Education Choices Pt 2c: Home Education

Some parents choose to educate their children themselves, outside school. This may be their their first choice, because they want to take responsibility for the education themselves and allow their child to learn in a flexible, individualized way within a family setting. For others it is a response to school not working for that child, sometimes due to bullying, special needs or educational issues.

Home educators are a diverse group with a range of reasons for choosing home education, and different backgrounds. You do not need to be a teacher to home educate.

Educational approaches:

Home education covers the widest range of approaches, from formal work, as used in schools, to informal learning. Some families use a structured adult-led curriculum and there are many different ones available, as well as lots of resources for the National Curriculum. Others are autonomous, with the child leading the education. Often this emphasises informal learning through play and conversation but may also include structured worksheets and courses. Many use elements of both approaches. The individualised nature of home education means that parents can tailor every child’s education by picking the approach that works for them at that time.

Home educated children can take formal qualifications, such as IGCSEs, GCSEs and A-Levels either through correspondence courses, as external candidates or at further education college.

Finding out more:

There are a number of national organisations for England that support home educators.

• Education Otherwise www.education-otherwise.org
• HEAS (Home Education Advisory Service) www.heas.org.uk

You local public library should also have books on explaining more about home education.

Getting started:

If your child is not at school yet, you do not have to inform anyone that you are home educating since education is a parental responsibility.

If you want to remove your child from school in England then you need to inform the school in writing, and they will inform your Local Authority. The Local Authority has a duty to act if it thinks that a suitable education isn’t taking place, and you should respond to any enquires. Local authorities often prefer visits, but you may instead provide written information to satisfy their enquiries. De-registration from a designated Special Needs school requires LA consent.

Many home educators start by joining one of the national organisations and using its local contact lists to meet other home educators. There are local support networks (try searching yahoo and google groups for one in your area) through which home educators pool resources and take part in a wide range of group activities and social events.  Talking to home educators is a great way to find out if home education is for your family and how others go about it.

References:

Elective Home Education Guidelines
Ed Yourself – Comprehensive look at legalities of home education

<< Back to Pt 2b: Independent School

Related posts:

Education choices Pt 1:- What would suit your child and family? Education Choices Pt 2: State school, independent school or home education? Structure in Home Education Education Choices Pt 2a: State School Home education – why it should matter to every parent Education Choices Pt 2b: Independent School