Home Education

 

It is your legal right as a parent/carer if you wish to educate your child at home in The UK, however if your child has previously been in a school you must notify your local council of your intentions.  Some schools and councils allow a child to attend school on a part-time basis providing the child is learning part-time at home or in another setting.

 

Many parents choose to home-educate their children for various reasons, some are listed below:

● Religion

● Philosophical reasons

● SEN requirements

● Disagreement with the school education system

● Commuting distance

● Some parents may feel that they want their children to develop in their own person and not be moulded by an education system

● Gypsy’s / travellers

 

Children who are home-educated do not have to follow a curriculum and they do not have to sit any exams at any stage. The parents/carers are however obliged to ensure that from the age of five, each child receives a full-time education, but you do not need to follow the daily hours and routines a school would, nor do you need to have a timetable in place.

Although local authorities do not issue any funding to support home-educating they can sometimes offer guidance for parents/carers including national curriculum material.

“While there are no official figures on how many children are home educated in the UK my research suggests that there are around 60,000 (approximately 0.6%) UK children of compulsory educational age who are currently (2012) being home educated. This web site seeks to support those families and inform them of their legal rights and responsibilities.”
http://www.home-education.org.uk/

 Here in Wales there is currently on-going plans for a system to be out in place so that all home-educated children are put on an official register.

“Under the plans, parents would have to apply to join the register and would be assessed to see if the environment and education being provided was suitable.

 They would also be assessed every year to see if child's needs are being met.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has now removed the idea from forthcoming legislation and civil servants are analysing the responses to a consultation on a draft bill which would have changed the law” 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-20898475

 

I personally think that children should attend school, as this is a way of life, children meet life-long friends in the school environment and they build relationships and confidence in one another unlike they would at home. School is seen as a stepping stone in life and should be gratefully received. As a country we are very lucky to have a free education system as many countries have no such privileges.

References:

http://www.home-education.org.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-20898475