Changes to Home Education Rules

I suppose I would describe myself as an outspoken critic of the education system. I myself have chosen not to work in mainstream education believing that I can help students more effectively on a one-to-one and small group basis. Additionally, I have chosen for two of my own children to follow the home education route. But is home education the best route for the thousands of parents opting for that route?

There have been recent policy changes which empower local authorities to intercede in certain cases. Does this infringe on your rights to choose home education? Possibly, but in short probably not. The measures have been put in place to safeguard children who could be deemed as vulnerable; those who have been subject to a child protection enquiry and comes in the wake of the failings of Surrey County Council in the case of Sara Sharrif.

If you are considering home education or are currently home educating there are several factors you are probably aware of that are key impediments or concerns which you will have to address.

Do I Have the Skills?

Teaching isn’t easy. Not only do you have to have a reasonable amount of subject knowledge, but you also need to be able to hold the attention of the student; in the case of home education this will be your own child. This can in some cases make the dynamic easier but, in many cases the familial closeness can actually be a problem. In the case of my own children, they sometimes find it hard to believe that someone of my age and generation might understand modern tech. Hey kids, I have a degree in electronic engineering! They may see you as a nurturer rather than an educator too.

The subject knowledge required is broad and complex. To teach across the core subjects is challenging. The syllabus has probably changed significantly since you were at school; new things have appeared, ways of describing things have changed. There are resources available is myriad and you can find loads of them in the resource page of this website. Unfortunately, you can’t just plonk a child in front of a source of knowledge and hope that they will assimilate it through some sort of osmosis. It doesn’t work. Learning is active not passive. That being said I have some very useful auxiliary learning methods which do utilize a more passive and immersive approach.

What Will it Cost?

If you choose to home educate a child, you will find it is a serious financial obligation. It’s a full-time occupation! For most people it will mean foregoing an income for the household in order to provide the attention and commitment required to educate your child. You may feel the need to take out subscriptions for educational packages to mitigate any gaps in your subject knowledge or you might reach out to a specialist tutor like me and my team. There are educational trips, stationary, computers, printers. And then there is the cost of examinations; finding a centre which accepts private students isn’t easy and if there are additional needs or accommodations you expect to find it even harder. Don’t expect the exam centre to be local, I had to drive an hour each way for my daughter’s GCSEs.

Social Interactions

One of the big concerns about home education is the lack of social interaction your child will be able to engage in. I worried about this, but my home-schooled children have a strong network of friends which they have built through activities they do, music classes, explorers and scouts, Warhammer and D and D clubs. I would argue the benefit of these social interactions and the friendships which grow out of them is that they are like-minded friends who share interests rather than associates they are arbitrarily thrown together with in the smelting pot of the high school environment.

I do agree that it is a concern. No parent wants to see their child close off from society and become a recluse, but I know many of my students find that because of anxiety or sometimes bullying, they would rather self-ostracise than face mainstream schools again.

There are no easy answers and there is no one solution to the challenges of home education. The thing is though; there isn’t a single education solution that works for every student. The process of education and learning is a unique experience, and this is one of the failings of the education system. Schools, on the whole, deliver an education that broadly fits everyone but doesn’t truly meet the needs of anyone. For many of us, that is why we choose another option. If you choose or have chosen to home educate you too will encounter these challenges and when you do, we at Polestar will be here to help.

If you would like to know more about the changes to home education legislation I recommend the articles below.

Home Education Advisory Service