What do you think of home education?

[bandthenjust]

Please don't think this is a troll/journalist post! I'm genuinely interested in what educational professionals think about home education.

Well, there are many different ways of doing HE. Some brilliant, some okay, some poor, and some non-existent as far as education is concerned.
The real issue I have with HE is not HE itself, but the complete lack of any regulation or assessment of progress. Also the complete lack of anyone outside the home seeing the child, let alone building a relationship with the child, and the safeguarding issues that throws up.

I agree BackforGood

Also there is an almost intangible factor when you have a group of children learning/discovering something and sparking things off each other. It's more than the sum of its parts and deepens their learning and understanding (and enjoyment). I've found this to be especially true with very bright children who can be particularly creative and challenge each other to achieve new things. This is usually led/facilitated by excellent teacher/s and I just don't see how this can be consistently replicated in a home situation.

Also,allowing learning to be 'child led' only works so far. Sometimes they need to learn things that they may not enjoy or see the value of.
However,I'm sure the Home Ed fraternity wouldn't concur.

I certainly think all children should be accounted for wherever they're educated. It's basic safeguarding.

I also think it's good for a child to have a life of their own, away from parents and the home, for part of the day!

I see some HE very into the meet ups and different books and computer programmes visits sports etc and others who do a few minuets a day 'child led'

One is OK and the children thrive, the other I think the child suffers

I've taught a number of kids who were home-ed'd and then jumped into mainstream for GCSEs or A' Levels. Some were Very Odd and didn't last. Most struggled to cope in school but got by because they clicked with other socially awkward pupils. A few were OK with their year group, but they were the minority.

Most were very bright or reasonably able in some subjects. Few were 'all-rounders; and few were average or less able.

Some were home educated because it was what the parents planned to do, but quite a few were taken out of school because of bullying or other unhappy experiences.

It's hard to draw conclusions because they miss so much of an ordinary childhood- not saying that's a bad thing, but it makes it harder for them to 'fit in'.

I think I'm paid to provide a service, not to impose a system. I think it's entirely right that families should be able to organise things for their children as they see fit. I agree that there needs to be better safeguarding procedures but it would be foolish to think that a) all children who attend school are protected from harm from their family or others in their wider communities and b) no one is harmed from involvement with a school.

I've known a few home educated children, some by teaching them and others are within my family.

I quite fancied doing HE with dd2 when she was smaller, because she was so incredibly anxious about social situations. I'm glad I didn't though, because her social anxiety is getting much better by being at school and surrounded by her peers all day every day.

Some of the HE children I know have fitted back into mainstream school quite nicely. Their parents have managed to keep their education fairly well rounded and they are literate, numerate and articulate. There are often gaps between what they know and what the school educated children, but they are mostly fine.

Some will never manage to go into mainstream school and stand little chance of getting any qualifications. I know a HE teenager who can barely read or write (I know there are school educated teen-agers who have the same difficulties, but they are often recieving a significant amount of support to improve). His younger brother is 8 and is only now attempting to learn basic phonics, not because he wasn't interested before now, but because his parents had some notion of not teaching him to read until he was 7 like on the continent (I'm not sure which country they are basing their educational ideas on). How can those children ever hope to achieve qualifications when they aren't going to be studying for or entered for any exams? What jobs will they be able to do? They'll end up doing maths and English GCSEs as adults and will resent their parents for limiting their options. They seem very happy right now though, spending a lot of time on practical projects and building Lego.

My job has brought me to working with several groups of HE families. My impression is that there are 3 main types [sweeping generalisations to follow - I'm perfectly aware that every HE family is different!]
1 - Just couldn't get a school place. HE is temporary. Parent doing their absolute best to keep up with curriculum so that SC can slot back in to school.
2 - Child doesn't fit in mainstream school. HE out of frustration. SEN either undiagnosed or denied... and so remains unsupported. Parent frazzled & floundering despite best efforts.
3 - Parent doesn't fit in mainstream school. HE as a matter of principle. No attempts to keep up with curriculum. 'Alternative' & proud of it.

It's when all 3 types come together and request an organised session that the fun really starts!

Thank you all for your replies, it's good to hear what 'real' teachers think rather than the watered-down opinions through the media. I was inspired to ask after watching the GMB interview with a former teacher and a HE mum.

I have been a teacher for 15 years and have home educated my son for 6 years while my daughter attends school.
The post above describing children as 'very odd' , 'socially awkward' depicts exactly what is wrong with the school system. Every child is expected to blend in and rather than being complimented on their individualism, they are called odd by teachers (I realise not all but this was an example above). How are children supposed to accept each other with their differences if teachers can't do it themselves.
My son has SEN which could have easily been catered for. He has an EHCP, he had a 1-1 but instead of communicating with me, they thought they knew better which ultimately led to him school refusing.
A lot of sacrifices have been made to ensure his mental health has stayed intact by home educating him.
Sometimes I think some teachers feel threatened by the home ed society, there's no need. It's pretty simple, some children thrive at school, others don't and if parents are in a situation where they're lucky enough to be able to home educate, good luck to them. Of course, some families do it better than others just as some schools/teachers do it better than others.
Children socialise other than at school, most boroughs have a thriving home ed community not to mention out of school clubs/activities.

Thank you so much for replying t o this thread. What you've just said means a lot to me.

I am a teacher now but spent of some of my primary years being home educated (hippy parents, moving around!) along with 2 younger siblings. I remember it as a very interesting, wonderful experience and don't think it had any adverse affect on my learning. The rigid structure and "one size fits all" obsession with academic learning in the current state system does not suit everyone. As a teacher, I see so many teenagers cooped up indoors all day long, miserable, biding their time until they can go and do something more suited to their talents and interests, and I find it very sad and a huge waste of youthful energy.

I think it depends on the child and the parents. As a mainstream teacher I've taught some great kids who came from homeschooling backgrounds. I've also taught some horrors who couldnt cope with the word no, concentrate on things that werent of their choice or socialise appropriately. One in particular refused to do Maths as she didnt want to (drastically improved over the year as she saw she could do it, she was just used to not having to do things she didnt want to).

However as someone else said the lack of oversight in he concerns me.

It's not a route I personally want to go down, however it's a plan B if my youngest does struggle at school (SEN issues but a very placid, compliant kid so tends to get a bit "lost" in among a class of very strong personalities). I couldn't do it with my eldest I think - we're TOO alike in personality and would just clash completely.

I’ve never come across a home-schooled child with good social skills, eg in the art of conversation.

I have Crafty. Plenty. I also wouldn't assume that all children who go to school are socially skilled. If that was the case, for one thing there'd be no bullying.