’s learning despite being stated as of highest importance is really at a loss. I try my hardest to hold core values: decency, politeness, respect for self and others, installing the benefits of reading, writing and communication, but I am battling against the gamifying of education. Training days on how to conduct online games using smart phones! I have taught in a couple of lovely private schools in the past and was part of a culture of deep thinking, a focus on academia but also a focus on self and how we can be the best we can be. State secondary seems to be a battle and many children are losing out.
Children need nurtured, not rushed through curricula, targets, just simply to tick a box.
I know my children are struggling with the high intensity of busyness with noise and bluster, not the busyness of thinking.

My DD was born in 2003, around the time EYFS was introduced. At three, nursery had to observe and verify 67 developmental indicators. That she sailed though a further 13 years of extreme data collection feels like a miracle, and a tribute to all her teachers and to her. She went to a small, Christian private school for sixth form, unplanned but she had the chance to try for a music scholarship. Now, I really understand why some parents make so many sacrifices to privately educate their DC.

I completed my dissertation on the great leveller of reading. Reading for enjoyment breaks barriers of disadvantage and children who read are statistically more likely to rise out of poverty in later life. Proven fact. Less wealthy children need reading and access to books more than ever. My state school doesn’t have a library. It is very upsetting!

There are better state ones.

Our one form local primary has lower than average funding but has a library, a focus on values, still seems relatively similar to my own primary school experience.

My only complaint would be the use of too many apps - apps for reading comprehension, for maths & timetables, google classroom, dojo Island. I work really hard to limit my kids screen time at home but feel my efforts are just undone by school.

I don’t doubt there are state schools holding the tide and fighting against the gamifying of education, but I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to say that some of our most deprived children are being denied a good, solid education. I withdrew my children from any app homework. The breaking point was my four year old being asked to spend 30 minutes three times on a week on an app reading from AI.

That is shocking! So glad you were able to withdraw them from online homework.

I'm also a teacher, parent to a baby so nowhere near school yet. I can see so many benefits to home education, if done properly - if I could, I'd put my DC in a programme like Kumon for primary and get tutors for secondary as well as working through textbooks and workbooks with my supervision.

I'm not an expert in EYFS, primary or outside my subject in secondary, which concerns me. But then I know one student could do the same work from a 50 minute lesson in under 10 minutes usually, without the corralling of 30 students and trying to attend to everyone's varied needs and behaviour.

I absolutely plan to ask to withdraw my DC from online homework if possible, at least in infant school. We don't have an iPad or tablet at home and it seems like such overkill! Do young children even benefit from homework anyway?

Completely comprehend your points lovely Soul, my dear Children suffer immense Sensory Overload & overwhelm oftentimes 💚