To wonder how people who homeschool acquire the knowledge to do so?

[Homeschooll]

Just as the title really. I don’t have strong feelings on homeschooling, I don’t think it would be my choice mainly as I have little patience and I don’t feel I know enough about science or maths.

If you do it how do you know what you’re doing is right? What about the pastoral side? How do you make sure there’s a routine?

Just interested really. I’ve found more and more people are doing it.

I think a lot of parents can be quite naive about the quality of education at most state secondary schools. Teacher absence is high, no proper cover is arranged so there’s an ad hoc approach to lessons, work isn’t marked and it’s just about getting through the hour with minimal behaviour issues.

But this is the whole point!

Parents who HE are trying to avoid their children being compartmentalised into a "one-size-fits-all" series of highly tested incremental steps.

There is nothing to "come out in the wash" later. In the main HE produces self-motivated young people who go on to take public exams when and where appropriate and go to college or university.

The current over-tested micro-managed school curriculum is a massive turn-off for may young people that destroys any love of learning.

If I could have afforded not to work I would have home-educated mine for sure. Supporting them through a rigid system fraught with the problems of poor discipline was very hard work.

Unless they themselves were homeschooled this rather suggests that schools are not very good at teaching maths.

My daughter who left secondary school 3 years ago, had to learn so much via teams due to staff shortages - she was basically teaching herself for most subjects! It's an actual laugh to see how many say parents can't support children through GCSEs... Yet the school thought my daughter was fine to do it herself!

Yes school can be great, but it also cannot be great! You are completely right at how naive some parents are over the learning quality from a schools.

If your child can’t cope at school or cannot go to school you have to make it work for them.

I’ve no idea where the idea that Einstein did poorly at school came from. He went to gymnasium (the German and Swiss equivalent of a grammar school) and the Swiss Federal Polytechnic at 16 where he excelled.

I think the premise of the OP assumes that parents acquire knowledge that they then pass on to the children. It is not quite like that. The knowledge comes from a variety of sources: tutors, online resources, shared teaching etc. The parent is not required to know everything themselves.

This response is ridiculous. No one is suggesting your experience isn’t useful and probably great in a school setting, but the idea that you need all these qualifications to take a single child through the primary education syllabus adequately is crazy.

So no, those qualifications are not a “waste”. But not are they necessary for the task of home educating.

Why do teachers need qualifications yet they don’t appear to be necessary to homeschool your own children?

Teachers need qualifications as part of the requirements to apply for a job as a teacher but they aren’t necessary to impart knowledge. I did my PGCE 2002/2003 and most of it was based in school, with practical experience, and that’s the premise of most teacher training. You become a teacher by teaching in other words.

I do think that school is a lot more than teaching and I couldn’t do it myself. While phonics and basic maths aren’t difficult concepts in themselves, imparting and explaining this to very young children is!

Our KS3 curriculum is death by PowerPoint, the units are dull and bitty, behaviour is poor, engagement and motivation is also poor and teacher absence is high. But ofsted say we’re good. So …

When I considered it I spoke to an online school, and they pointed out that as I have 3 children at similar stages I could just hire a teacher to do it for around the same cost of their school fees, with nanny helping with the youngest and doing social/pastoral stuff.

The school addressed concerns and it came to nothing but I bet there are people who do this.

In my case, the "knowledge" came from a love of learning - instilled mainly by my Dad, who was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and never stopped learning himself.

The skills you pick up as you go along, much like you pick up the skills of parenting.

There was no fixed "timetable" as such but there were regular co-ops, sports, socials (there are home ed groups everywhere that families can hook up with) and those regular commitments set the weekly timetable in effect.

We did no more than half a day of academics on any given day, whether that was KS1 or GCSE.

There were absolutely loads of trips, at least one per week, to museums, education workshops (including the kinds that schools access), talks at places like the RI, author talks, lab work, theatre, factory tours, shows - it literally ranging from the sewage works to the Royal Albert Hall.

We did not follow the national curriculum (although obviously we had to follow GCSEs syllabus when the time came.)

All of mine got as many 8-10 I/GCSEs. At least one would have been deemed SEN if in school.

Obviously all of this takes effort on the parents' behalf and a willingness to plug any gap you identify in your own knowledge, skills or available.

Home education and school education are very, very different and therefore the skills required are not the same.

@Jean24601Valjean , my son is a GP my DIL is with their three children full time and is the main person who delivers the schooling during the week when my son is out at work. I think it would be nigh on impossible to provide a proper education if there wasn’t one parent for whom this was a full time responsibility.

All the home educating families I know have 2 working parents.

That’s really interesting - I would have called that remote schooling rather than home-schooling. I know someone else who has done this and it works well for them.

I was forced into home schooling for a short period when the LA didnt have a school place available.

It was primary level if that makes a difference.

I looked at the national curriculumn and then at resources like twinkl and other people that had lesson plans. Then had a stab at 'teaching' those plans.

Maths was very structured and lots of online resources for abd easy to get tutors for.

Writing was hard as I didnt always get what I was supposed to be looking for.

The other subjects were easier.

I had previously volunteered in school hearing and benchmarking readers and supporting maths lessons for 2 half days a week. So I had some examples of what they do.

Financial - tough but zero choice

Great! A Home Education bashing thread!
The correct term is Home Education by the way, Home Schooling is a child doing work set by schools, but at home. Home education is a different philosophy.
The parent doesn’t need to know the subjects they are more facilitators and usually learn with their child.
There is no issue with ‘socialisation’ as there are groups and many activities that the Local Education Authority count as socialising.
Please don’t judge Home Ed parents, they have legitimate reasons to Home Ed and it’s a choice that is NEVER taken lightly.

This thread has been so helpful and encouraging, and full of posts from extremely knowledgeable people; thank you for that!

I have four children, all currently at mainstream school. However, I have concerns about whether one of them will cope at secondary school in a couple of years. He is very bright and academically able, but his autism presents other challenges for him that I worry may be difficult to overcome when he is no longer in his small and supportive primary school. I will definitely consider HE him in the future. I have spent a long time thinking about this, and find the experienced and knowledgeable posters on MN so helpful.

Ok a few answers to questions.

If you don’t have the knowledge to teach, then you facilitate, encourage and motivate using the wealth of resources that are available. This might be text books, online courses or resources, other adults or tutors. There are home ed groups, clubs. Forest school etc. Some are paid for and some are free.

Most adults could figure it out. You join some groups and read up on your rights and responsibilities. Many who home educate do so out of necessity. Almost all parents want the absolute best for their children.

You don’t get fined and can take holidays in term time. It’s a bonus!

Home ed kids can sit exams (although there is a cost involved) and then go on to college and university same as anyone else. They just need to meet the entry requirements for the course.

You don’t need a ‘routine’ unless you decide that’s what works for your child.

I don’t know anyone who thought/thinks home ed is the easy option.

PE or rather sport and exercise do not have to be done in school. If team sport isn’t your thing though you don’t have to endure being last to be picked!

I don’t believe school prepares us for the real world. It’s the most artificial social structure there is. When else are 30+ people of the same age but often little shared interest in the activity on offer lumped together?

Teachers need special skills because they are required to teach 30+ kids at once! That is a very particular skill set. Teaching 1:1 is a very different thing.

There is no requirement to sit as many GCSEs as they do in school or indeed any.

it is possible to work full time and home ed. In particular older kids or where grandparents are involved or parents can tag team. Also home ed can fit around work. There is no need to do as many hours as they would in school. No need for mon-fri 9-3 either. No need for 6 weeks off in the summer either. It’s very flexible.

There is no requirement to follow the national curriculum.

Most GCSEs can be studied for in a year. It all depends on what the rest of your workload is like.

I am a single mum and work full time. I home educated my son through his GCSEs using online courses and resources. He also did art, and we covered PHSE and life skills. He got the grades he needed, went on to college and is now at uni. It was the best thing we could have done and I am super proud of how far he has come.

You missed the point.

The PP said anyone who can’t teach the primary curriculum must be dim. I expressed that I must have wasted my first class honours degree and 30 plus years of experience in educating children.

The Prinary curriculum is by definition aimed at 4-11yr olds and therefore, the level and content should not be out of reach for the average adult (who is presumably not dim) though.
That has nothing to do with your qualifications and experience (or any other schoolteachers').

It is very different teaching your own children in a family setting to teaching a class of 30 or managing an entire school.
Most home educators would probably not be able to do the latter two things (unless they also schoolteachers, of course).
They also don't need to develop a curriculum that addresses the varying needs and levels of 30 different children or an entire school, nor do they need to be skilled in observational assessment of that many children nor any of the other many things a schoolteacher needs to be able to do.

Home ed and school education are two very different things. To be able to do one does not denigrate the other.

But you don't need to follow the curriculum, unless you intend the child to go to school at some stage.

If the child is interested they can study a broader curriculum.

You can also incorporate learning in other subjects. Lots of primary maths can be learned while cooking.

One of my favorite moments in teaching was a 17 year old saying, "Oh I understand that, I never did at school"

QE II was home educated, as was her daughter until she asked to attend school.

Governesses still exist.