Home Education

bigbloomers30

Hi, I have been home-educating my daughter since March. She suffered with terrible anxiety about school, her attendance was getting worse and her school work was suffering. She is studying towards 4 IGCSE and 1 GCSE qualifications. Three of these are with Oxford Open Learning who supply you with course work and provide tutors who mark work and give advice.
It is hard work and I am surrounded by lesson plans and books but the change in my daughter has been amazing so I know we have made the right choice. She still sees her old school friends and she's not weird!!!

pipkin71

FBaby wrote: »

How long ago though? I would think it is much harder nowadays to get into any form of higher education without any qualifications.

Personally, last September and keeping up with what's going on within HE, your assumption that it is much harder doesn't appear to be the case.

There are many, many reasons why home education would be more suited to a child than the school environment, not at all negative, just as there are many reasons why a school environment would be better suited to some children as well.

Madmel

To answer the question about where to sit GCSEs or A levels: one family I know who Home Educates their children uses a local private school. I presume that they pay the exam fee for each subject they sit to that school. The older 2 have gone off to the local HE college for A levels, so did ok but mum is a qualified and experienced teacher. They are also the only HE kids I have encountered who understand the norms of behaviour (like not talking over someone else, the world does not revolve around them etc.).

In my day job, I do encounter a number of HE kids who re-enter school in year 7. Sadly, lots of them do struggle socially in terms of knowing how to behave so those previous posters who suggested activities such as Scouts and Guides make very valid points as HE kids can mix socially with their chronological peers, which I think is really important.

culpepper

Home education need not be insular.
We attended numerous camps and activities over the years.
Our children went to 6th form college to do A levels (at their own request) and fitted in easily with other teens who had remained in the school system.
6th form is a whole different world though,the majority of students are there by choice and the teaching steps up a level (interest wise) as does the level of respect afforded to the students by the teachers( and vice versa).

Grenage

Bear in mind that few parents will openly admit that they potentially ruined their children's prospects, or are objective enough to realise such. They're also less likely see their kids as less socially adjusted.

I'm not saying that home schooling can't work, but am sceptical that it can provide a rounded education.

Mojisola

Grenage wrote: »

Bear in mind that few parents will openly admit that they potentially ruined their children's prospects, or are objective enough to realise such. They're also less likely see their kids as less socially adjusted.

I'm not saying that home schooling can't work, but am sceptical that it can provide a rounded education.

Ruining his prospects by getting a PhD?

Our boys ended up with a much more rounded education because they weren't limited in their studies - when something caught their interest, they were able to fully explore it.

Other children we know who were getting Home Tuition but were then able to return to school all said the same thing - there is so much time wasted in school by the moving from class to class, everyone getting settled, teachers dealing with bad behaviour or children who don't have the right equipment for the class and so on. When in a class, the teacher is dealing with around 30 children and has to share their attention around.

They found the school situation very frustrating after having had one-to-one time at home and all said how the quality of learning was much better at home.

As for being well adjusted socially, I'd go for children who have grown up being around a range of ages - other children and plenty of adults - than ones who were herded together with only their own year group.

FBaby

Personally, last September and keeping up with what's going on within HE, your assumption that it is much harder doesn't appear to be the case.

As said, anyone can resume education at a later stage in their lives, especially in this country, but relying in it is a risk. It's ok for say a girl to intends on getting married young, supported by her husband and then resume education not having to worry about needing to work to support herself during that time. It is however more of an issue if she were to become a single mum with three kids with the ex having done a runner so having to support her children on her own and having no qualifications and only able to consider gaining some fitting studying around work and raising the children, if she can even afford to do so, or accept a life on minimum wage or hoping to meet another man prepared to support her and her kids again.

There are many, many reasons why home education would be more suited to a child than the school environment, not at all negative, just as there are many reasons why a school environment would be better suited to some children as well.

I agree with that and gave example where I thought home education was in my view for the best of the child, but I'm not convinced that some parents chose home education as default rather than a genuine choice without the ability/knowledge to put the right structure in place to provide the best outcome for the children.

She suffered with terrible anxiety about school, her attendance was getting worse and her school work was suffering.

I think this is becoming a more common reason to revert to home education. In some cases, as it seems to be the case for your daughter, this is the right decision for the child to help them learn to deal with their anxiety, but I think for others, it is potentially the worse decision as it is teaching the child to avoid the triggers for their anxiety rather than learn coping mechanisms, setting them even more behind their peer when entering adulthood.

culpepper

The againsts don't really convince though do they?

A person who home educated due to not fitting in , is likely to be more confident than if they had remained in school and while they may appear 'weird' they would have done so any way.

Those who become parents in early in life and then rely on the state to support them , are not all home educated and while I have no proof , I would guess more of them are people who were schooled full term.

Children do not only learn that which their parents know . So a person wishing to home educate facilitates learning with internet, books, outings and learning tools as well as their own support at home. My children are far better educated than I was .


Home educated children are well suited to university because they have learned to use self study already while school education is very directed and children wait to be taught.

Kayalana99

I agree home-schooling is a great option, and actually something I'd consider myself if I wasn't working in future.

Any mention of the adults not knowing the information is, as above, easily filled by learning right alongside the child. Plus these days with internet their is always someone willing to explain something if the adult struggles themselves. I don't think it's for everyone, (adults I refer to) because not everyone has the desire or organisation to home school. I do wonder if it's the worst thing that ever happened to a child when the parent decided to home school - IF the parent then didn't put the effort in.

If a parent is willing to devote to home education, then I honestly believe that child with such 1 on 1 attention in education would go a lot futher then being sat in the classroom.

That said, I don't agree with them not doing their GCSE's and A levels, children should have as many doors open for them as possible and taking something away from them such as GCSE's or A levels is taking away opportunities that they could very well need in future. It's very easy to say this child got through with an entrance exam, but if they wanted to go on to be a Vet or a Doctor, and hadn't learned basic subjects such as Science or Maths (but in turn had been taught other skills such as photography/cooking etc) then they are going to fall - hard - and find they have to now spend years catching up to chase their dreams.

Loz01

I just think when kids are young its a shame they miss out on assembly, school trips, play time, special days, discos, end of year party, school photos, school fetes and the like. They are some of my best memories of childhood and you can't replicate that at home. You can't replicate lasting friendships and I honestly don't think you can replicate education the same way.