Home Schooling: The Facts according to Explore Learning
The popularity of home-schooling children has increased significantly in recent years with an estimated 80,000 children in the UK being home-schooled each year[1].
The number of children known by councils to be home educated was 27 per cent higher in 2018 than in 2017 – and has risen by 20 per cent in the last five years.
At Explore Learning we support many families who have opted to home educate their children. I increasingly find myself talking to parents who are thinking about this option and are wanting advice on this huge decision.
Here are my top tips and a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of home education.
Top Tips
- Firstly, speak to parents who already home educate. You will get a sense of what it is like and how different families approach it. They will be able to give a real-life, down to earth opinion on the prospect of home-schooling to help you decide if it’s right for you.
- Do your online research before making any changes. Seek advice from charities like Education Otherwise who actively encourage learning outside of the education system and support them. They have a helpline number where you can access advice and lots of information on their websites – wwweducationotherwise.org.
- Make sure you speak to your local council to find out what your Local Authority offers home education family. You can find more information here https://www.gov.uk/home-schooling-information-council
- Really consider how you are going to teach your child. You’re not required to follow the National Curriculum but if you want your child to take qualifications or return to school at a later date you need to consider what they should know. Many families attend Explore Learning to top up the work they are covering at home. Tuition centres allow children to socialise with others and experience a structured learning environment in small chunks.
Advantages of Home-Schooling
There are plenty of advantages of home-schooling so long as you’re fully prepared to take on the responsibility and are aware of what your child needs to know!
- Firstly, children can work at their own pace. Whether they are super keen on a topic and want to do more or are finding things tough and need more time you can cater for all scenarios.
- Low ratios – A small adult to child ratio offers the opportunity to get through more work more quickly, giving you more free time to do other things.
- More tailored – You are an expert in your child so you can tailor how, where, when and what they are learning.
- Flexibility – You can fit your timetable to your family’s lifestyle and schedules. You can also look at flexi-schooling where a child goes to school for part of the week and is home educated the rest of the time.
