There was some discussion yesterday of the fact that many parents home educate because the school which their children attends does not come up to scratch. This can be for serious reasons, such as that it does not protect a child from bullying or cater sufficiently for some special educational need or for more trivial causes such as failing to allow time off for chess practice. The remedy is to improve the standard of maintained schools and make it plain that they are at fault if a parent feels so dissatisfied that she deregisters her child. The government in Westminster should pursue an aggressive policy of keeping track of the number of parents who feel forced to home educate.
I look forward to the time when home educated children are being taught at home not because the school has failed them, but becuase this is a positive choice by their parents. I think that if this situation could be achieved and that parents really did have a choice in the matter, then it might ease the minds of those who are currently a little dubious about the whole business of home education in this country. As long as we are in a position where a large proportion of parents are educating their children because they feel that they have been forced to do so, then many home educating parents will be angry and frustrated, while at the same time a lot of professionals will be uneasy at the idea of parents who are probably ill-equipped to undertake the job but are nevertheless being pushed into home education.
It seems to me that this is one of the crucial points in the debate on home education in this country and that if we could get rid of what Graham Badman described as 'home education by default' and make sure that all parents were home educating because they actually wanted to do so; then things would be a lot better all round.
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'if we could get rid of what Graham Badman described as 'home education by default' and make sure that all parents were home educating because they actually wanted to do so; then things would be a lot better all round.'
ReplyDeleteDo you honestly think all schools will become perfect?
In theory I agree with you, parents shouldnt 'have' to home educate just because schools are so rubbish. And I definitely think schools should be held accountable and made to address issues of parents feeling they have no choice but home education.
ReplyDeleteBut turning that on its head, if I hadn't 'had' to home educate, I would never known how well it suited our family and how much we loved it. Although oldest ds returned to school, my two dd's never did and now my youngest ds has never been to school.
What started out as need turned into a positive lifestyle choice and if we hadnt been so angry with the school that we removed them, we'd never have known.
Webb says-or for more trivial causes such as failing to allow time off for chess practice
ReplyDeleteso playing chess for England in the European chess championships in Montenegro is trival? or in croatia for England is trival? you have no idea what you are talking about Webb!
you also say-I look forward to the time when home educated children are being taught at home not because the school has failed them, but becuase this is a positive choice by their parents.
and pigs will fly first! The system is set up to blame parents.
many home educators are angry with the so call professinals who in many case only make matters worse with their support of the system and teacher knows best view.
your never get rid of home education by default the system is set up to blame parents if a child/parent want to be out of the box the system has to keep the sheep in the correct cage until parents are giving the keys to the cage we will never unlock this problem and many home educators will remain angry over the way thier have been treated!
home education by default is growing due to the fact that nowday people wont put up with a shoddy service and will take action remember we are the custmers and demand a far higher level of service from schools and LEA.
"and pigs will fly first! The system is set up to blame parents"
ReplyDeleteI agree.
Start asking questions or second guessing teaching methods and you become a "an annoying pushy parent" After all the teacher is trained. The teacher has been teaching xx years and knows better than you, where is your teaching degree? The school has a brilliant reputation. The school has never had a problem with bullying. The school provides excellent one 2 one sessions for children with SEN. The school is improving. Blah Blah Blah.
Oh and If you want to go on holiday to visit the Taj Mahal in India during term time you must ask permission or face a fine, or be threatened with intervention by an EWO for causing your child to 'miss an education' for that period.
I too would love to see HE become a positive choice for the right reasons. I wait with hopeful baited breath...
I absolutely agree with Samantha. Spot on.
ReplyDeleteI get the impression Samantha's children went to the same school as mine did. An accurate summary!
ReplyDeleteI became a homeschooler by default when I learned that school would not accommodate a highly-advanced learner (although just about every other need under the sun seems to be readily accommodated).
ReplyDeleteWhile initially reluctant, I have come to appreciate our lifestyle as homeschoolers and the positive outcome of my children being able to learn at their own pace and to the desired depth.
If this were somehow "abolished", we would never have known how well it suits us and would never have developed the strong family bonds that we currently enjoy.
I hope more people become "reluctant homeschoolers", as the increase in numbers could serve to create more opportunities for all of us, and might put pressure on school administrators to innovate more.