Home Education in the UK
Education is no longer considered a privilege. In most jurisdictions, ‘education’ is considered as an indispensable part of a child’s rights.
In the UK, education has always commanded a high priority in the society. The government, in turn, has always adopted a liberal education policy, as highlighted from the laws of the land. That’s why the concept of Home Education (HE) has always been an integral part of society in the UK.</p>
Why Home Education?
Due to a multicultural and plural society as prevalent in the UK, the reasons for parents to opt for Home Education may vary. Some of the common factors influencing parents’ decisions regarding the educational needs of their children include:
Religious, philosophical, or spiritual compulsions
Unsatisfactory school system
Lack of suitable schools in the locality
To meet the specific and/or special needs of some children, like those suffering from diseases such as Cerebral Palsy, autism etc.
Failure of child and school management to effectively tackle certain conditions in school, like bullying, corporal punishment etc.
Financial reasons etc.
Recently, the Parental Responsibility has emerged as one of the major reasons for Home-Educating children in the UK. More and more parents are trying to learn the art of true parenthood and are relishing the additional responsibility of being (actually) responsible for the growth of the thought process of the child.
Whatever may be the compelling circumstances, Home Education is here to stay, and is being increasingly preferred in the UK. An estimated 100,000 children between the ages of 5 and 16 are being given Home Education by their parents in the United Kingdom, and the figure is likely to increase in the coming years.
Benefits of Home Education
Home Education (tutorial-based teaching) has several advantages over classroom education (instructions-based teaching). Some of these include:
The child tends to receive individualistic and far more attention at home than at school.
Comfortable home environment in the company of parents gives the child an ideal environment to learn.
The absence of awe-inspiring teachers means quick feedback from the child to assess his/her learning capabilities.
The Child can learn at their own pace, and follow their own curriculum and interests.
Enhanced self-motivation and self-discipline in the child.
Instilment of parental values instead of peer values in the child.
Cultivation of courage to arrive at independent decisions.
Avoid destructive competition in search of better grades from the peers and fellow students.
Special children need special attention that can only be provided under home conditions.
Above all, as a parental responsibility of teaching your child, nothing is more beneficial and satisfactory than to take complete responsibility of your child’s education.
Shortcomings of Home Education
One must also consider some disadvantages of Home Education before deciding the academic future of the child. Some of these include:
Non-development of social skills due to the absence of interaction with peers and teachers.
Special expertise and skills required to teach may be lacking in the parents. Moreover, they might not be abreast of the latest technologies and teaching aids that might help the child learn better.
Even both the parents combined may not know all the subjects required for the proper education of the child.
Parents may ultimately spend a considerable amount of time equipping themselves with the skills to teach their child; thus, losing out on the chance to supplement the family income.
Laboratories, gyms, and other facilities provided by school authorities may not be accessible from home.
A child’s progress will not be adequately monitored, especially as they do not have to follow the National Curriculum or take SATs.
Home Education in UK – Legal Aspect
The UK is divided into different legal jurisdictions. For instance, there are different sets of laws applicable in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. However, substantially, all these jurisdictions follow similar legal principles and postulates, with minor variations.
Home Education has legal sanction in all three regions in the UK. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 (England and Wales), Sections 30 of Education (Scotland) Act 1980, and Article 45 of Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, are the relevant legal provisions that provide the requisite teeth to the concept of Home Education in the UK.
Here is the summary of these legalities as applicable in the UK:
Only ‘education’ is compulsory under UK laws and not ‘schooling’.
No qualification is prescribed for the parents desirous of giving Home Education to their child.
Parents are at absolute liberty to decide how they want their child to be educated at home.
No compulsion of following the National Curriculum or observing school hours.
Parents must ensure that their child receives an efficient full time education, suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs the child may have.
Parents are not legally obligated to inform the Local Education Authority (LEA) when they decide to educate their children at home. If the child has never been registered at a State school, or if you move to an area served by another LEA, you are not obliged to notify the LEA, although you may do so if you wish. If you are taking your child out of a state school in England or Wales, the head teacher must remove the child’s name from the register and inform the LEA. If your child has special needs and attends a special school, you need permission to deregister.
However, if you are withdrawing your child from a State school in Scotland, the LEA must be informed.
No special Government grants are available for Home Education in UK.
No formal tests are required to pass by the child. However, the LEA may ask for information informally at intervals to monitor your child’s progress.
There is no prohibition on the Home Education of a statemented child provided he/she is not attending a special school, in which case you need the consent of the LEA.
Home-Educated children can take GCSEs as private candidates or as students of correspondence courses. However, it is not compulsory to take GCSEs.
To address the concern for social deprivation of Home-Educated children, in many areas, home educators meet regularly for social, educational, and other activities. Children also attend clubs, classes, sporting and leisure activities in the community. Children get to interact with people of all ages as well as their peers.
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9 Comments on “Home Education in the UK”
I am a single parent. I plan to homeschool in the U.S. and still work full time. I work as a Technical writer from home. I will homeschool in the mornings, her nanny will take her to activities in the afternoon and I will work most of the Afternoon and in the evenings after my daughter is in bed.
Whoever told you about this "Education welfare board" was misinformed or trying to scare you. Once you de-register you'll probably hear from the LA and they will probably ask to visit, but you can say no thanks. They have a duty to make inquiries IF they have reason to believe that you are NOT providing your son with an education suitable for his age, aptitudes and abilities. Not that this little thing will stop them bothering you, but it's good to know your legal rights and that you can just refuse to do things their way. You can write an educational philosophy or report to send them, to put their little minds at rest, but you do not have to justify yourself or provide a school education either in style or content. You have nothing to be scared of!
Just tell them. They'll know if you're lying.
My experience is that the things that get in the way of studying are the following:
1) Computer (AIM/other instant messaging from friends, video games, and of course the Internet)
2) Cell Phone (texting and phone calls from friends)
3) TV (for channel surfing and video games)
4) Bed (tempts you to lay and "rest" for just a couple of minutes, but then you wake up 4 hours later)
If you really want to put in some serious study time, ideally, you need to be physically away from these 4 things. It seems these days that there are SO many ways to be in touch with people and I'm not saying that's not a bad thing…but it can easily get out of control.
Think about this…just 30 minutes spent on each one of the four activities above and you've already wasted 2 hours of your study time.
Therefore, try to stay away from these things when you really need to focus ALL your time on studying. The only exception to the cell phone/computer thing is when you need to use these for study-purposes only. Once done using these items, put them away and continue your studying.
As for getting up at a normal time, that "normal time" is probably defined by your parents. For example, "normal time" for them is when they wake up and go to sleep. So the key then is to try to wake up within one hour of when they wake up and then go to sleep BEFORE they go to sleep…this way they will see for themselves that you are respecting their "normal schedule".
In terms of trying to get to sleep, try to set a normal routine for yourself 45 minutes to 1 hour before you want to actually sleep. And no matter what do NOT include watching TV or being on the computer as part of your winding down routine…it's been scientifically proven that these 2 activities actually help keep you up at night, which will only make you wake up later in the morning, most likely more than one hour after your parents wake up.
Good luck and hope this helps.
Sun Bae