The Early Human Handbook

Energy to stay the course.
It takes energy, commitment and will to home school well. A lot of time will be spent planning lessons and trips, as well as keeping abreast of current educational developments. One also has to understand there is no prescribed outcome for the home education route. It is therefore imperative to have confidence in your own vision of what you are doing for your child. In support of this I would argue that there are many children being failed by our educational system. There are some, for example, labelled as special needs when in fact they just learn differently. In such circumstances one feels the pull to rescue that child.

Of course some parents fear that they might not know enough about what their child is learning to take on such an enterprise but home schooling is a different proposition than mainstream. Much of it involves facilitating learning rather than direct impartation. There are workbooks and schemes of work available through the internet and booksellers (and of course the internet itself!). In addition there may be opportunities for group sessions with home educators, visits to places of interest, field trips and expert workshops. There are also a variety of distance-learning courses families can use and the major exam boards can provide materials and learning packs geared towards taking exams.This has to be tempered by some caution however. Home education does reduce your child’s access to specialist teaching. Private tuition can be prohibitively expensively and it is unlikely to replace that range of expertise on offer at a school.

So in conclusion, what do I think? I believe it can work, but it ultimately depends on what your personal circumstances are and whether it’s right for you. There can be costs attached to the home education route. Parents have to fund exams and materials, for example, if the child elects to study for them at home. This can be expensive. Some parents attempt to circumvent this by allowing their child to return to school at exam stage, but I’m not clear precisely how this operates. I fear that some teachers might refuse to enter a student for examinations without a period of enrollment, which may cause a child unfamiliar with the school environment considerable stress. Campaigners are currently working to have home educators’ exams funded as our school exams are. The problem of cost is further compounded by the fact that such families often have to survive on one salary. Regardless, combing education, family and work clearly requires a certain amount of organisational will.Each child, their situation and their needs is unique, and that is what needs to guide such a big decision. Whatever you decide, one thing is clear, we do not have to accept that the classroom is the only place where learning can take place.