07 Nov HOME EDUCATION
By Adeline St John
The number of parents who are dissatisfied with the current school methods and are choosing to home educate has risen by about 40% over the last three years, according to a recent BBC investigation – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42624220. This issue has gained further momentum with celebrity parents including Loose Women’s, Nadia Sawalha and singer Charlotte Church, who has also recently spoken about their experience of home educating their children. Here’s one mother’s story on a remarkable journey that changed her son’s life.
My Journey
As a child myself, I remember those kids who were home educated as a bit weird, lacking in social skills and slightly nerdy. I vowed I would never home educate, and that my kids would go through the school system. Boy, how things have changed!
Joseph is an August baby, and upon entering the school system was the youngest in the class. Already the odds were stacked against him. A large majority of parents with children who are “the youngest in the class” will agree on the struggles associated with this. Constantly playing catch-up with your peers, in reading, writing and integrating. My son struggled throughout Primary school with a combination of all of these.
On starting Secondary school, I was hopeful for a new start. New friends and streamed ability entry. What could go wrong? A year in, Joseph started showing signs of stress, his personality started to change, and he didn’t want to go to school. After a series of events, we realised he was being bullied. We tried desperately to manage the situation with the school pastoral team, but we were not being heard. The formalities of school protocol and procedures meant the perpetrators were cared for, more than the victims. Eventually, my son was strangled in the classroom by another student. The school had again failed in the care of my son.
This was my epiphany moment… it was time to pull him from school. I am a business owner, and my husband works full time, so how was I going to manage this new situation? Panicked, we decided to talk to our son’s Saturday tutor, who was helping him with his Maths and also used to be his teacher in school before she left the system to privately tutor. She advocated our decision and then offered to tutor him in GCSE Maths, English Literature, and English Language. This was a huge relief, as neither of us could devote large amounts of time to teaching. I could readjust my business week, but my husband couldn’t.
So, we set to work developing a schedule including other subjects that he enjoyed, that his grandparents offered to teach. We also included skills that we felt are lacking from the school curriculum like hands-on business experience and home skills. We started to feel confident that we could do this. How would we tell the school? After a little research, we discovered that all we had to do was write an email to the headteacher asking them to de-register your child from the date you intend to remove them. That is all. www.gov.uk/home-education
When you start down the home education route, an underground network of parents groups and clubs surprisingly appears before you. There are many, many resources to tap into, in the form of online teaching aids, clubs, discounts, Whatsapp groups, secret Facebook groups, tutors and parents, all eager to support your choice. We have taken advantage of these groups and resources and have seen the benefits. We go on many “home ed” school trips with like-minded “home edders”. This has resulted in large friendship circles for both Joseph and me, and not to mention the amazing trips which we regularly go on within these “home edder” groups. We have been to Rome, participated in water sports days, archaeological mudlarking along the Thames, oil painting classes, equine coaching classes – the list goes on! Joseph recently achieved an online diploma in graphic design, and as I write this, he is doing a day’s work experience at a product design company. Not many 14-year olds can say that!
Within weeks of starting our “home ed” journey, my son flourished, emotionally, educationally and socially. We made the best decision. Not all children fit the education system mould. My advice to you if you are thinking about alternative education is – don’t be afraid to make a decision based on wanting the best for your child, it’s an amazing adventure that you won’t regret.