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Home ed

Find advice from other parents on our Homeschool forum. You may also find our round up of the best online learning resources useful.

Original poster

Many parents don't know that elective home education is legal and successful as an alternative to school education.

88 replies

julienoshoes · 08/11/2013 21:53

www.yorksj.ac.uk/news---events/news---events-home/news/children-dont-have-to-go-to-s.aspx

"It is a scandal that parents and children can suffer so much trauma from problems with schools and do not know there is a valid, successful alternative. Too often schools fail parents and children and one solution may be home education. It is a controversial inadequacy and loss that the government do not actively educate the country's parents about alternative educational options such as home education. State information about education keeps most parents in the dark about such options. The parents I spoke to didn't like that. We need more information in the public domain rather than relying on word of mouth. A variety of educational pathways is the right of all, not just a privileged few."

OP posts:
SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:03

It is all quite clear on the Gov UK site explaining education. It isn't difficult to find out about.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:04

Certainly it's an option,but dependent upon parent being available to home ed
Not all parents have the ability or social set up that supports a parent to home ed
I do associate home ed as a middle class activity

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:04

It's not if your child has a statement and is registered at a special school.

southeastastra · 08/11/2013 22:05

need to have money to be able to stay at home for 12 years though don't you

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:06

You don't need to have money, but you do need different priorities and be flexible about your lifestyle not being what people normally aspire to.

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:12

Schools are very competitive these days, they do the hard sell of why to send to them, they don't suggest the school down the road or educating at home! It would be like HEers being told they could send to school- it irritates them so why is it OK the other way?
I have never met anyone who doesn't know they can't HE.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:13

What's that mean lifestyle people don't aspire to?work is necessary to be solvent
most work is conducted when kids at school,so if home ed parent that option is unavailable
It requires a certain solvency or tailored work pattern

bebanjo · 08/11/2013 22:14

its not just parents that don't know, teaching assistants, teachers and some head teachers don't know.
and most that do know think we ether live like the Amish, keep the children in the cellar or hot house them at the kitchen table.

educate the uk about home education.

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:20

Well I know a HEer who lives in a commune and lives off the land, selling her produce to the landowner. She made her own hut out of ash wood and a fire in the winter only when she can get enough wood.

In periods of non-work she drives a lorry she adapted around Europe with her two primary aged kids.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:22

So just a regular maw then

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:23

Living in a commune,self sufficient lady trucker.aye that a common demographic

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:26

If a parent can't manage to google and find out the law, education and their rights I would question whether they are suited to HE. It is hardly difficult! If you look at GOV.UK it couldn't be any plainer!
I also don't know anyone who doesn't know they could, most of them just don't want to do it. They choose school.
It always appears to me on MN that if someone goes down the traditional route on anything it is because they are ignorant and don't know the options! It is never because they have all the same information and come to a different decision.

bebanjo · 08/11/2013 22:27

I have never met anyone who doesn't know they can't HE.

do you ask everyone you ever meet?

i have lost count of how many people i know/ have met that did not know home ed was legal.

my DH's boss,
his wife,
every one i met at toddler group, incidentally they all believed children must attend nursery at 3.
a teaching assistant,
a primary school teacher,
a head master,
random strangers at bus stops,
shop staff,
nurses,

really, i am out and about with DD and she gets asked all the time why she is not in school and when she tells them they look at me and ask what she means. then they tell me i'll get in trouble, am i a teacher ect ect.

it really is that bad.

diplodocus · 08/11/2013 22:29

Of course it's an option (and I think most people know that), but not a panacea. Home ed could be just as traumatising as school in some circumstances. It would certainly ruin my relationship with DD1 if we did it - would probably work OK for DD2 though.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:30

Look if you've not got savvy to google home ed,then that's your look out
It's not a hidden secret,it's in the domain,it's not an institutional conspiracy
Undoubtedly there are blogs about home ed too

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:33

I don't actually ask them so I suppose I don't have a cross section.
However people must need to find out about when to send to school, how to choose a school, how to apply etc. the GOV UK site explains it all and gives equal weighting to HE. I don't see what more they can do. Since HEers get so cross with people explaining they could be in school I really don't think it fair to expect the school to say 'you can HE you know'!

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:33

Commune trucker lady decided HE was more important than working in a regular job and having to fund building insurance.

She doesn't have a lock on her door either so doubt she's bothered with contents either.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:35

Yes because that is a common demographic.all us with Hgv licence can snap to it

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:35

There is masses about HE all over the Internet. If people can't access it then should they be educating their children- what else will the miss and then moan 'we didn't know?'
If you don't know - find out!

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:42

I have just tested it in google with the basic 'do I have to send my child to school?' I comes up with all you want, or need,to know.
It is pathetic to bleat 'no one told me'. The Internet makes everything immediately accessible. If parents have to be told everything perhaps their child is better in school- what else will they miss because 'no one told them'.

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:43

I don't see why getting a HIV licence is harder than say getting a promotion to fund a bigger house.

It's a matter of creativity and flexibility, and ultimately priorities.

Under normal circumstances this single mum would not be able to HE, so she changed her circumstances.

Recently, in barrow-in-Furness, ex-council houses were going for £11k and 2 for the price of one, available PROVIDED you live in one of them for 2 years. Many who work in London, even in low paid jobs, could afford that, renting out the other house for income and be an Avon rep.

I dunno. I'm saying it depends on your priorities and it is available to anyone who is determined to do it enough to make the sacrifice.

StarlightMcKenzie · 08/11/2013 22:44

Hgv

SatinSandals · 08/11/2013 22:44

It is also on MN, equally under education with everything else.

bebanjo · 08/11/2013 22:46

i really think your missing the point.
if a parent asks a teacher and the teacher says its illegal the parent believes the teacher, they are an educator they would know.

scottishmummy · 08/11/2013 22:48

It is illegal in Scotland to be drunk and in charge of a cow
We need to protect bovines from drunkards and educate public
The public always don't need told what they need to gen up on