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Original poster

Insane rise in home schooling?

1000 replies

whyohwhy246 · 27/02/2026 11:21

Has anyone else noticed a huge increase in home schooling? Someone I follow in IG has just deregistered their child and I just can’t believe how many families are choosing to do this.

Of course it is sometimes the right choice for the child but it seems that more and more children are being allowed to opt out of formal education.

Teenagers need to learn that life is hard and school will throw challenges at them. How they learn to deal with this impacts how they handle things as an adult. What happens when they enter the work place and they can’t just opt out of the difficult things? Where do they learn that resilience?

I have worked in education for 20 years and whilst I agree that some aspects of the system are broken, I don’t think home schooling is the answer to this.

The social aspect alone is impossible to replicate (walking to school together, having your first crush, a detention, school trips I could go on and on…) but I also don’t see how all of these parents can have the skills to teach their children to GCSE. I also find it so insulting to teachers who spend years learning their craft. It’s not just something you can pick up and do effectively.

Has anyone else noticed this?

OP posts:
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Alwaysontherun · 27/02/2026 19:29

riceuten · 27/02/2026 19:19

There tend to be 4 different types of homeschoolers

  1. Parents who think that homeschooling somehow places pressure on the council to allocate them the school of choice (quite the opposite, in fact)
  2. Parents who are politically extreme and/or religious and either don't want their child (usually daughter) to mix with other genders or don't want their child contaminated with the secular, diverse world we live in
  3. Parents of neurodiverse pupils who don't fit into mainstream schooling and are lacking a SEND school place (I have some sympathy with these)
  4. Parents who are themselves neurodiverse and find it hard to let go

I completely disagree with you here. I certainly don’t fall into any of these categories

JustMeAndTheFish · 27/02/2026 19:30

It’s not something I could have done.

Princess752 · 27/02/2026 19:30

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:28

"Where children are given work, by the school, to do at home"

You're thinking of homework.

Home schooling is where parents educate them at home with workbooks and online lessons, outside of the school system. It's not 'home educating'. There is no such term as that outside the UK. It doesn't even exist. It's home schooling in every country in the world - bar the UK. There is no such thing as 'home educating' elsewhere. It's just homeschooling or home schooling. What you're describing with your children is homeschooling. They are being schooled (taught) at home.

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No that's home education. Look it up. Home schooling is where a child doesn't go to school, but is given work from the school. I know. My son did it and did his gcses at home

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:31

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:23

I haven’t read everything you said because I’m sure it will make me angry but the first point I have is it’s home education, not home schooling.

I’d also like to point out that when you know nothing about something, it’s probably best not to have an opinion on it.

Go learn about home education, the benefits, the freedom, the connection, the fun, the fact it is literally saving lives and then you can make a judgement.

No, it is homeschooling. No such thing as 'home education' in anywhere in the world outside the UK. It makes me irrationally angry when people say 'home education' when they mean homeschooling.

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:32

@callmeLoretta1 Well if you corrected me, I’d laugh at you because you’re wrong. You don’t get to choose the terminology because you think it’s right.

The legal definition is home education, not home schooling. If you deregister, you’re home educating.

God, this is laughable. So confidently completely wrong.

CleverCyanSnake · 27/02/2026 19:32

The real question is why do you care? I honestly would home school my children if I had the means to do so, as the current system is completely outdated and only benefits one style of learning.

FYI I know plenty of teachers who do not hit the mark, if anything it’s an insult to suggest that parents can’t make their own decisions about their children.

There are a whole host of reasons people choose to home educate their children, one huge one being that class numbers are ridiculous! How can you give 30+ children the attention they need?

Do you find everyone who goes against the grain ‘insane’? Not everyone has to follow the crowd or the ‘norm’ you know.

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:32

Princess752 · 27/02/2026 19:30

No that's home education. Look it up. Home schooling is where a child doesn't go to school, but is given work from the school. I know. My son did it and did his gcses at home

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Nope. It's homeschooling in every country in the world (bar the UK). UK uses the wrong term.

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:33

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:32

@callmeLoretta1 Well if you corrected me, I’d laugh at you because you’re wrong. You don’t get to choose the terminology because you think it’s right.

The legal definition is home education, not home schooling. If you deregister, you’re home educating.

God, this is laughable. So confidently completely wrong.

No, I'm not wrong. No other country calls it 'home education'. That should be the clue the UK is wrong. Don't know why the UK can't be normal like all other countries.

UltraHorse · 27/02/2026 19:33

The fact that a child is bullied at school does not turn out someone magically able to cope with bullying and prepared for life it can definitely have the opposite effect

Flyingintotheunknown · 27/02/2026 19:34

geekygardener · 27/02/2026 19:01

I wanted to add something about the social aspect of school. Most children are forced together with people they have little in common with. Learning to get on with different people and conform is a lesson in fear and survival. These are not real ‘friends’ in the true sense. Most children just go along with the crowd through fear of being bullied and many end up doing things through peer pressure.

Children in school only see friends for 10 minutes in the morning and maybe a short time at lunch. However, they are often waiting in the lunch line for the whole of the allotted time. The rest of the social aspect of school is learning to sit and wait for teachers to deal with disruptive students. Let’s all be honest this is in no way akin to the adult ‘real’ world.

Children are no longer encouraged to discuss their learning and opinions on topics. Collaboration is non existent. Students are not allowed to talk in lessons. Schools no longer teach proper time management and organisation skills. They claim they do with these rigid rules, but then give 1 hour detentions for being a minute late. This is not teaching children how to manage their time effectively in order to get their work done or how to deal with the real life situation of being late for work. They are not allowed to think for themselves or problem solve when these situations arise.

I agree about the toilet comment from pp. Children at my DDs school can only go at lunch time, but it’s often too busy so they have to choose between getting lunch or using the toilet. If they are waiting for the toilet when the bell goes they are told to go to lesson without going and the toilets remain locked for the rest of the day. My dd tells me that the lunch hall is so busy many students don’t make it to the front of the line by the time the bell goes and are told tough by staff. They have to go to lesson without having eaten. She tells me there is nowhere to sit and eat, so definitely no where to sit, eat and chat. How is this socialisation beneficial? Why do we need/want our children to learn that they must fight to the front of a queue or go hungry/go a full day without being able to use the toilet. This is not exclusive to DDs school either, many parents and friends have told me similar stories.

How is that setting them up for the world of work? Imagine being at work and not being able to run ideas past your colleagues, not being able to share struggles with colleagues, not being able to check your understanding of something with managers or colleagues or not being able to talk to others, other than for 10 minutes a day. Ridiculous. If my manager told me I’d missed my allocated toilet time so would have to hold it for the rest of the day, or she told me I didn’t manage to eat in time so would now have to go hungry, I’d think she was having a mental health crisis.

This magical social aspect of school that home educated children are missing out on is a load of rubbish. I think most people would be more than happy to miss out on it. If it was like this at work people would be aghast.

Home education has the ability to allow children such as rich and meaningful social education and experience. What are they missing out on? Learning they are not allowed to use the toilet or eat all day unless they can push others and beat them to the front of a queue? That they must sit in silence looking at 4 walls while staff spend half the lesson dealing with disruption? That they must wear certain clothes or do certain things to fit in even if that’s harmful? That they will get bullied and no one will listen and they have to just quietly put up with it? That they get to see some friends for 10 minutes a day while getting drenched in the rain as they are not allowed coats on the school grounds? That they have their socialisation monitored and are told what to think and feel?

Many highly intelligent people struggled when I was at university because they could not get on bored with the self directed learning. School does not teach this. School does not encourage educational curiosity.

I agree. In my DS school, each lesson has a ‘seating plan’ where they are forced to sit next to and work with children they do not really know or get along with. And yes in reality when we have a job and go to work we are also forced to have to work with and put up with people we don’t like sometimes. The difference is that bullying in the workplace seems to be taken way more seriously than bullying at school. I was forced to sit next to and interact with groups of kids at school who bullied me and nothing was done about it.

I also do not see what getting an hours detention is teaching kids when in reality at the work place you aren’t going to be forced to stay behind for an hour for being a minute late. You may have to make up time you have lost but you make up that exact time. They don’t make you stay behind an hour for being a few minutes late. All this nonsense with being strict on uniform and footwear. Some workplaces still have uniforms but many are way more relaxed nowadays than they were 20 years ago. Nobody is going to give you the sack for having a bit of white stitching showing on your black shoes.

Also the having to sit in silence at schools is preparing them for what exactly - what workplace makes you sit in silence all day and not be allowed to have an opinion? 😂 Yes there are times like in meetings and discussions where you have to sit and listen and be quiet but you also have your chance to speak and put across your own opinions. This now seems to be a no go in the classroom

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:34

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:31

No, it is homeschooling. No such thing as 'home education' in anywhere in the world outside the UK. It makes me irrationally angry when people say 'home education' when they mean homeschooling.

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But we’re in the UK. It is home education, that is a fact. You simply can’t argue against a fact.

Do you home ed? Because I do and therefore have some experience on this topic.

I’m not sure why you are correcting everyone with disinformation. You’re wrong, so very wrong

UltraHorse · 27/02/2026 19:35

Doing a project about fossil fuels at age nine doesn't prepare you for much either

CantBreathe90 · 27/02/2026 19:35

At 36, I still frequently have stress dreams about school! Despite being NT, going to a relatively "good" state school and getting good grades. I wish I'd been home-schooled, if I'm honest! Mine both seem happy at primary, but no way would I force them in somewhere if they were miserable. After all, you wouldn't be expected to just endure a miserable situation (for five years!) as an adult. You'd leave your partner or change jobs or go to HR or whatever.

HowDoYouSolveAProblemLikeMyRear · 27/02/2026 19:36

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 16:57

Home schooling is being sent home from school to complete work set by school.

No, that is called homework.

Home schooling is the proper term and the term used in every single country - bar the UK. If anyone use 'home educate' in front of me I always correct them. I cannot abide 'home educate/d'.

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Homework: work set to be completed at home by a child who is educated in a school, full time.

Homeschooling, as legally defined in the UK: school sets the work and educates the child, but the work is all done at home.

Elective home education, as legally defined in the UK: parents take full responsibility for the child's education, without any school support.

I've defined these in my own words, but homeschooling and home educating are legally defined terms in the UK (even if we do use them differently from the rest of the world!).

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:38

HowDoYouSolveAProblemLikeMyRear · 27/02/2026 19:36

Homework: work set to be completed at home by a child who is educated in a school, full time.

Homeschooling, as legally defined in the UK: school sets the work and educates the child, but the work is all done at home.

Elective home education, as legally defined in the UK: parents take full responsibility for the child's education, without any school support.

I've defined these in my own words, but homeschooling and home educating are legally defined terms in the UK (even if we do use them differently from the rest of the world!).

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They won’t accept this well explained response 🤣 they prefer to ignore reality and keep correcting people who know what they’re talking about with complete bollocks.

Alwaysontherun · 27/02/2026 19:38

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:34

But we’re in the UK. It is home education, that is a fact. You simply can’t argue against a fact.

Do you home ed? Because I do and therefore have some experience on this topic.

I’m not sure why you are correcting everyone with disinformation. You’re wrong, so very wrong

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Does it really matter what it is called?

I have homeschooled for 10 years, and yes we call it homeschooling. If someone else wants to call it home educating that’s fine. So long as the kids are receiving a suitable education that is all that matters.

UltraHorse · 27/02/2026 19:38

Wow leaky gardener I wish I could express things as well as you totally agree with you

mrssteveharringtonthe1st · 27/02/2026 19:39

Well I can't speak for everyone but I home educated my highly academic eldest for several years. He then went back to school, but after a year we pulled him out again. He was unchallenged, bored stiff and fed up with his peers who were constantly disrupting learning. He's absolutely miles ahead academically of his schooled peers.

I think the idea of school being the best place for children is so culturally embedded now that people can't fathom doing things differently and thus prefer to assign lazy stereotypes to all home educators. Or when they blame any issues a home educated child has on the fact they do not attend school, but do not seem to think to do the same the other way for schooled children.

Princess752 · 27/02/2026 19:40

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:32

Nope. It's homeschooling in every country in the world (bar the UK). UK uses the wrong term.

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Home education is what the local authority call it. You are wrong. I have official letters here with it as home education

Kazzybingbong · 27/02/2026 19:42

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:33

No, I'm not wrong. No other country calls it 'home education'. That should be the clue the UK is wrong. Don't know why the UK can't be normal like all other countries.

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Except you are wrong because we are in the fucking UK!

Do you drive on the right side because other countries do that so it must be the right thing?

Funnily enough, you’re making me irrationally angry now. I’ve never communicated with someone who is so wrong but so adamant that they’re right.

In the UK, the legal definition is home education. That’s it, no argument, no ‘well it’s not called that anywhere else’ it is called that here. The end.

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:44

Princess752 · 27/02/2026 19:40

Home education is what the local authority call it. You are wrong. I have official letters here with it as home education

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And it's wrong, and it should be corrected, the Department for Education should change it. That's my point.

Psychosislotus · 27/02/2026 19:44

MintTwirl · 27/02/2026 18:34

Those groups vary a lot and have different purposes. There are some that are more for supporting parents, letting them know responsibilities and where they stand legally and there are also many for sharing ideas and resources too. I am in a huge number of them, seperate groups for each GCSE subject for example.

Also as with any Facebook groups, some are just a bit crap and full of people giving incorrect information.

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It must have been one about legal and parents then because it was pretty wild!

mrssteveharringtonthe1st · 27/02/2026 19:46

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:44

And it's wrong, and it should be corrected, the Department for Education should change it. That's my point.

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What a bizarre view.

Princess752 · 27/02/2026 19:47

callmeLoretta1 · 27/02/2026 19:44

And it's wrong, and it should be corrected, the Department for Education should change it. That's my point.

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Why? Because your angry? Get a grip

Flomingho · 27/02/2026 19:48

Maybe the home schooled children were having their lives made a misery by bullies which schools don't do enough about. Although education and socialising with others is important, the parents are putting their children's mental wellbeing first.

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