A growing number of families are choosing to educate their children at home, for a variety of reasons. It might be that they don't agree with the national curriculum, an emphasis on testing or class sizes. It could be that they have concerns over moral education and want to provide a stronger religious base for their children. More often than not, it is because their children have tried school and experienced difficulties.
These home educating families are supported by a number of organisations, the largest being Education Otherwise with more than 4,000 member families.
Its name is derived from the Education Act, which stated that children had to be provided with a suitable education 'either by regular attendance at school, or otherwise'.
In my experience
My dyslexic son, Dan, was not coping in school and his unhappiness and low self-esteem led to me taking him out of the state system when he was nine.
He was then taught at an alternative small school until lack of funding forced it to close. Then I embarked on home schooling when Dan was aged 12 and his sister, Nikki, was seven.
We started by following a structured programme and collected evidence for our first inspection. Over that first year, however, I watched both children developing in a remarkable way as our structured timetable was replaced by child-led, holistic learning. My son, in particular, became a self-motivated learner and went from strength to strength.
Both children asked questions about anything and everything. If I couldn't answer myself, we would try to find out together. This led to questions being extended to friends, relatives and even the wider community.
Despite the five-year age gap between them, Dan and Nikki became closer than ever. Home became more relaxed, there were fewer external pressures and so much more laughter. Dan and Nikki baked together every day. I usually only had to show them how to do things once and then they did it for themselves. They willingly got involved in planning and cooking meals together as well.
Some people imagine that home-educated children suffer socially, but if anything, our social life improved. We attended camps organised by Education Otherwise and belonged to two different Education Otherwise groups. One group operated a skills workshop, with adults sharing their skills and passions with small groups of children of differing ages.
Another group organised outdoor events including visits to museums and farms and going horse-riding.
Perhaps the most memorable day for me was when a group of adults and children from home-educating families cycled up a mountain in the Peak District. We ate a picnic and paddled in a stream. The children asked questions about everything they could see around them and often it was the other children who answered them. The adults only contributed if they thought they could subtly extend the children's learning without damaging their self-esteem.
We also swapped skills directly with other home educators. For example, a friend taught my children how to play the piano and violin and shared the wonders of her beautiful garden (including a duck pond), in return for me helping her two young children with some early reading activities and games.
After a year of home-educating for both children, Nikki decided to attend the local state school because some of her friends also went there. This suited her and she had no problems settling in.
Dan, on the other hand, shook with fear whenever the option of returning to school was raised. He still found writing and spelling extremely difficult and had such painful memories of his time in the state system that he had no desire to return.
He continued with home education for a further three years. By then he was able to discover many of answers by reading books, watching documentaries on television and researching the internet. At 16, he was offered a full-time place at a further education college. His self-esteem had grown enormously and he continued to be driven by his own desire to learn Like many other home-educating families, we found that with Dan, we didn't have any of the typical adolescent tribulations that many families with teenage children seem to suffer. At college, he was finally diagnosed with moderate dyslexia and was given appropriate extra help. Perhaps if it had been diagnosed while he was attending school we would never have known the joys that home education could bring!
Dan is now in his final year at university, studying computer science. Many people comment on what an open-minded, considerate and well-informed young person he is.
The down side
Although there are many pluses to home education there are, rightly, concerns too. It is argued that individuals with narrow viewpoints and pre-judices may want to educate their children in isolation from the real world, and there are worries about parents who try to pressure their children in an efforts to produce a child prodigy. Also, behind closed doors there is a risk that children could become victims of abuse and neglect without the authorities noticing, whereas school can offer some form of protection and outside intervention. There is the possibility that home-schooled children could become socially isolated, especially in remote areas with limited public transport.
Another perceived disadvantage is financial, because a family's earning capacity is restricted by the necessity for one parent to stay at home. But maybe this is not such a bad thing when you are trying to teach children important values and that less can be more.
Just as school does not suit every child, home education is not for everyone. Everybody learns in different ways and individuals have different needs.
The best year of my life, however, has to be that year when Dan and Nikki and I all learned together. We all discovered so much, not just about nature, the world, and life skills, but about each other too.
Home schooling facts
* The 1996 Education Act states that parents are responsible for their children's education 'either by regular attendance at school or otherwise'.
* Anybody can home-educate; they do not need to be a teacher.
* There is no compulsory testing for home-educated children but many sit GCSEs by choice as external candidates or through part-time attendance at school or college.
* A local inspector can visit a family to check that the educational provision is appropriate. Some inspectors will insist on a timetable and written evidence, while others have a better understanding of the autonomous approach and will simply talk with the child to ascertain whether provision is adequate.
* It is impossible to say how many children are home-educated in the UK, but it is believed to be in excess of 20,000.
* Only a few local education authorities offer educational support to home-educating families.
* Research carried out by Alan Thomas (1998) suggests that children who have enjoyed a period of home education can return to school with healthy self-esteem and they usually cope well.
Further information
Recommended reading
* School is Not Compulsory: A Guide to Home-based Education by Education Otherwise (1993). Education Otherwise, Badgers Holt, Birchwood, Storridge, Malvern, Worcs WR13 5HA.
* Educating Children at Home by Alan Thomas (1998). London: Cassell Education
* Free Range Education edited by Terri Dowty. Stroud, Glos: Hawthorn Press
* Children Learning at Home by J.Webb (1990). London: Falmer Press Contact
* Education Otherwise, PO Box 7420, London N9 9SG, 0870 73 000 74, www.education-otherwise.org
