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Guide to Home Schooling
Over the past 20 years the idea of home schooling or educating children away from an educational establishment has entered the minds of more and more parents. Many people now feel that the education system in the UK does not meet the needs of their child and consider home schooling their children themselves. If this is the case then there is a great deal to consider before removing your child from state education and home schooling.
Why home schooling?
Problems at school are often cited as reasons to remove a child from mainstream education and being home schooling, whether this is regarding their educational needs not being met to social problems such as bullying and a lack of support. In both cases it is wise to contact your local authority to discuss possible alternative arrangements in other educational establishments and schools before committing to removing your child. In addition, there are a range of organisations and charities that may be able to help your child with life at school. Of course home schooling can also be the solution along as it is thoroughly researched.
Dissatisfaction with the education system as a whole is also a factor in parents’ decisions to remove their children for the education system. Many feel that the amount of time dedicated to testing, literacy and numeracy is disproportionate and that their children would benefit from an education that is fitted to the real world and experiences outside of the classroom. Parents often feel that classroom education can stifle their child’s creative and expressive interests and feel that by educating at home they can help to nurture these interests.
Religion is often a factor when parents make a decision to being home schooling. Religion is a very personal choice and many parents feel that it is not well catered for in the schooling system in the UK. The first port of call or any parent looking to start home schooling their children from a religious viewpoint should be respected members of their church or organisation, who will be able to provide exceptional resources of points of contact. Many parents and churches also come together for the education of their children and provide excellent groups that will promote the social interactions that are developed at normal state schools, ensuring that your children do not miss out on this important skill when growing up with home schooling. The internet will also provide a superb range of resources and points of contact to make sure you have all of the information possible before you make the move to home schooling.
Home Schooling Practicalities
Before you being home schooling, you need to think carefully about the commitment that you are about to undertake. Although no formal qualifications are required to teach your children you will be the person responsible for all aspects for their education and schooling. This includes preparing them for examinations when they reach school leaving age, such as GCSEs and even A Levels. For this, you degree of understanding and comprehension is essential. Good literacy skills are also a must so that you can organise and plan your lessons for your child thoroughly.
Time is a huge factor in home schooling. You will be committing to both spending the time teaching your child along with time preparing materials, resources and content for lessons. In addition, you will spend a great deal of time with your child and many people can find this a little daunting.
Unfortunately financial constraints are also a factor that must be considered. To home school, one parent must sacrifice working to spend their time teaching their child. Many families would find this difficult, especially in the current climate. Teaching your child is also not the cheaper option. Many thousands can be spent on books, resources, trips to zoos and museums by a family that is home schooling, and although these are an essential part of education they can put pressure on the family purse.
For information and support can be found in our home schooling support section where we provide links to a range of agencies and organisations in the UK that support home schooling.
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