Are you considering home-schooling your child? Before making the commitment on taking the reigns on your child’s education, there are a few things you should consider, which I have compiled for you below. Home-schooling is not for every child, nor is it for every parent. Every educational system offers a plethora of advantages and disadvantages, with both allowing your children to learn new skills and develop they’re critical thinking abilities.
Legal standpoint
The UK allows for children to be educated at home, on a full or part time basis. Your local council can assist you home-schooling your children from home, providing you with the right materials and support.
Education quality and curriculum
Making the decision to home-school your children means adhering to the government guidelines on ensuring your children are receiving full time education, from the age of 5-18. It is not essential for you to follow the national curriculum, but you want to provide a rounded education as well as possible, to account for them not being in school. The council are within their right to make an ‘informal enquiry’ simply to check if the child is receiving a suitable education. If they believe you are not providing your child with an adequate form of schooling, they can service a ‘school attendance order’, meaning your child will need to be taught in school.
Special educational needs children
If your child is considered SEN and attends a particular school because of this, you will need to request permission from the council to home- school your child. Permission to home-school your children is only required if your children has special educational needs, and not if they attend
public school, even if they may have an EHC plan (Education Health and Care).As a UK resident, you can find out more at elective home education guidance
How to manage home-schooling as parents
Parents wishing to home school their children may see it as a daunting task, and not know where to start. Taking your children out of mainstream education does not mean you have to go it alone. You may decide to involve private tutors or other trusted adults, who can assist you in providing the best possible education for your child. Some parents even enrol their children into local tuition centres, which cover the fundamental subjects such as English, Math and Science, but also subjects like art, sociology and languages. Parents who are thinking about home-schooling their children must acknowledge that they will be responsible for their child social and emotional development, and not just their educational needs. Being in education is just as much about personal development than it is about seeking knowledge and understanding. Home-schooling your child requires you to be financially committed to their learning, which may involve buying books, stationary, subject specific equipment like a scientific calculator, and any trips to educational institutions, or even for tutors. Most parents are also unaware that they will have to pay for their child to sit any public exams, as they would have to be entered as a private candidate.
Home-schooling changes your entire lifestyle
Any parent that makes the leap to home-schooling their children, will have to take on the tasks and responsibilities of teacher, parent and administrator. You will need to closely follow a specification or course of your choosing, and carry out lessons with your children, answering any questions they may have and correcting any mistakes. You will also need to organise field trips, which can be incredibly for creating an interactive educational experience, for children who may not necessarily socialise as much as children in mainstream school. You must be aware that you are taking on far more responsibility of your child, than regular parenting would. You will also have to acknowledge that home-schooling your child may have a significant effect on your income, which can be particularly challenging from single-parent households. Budgeting carefully and planning out your time efficiently are the two most important aspects for home-schooling to be a success.
Below entails a short list of pros and cons of home-schooling your child: Family time
1) One of the main pros of home-schooling your children is that you get to play a direct role in your child’s daily learning, meaning you can assist their development and maturing in a way that is in line with your goals and values as a family. By taking this initiative, you are able to build a stronger relationship with your child and allow them to express themselves without potential for ridiculing. On the other hands, you will have to spend much time planning lessons, marking work and handling all things that a teacher would. Home- schooling takes commitment, which means you will find that you have less time for yourself each day. Being a parent can already be quite challenging on its own, so the potential for more fatigue and stress can arise when a parent assumes sole responsibility of a child’s learning. Socialisation
2) Home schooled children do not have to deal with the peer pressure and bullying that happens in every school. Their development will be unhindered by name calling, or harassment, which could potentially harm their learning. Peer pressure and bullying have both been linked to educational decline and low self esteem. Home-schooled children would also be exposed to more adults on a 1-1 basic, meaning more potential for hands on learning and the sharing of experiences, from adults of different ages. Evidence suggest that real life skill is built stronger in-home schooling environments than they are in schools. Opposingly, some home schooled children will describe having a very small circle of friends, and wish they got to interact with more kids
within the same age group as them.
Wider scope for educational achievement
3) Home-schooled children will never be held back by other students or disruptions to learning that occur in schools. They will be able to progress at their own speed and move through topics and assignments that they understand and enjoy, even if these topics are slightly more challenging. Because of the personalised approach home-schooling takes, these children tend to do better on standardised tests than those attending mainstream school. Another great aspect of home-schooling is the lack of homework! Since the entire day is spent learning, homework is not required as it would be in a mainstream school. As a home-schooled child you’d be free to explore your own academic interests, tailoring the academia around the child’s learning style. However, children in mainstream schools may have access to more technological resources than children studying at home. As a
parent you will have to provide a wide range of subjects for your child to learn from. Due to the flexibility and freedom that comes with home-schooling, parents will have to spend more time planning and holding the responsibility for their child’s educational development. As part of its flexible nature and focus on one-on-one / personalized learning, home-schooling involves more field trips, real-life experiences, and hands-on learning. When it comes to sports, home schoolers often participate in recreational leagues or home-school sports classes offered in their community. Some students are home-schooled because their athletic or artistic talents have them engaged in sports and activities at a higher level.