Why do parents opt for Homeschooling?

[consciousmum]

I am curious, why parents opt for homeschooling, when education in state schools is free and quite decent?
Thanks in advance!

Quite decent? Really?

Bullying is rife
Sexual assault is rife
Education is over run with kids who have no basic understanding of the importance of education
Pass rates are ‘good’ at 50%
Teachers have very little power and detention teaches nothing.

DD, who is autistic, was quite literally traumatised going though the system. When I eventually took her out it was life changing for her.

Free isn't always good.

Because that’s what parents and/ or children want or is believe is best suited
SEN that are unmet in school
Mental health issues
belief systems incompatible with or not fostered in schools nearby
Not able to get into local schools
Disregard for formal education at all,
or after a certain age.
Gifted kid not sufficiently stimulated or developed at school
bullying
children who are adopted or have been in the care system and who haven’t coped in school

These are reasons I know of among people I’m acquainted with (not a homeschooler, mine attend mainstream state)

it’s not rocket science, easily googleable :/

My DD suddenly developed anxiety around attending school. She was 13yrs old at the time. She got to the stage where she couldn’t even enter the building. For the few months prior to this stage, she was being given work to do in a separate room away from her classmates, but this wasn’t working long term (she wasn’t being given the work!). Ultimately, we knew the best thing for her would be to remove her from school.

It has been a year and a half already, and we are seeing so many positive changes. She will be sitting her exams at different times to her peers, but it is all happening at a pace that suits her. She’ll get there 😊.

I’m hoping to homeschool my baby all the way through. I want to spend as much time as possible with her although I will enrich her with other activities to encourage her socialising with kids her age. I will also encourage her to go to college or university if she wishes when she has formed her own identity.

I loved primary school and hated secondary school, at SS I got in with the wrong crowd, smoked, drank had sex all way too early and now I’m having therapy to fix the shame I have. I also dressed and acted in certain ways to fit in or to appease others. Prior to this I was a lovely child, I could play multiple instruments and had so many hobbies such as theatre. I was a baby and was subjected and shown so much (starting from year 7.) I hated my mum, hated the teachers, hated myself (self harm etc) A child wouldn’t have changed like that and lost their integrity without the guidance of others. I could’ve got fantastic grades but that would’ve been “uncool” so I didn’t even show to certain exams.

I have a family member who is in secondary now and has had absolutely no support despite being on the spectrum and having a bit of a ride at secondary school. Mum and school are fighting a tug of war constantly and it’s painful to watch and unfair on the child.

I feel bad for teachers but they are often times overworked and in secondary they are literally abused by students and I think it dampens certain teachers souls a little.

Also not secondary but primary. A friend of mine had a 5 year old coming home saying they need an iPhone and a iPad because other classmates had them. Also her attitude massively changed from sweet young girl to attitude problem within a matter of weeks (all learned behaviour unfortunately.)

So many parents don't "opt". Home education groups are full of parents whose dc were suicidal/self harming/school refusing due to neuro divergence or mental health issues and they were receiving zero support in school. My dc has a statement, in September when she started back there was no assistant for her. In October there was still no assistant. In November I was told there was an assistant for Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. This is a child who requires 100% supervision. She only attended school for the first 10 days last term and I have yet to receive a single phonecall from the school to ask about her.

@Nttttt I'm very pro home education, but your post reads that it's about fulfilling your needs rather than your "baby's".

"DD, who is autistic, was quite literally traumatised going though the system. When I eventually took her out it was life changing for her."

Exactly this but for DS

DD, who is autistic, was quite literally traumatised going though the system. When I eventually took her out it was life changing for her

I would absolutely advocate for specialist schools - ASD for example, quiet schools, very little or no changes or surprises, transitions to be quick.

Bar the core subjects the children could enrich themselves in Hubie’s, music or anything really without following ridged curriculum / Pace

They could get extra tuition of social skills.

Most ASD children are bright - they just need a better system.

Very odd that you’d use quotation marks for baby…

How is mine and other people’s experiences not something I would choose my child’s path based on? If you (and multiple others) had a crap experience of something why would you then put your child through that. I’ve heard no one in my life praise the SS their child is at, only be upset that their child isn’t receiving the care/attention they deserve.

I think my child learning to express herself, figuring out her out her own interests and becoming her own person are all valid points.

I don’t understand what would be your reasons to be pro-HE if not those?

Because the education isn’t quite decent. My child was hurt repeatedly at his special school and at a meeting with the senco, head teacher, EWO, we were told it was something they couldn’t control because “that was the cohort he was in”. If your child was slapped and punched and terrified in order to receive an “education” you too would have to home school.
In the groups we joined over the years he was at home of which there were many, the vast majority of homeschoolers had additional needs. It’s not the parents who should be ashamed of that.

I'd have wondered this too, op. Until one of my own dcs became unable to attend school due to ASD. We don't homeschool, she will be joining an online school, and yes I'd far rather she attended school but it is what it is.

@consciousmum go on the Facebook group "not fine in school".
Then you will understand why so many children are being homeschooled.
"quite decent" - ha ha ha ha ha that's hilarious!

@Scarletttulips
Ds had problems from Nursery but despite first seeing a Paediatrician as a three year old he didn't get an ASD diagnosis until he was 12. Therefore no access to a specialist school or unit.

It took a further year to get ASD added to his Statement (in Northern Ireland we still have statements.) By this time irreparable damage had been done to his mental health and his confidence.

Home Education has been a godsend for both of us. I wish I had started much earlier.

HahahahhahHhahahahhahahahhahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahaha.

Gimme a sec.... hahhahahahhahahahahhaha.

I didn’t opt for it. Dd is autistic and school couldn’t meet her needs but the LA refused a special school so I had no choice. (Mainstream accepted they couldn’t meet her needs) I’m on a home ed group on Facebook though and a lot of them just home educate through choice though

Like so many parents who move to home education it was when the school was no longer a viable option.

Son blossomed with home education.
Failed every subject in his last school report in Y10. Had severe anxiety and was constantly sick.

Came out of home education with all 8s, 9s and A*s. And more importantly came out happy and confident.

Moved from IGCSEs straight to an Open university degree and is overseas studying and volunteering in an orphanage in Asia.

Best decision we ever made and wish we had of done it years earlier.

@TimeToChange23 what a brilliant story. If I may ask what age was he when he did his GCSEs and how did he go straight to a degree?

Asking because we may need to think out of the box for my Y10

@Scarletttulips

You can advocate for whatever you like: but I stand by my decision being the best for DD. A specialist school is not what DD needs. The opportunity for 'enrichment' leaves a sick taste in my mouth. I have a child who is selective mute and deeply anxious around anyone but her immediate family. We work in this in her own time.

Many have been failed by other schools - as shown in this thread.
but there are others who are home educated for reasons that are more to do with their mothers’ (and it is always mothers) reluctance to ‘let them go’ or because they want to shelter them from the real world, I’ve met several children like this and it is very sad to see.

In my case, it was because I had two autistic children who couldn't cope with state secondary school. Neither were diagnosed at the time and both had been to primary school, although they'd had problems there too.

Just to explain how traumatic secondary school was for my children: my older child had a breakdown; my younger child developed an eating disorder. We also think it was the trigger that triggered his autoimmune disease.

I was able to get one child into a special school after a couple of years of home ed (his choice). My DH and I continued to home-educate my other child. He's off to sixth-form college later this year 😊.

.

Ill-informed and sexist.

This is a very curious post.

Anyway, some major reasons are:

1. A situation where MS school doesn't/won't meet the needs of the child;
2. A philosophical preference for home education as opposed to institution-based education;
3. A desire to provide a tailored/alternative curriculum;
4. A need to provide stable education when there will be other disruption in the future - e.g relocations.

Lightswerve - not sexist, factual. I’ve encountered many homeschooled children in all cases they were being educated by a SAHM.
Many women have also given up jobs to homeschool children that have been failed by the school system - it is very rarely men who take this on. If you are going to homeschool it does mean one parent not working!

OU requires no prior qualifications for most courses and they can start, I believe from 16 years old.

They can even opt for a certificate of higher education gaining 60 credits out of the 360 credits needed for a bachelors.