| The benefits of home education |
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Though no-one has an exact figure, experts estimate that approximately 50,000 children are being educated at home in the UK. This is three times more than in 1999 – so why the increase?
Many parents are justifiably worried that schools increasingly exist solely to cajole children into passing certain tests at certain times. This, they feel, is not the way to inspire fertile minds. Others worry that formal education begins too early or that their child may be bullied.
Demonstrable success The main attraction of home schooling however is that it works. Academics from the University of London have stated that home education is an ‘astonishingly efficient way to learn. In the book, How Children Learn at Home, they describe how home teaching is at least as efficient as that from a school. "The ease, naturalness and immense intellectual potential of informal learning up to the age of middle secondary school means they can learn certainly as much if not more,’ write the authors, Alan Thomas and Harriet Pattison. One of the first studies looking into the benefits of home education found that primary-aged children learnt more if they were taught at home. It showed that in the national literacy project assessments, more than 80% of home educated children had reached the same level in their studies as the top 16% school-taught children. Dispelling myths Home education isn’t the preserve of the middle classes. Approximately 14% of parents whose children are home taught are employed in manual or unskilled occupations. Home teaching is also not the isolating practice some believe it to be. Studies have shown that children educated at home are more confident than their school educated counterparts. They are also better versed in life skills such as communication, interpersonal relationships and responsibility. Parents do not need to be qualified as teachers to home school their child. Nor is the child obliged to be taught the National Curriculum or to take national tests. Parents do not need special permission from local authority or school to educate their children at home. Parents taking their children out of school however must notify the school in writing. Parents are required by law to ensure that their child receives full-time education. This must be suitable to their age, aptitude and ability. Limiting factors Of course, some things are easier to teach at home than others. For example, learning a language is easier with a little outside assistance. Companies such as UIC Languages will provide teachers that are happy to come into students’ homes. Alternatively, formal lessons can be bypassed completely. For example, those who learn Spanish in Liverpool might supplement their education by trips to Spain, where they can immerse themselves in the culture of native speakers. |
