Homeschooling on the rise

[HornMeister]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/mar/13/children-failed-why-more-english-parents-home-educating

I'm not surprised. Schools are underfunded and senior schools are locking toilets for most of the day so kids can't even go to the toilet.

Children with SEN are struggling more than ever in environments that are too big with no resources to support them.

I was reading a book on Home Ed the other day which was written in the late 1990s and republished in the early 2000s. It had a list of various common reasons why families might choose to home educate and I found it very interesting that "SEN" wasn't even on there! ("Falling behind academically" and "Behaviour leading to risk of expulsion" both were, and would undoubtably include some SEN pupils, but the huge current category of obediently masking, academically able neurodivergent children who 'school refuse'/are traumatised by the school environment just didn't seem to be a thing).

The archaic school system just doesn’t work as it should, it needs a massive overhaul which is never going to happen.

Home educated my eldest from 10-17 and wish I’d done it earlier. We both loved it and it was right for us at the time. He’s 24 now and still talks about some of the experiences we had.

I don’t think it’s for everyone and my eldest very much enjoyed school but I’m glad it’s more common nowadays and less stigma around it. I know my parents with ND children who find it a godsend as schools don’t work for some of their children.

I think there used to be more special schools. With fewer special schools and councils trying harder to avoid the financial outlays required for such schooling (and the transport), I think homeschooling is likely to become commoner going forward.

Unlike in the US, homeschooling for religious reasons or "because public (state) schools are terrible" seem unusual in the UK, I suppose because we are less religious country and school quality seems more consistent than in the US.