Traditional schools do not suit everyone.  Bored children who are not being stretched at school, bullied children, children who are falling behind at school for whatever reason, are among the large numbers of children who are being taught at home by parents.

It is not an easy option but for some children it is the best option. It takes the stress out of learning and enables children to learn at their own pace, in their own way. For parents it can be restrictive – parents need a lot of patience, and have to really enjoy being with their kids  every day.  It can prevent you from working full time, as you have to be at home with the kids. Most home educators accept this and supplement income via self employed work, or evening work when the other parent can look after the children.

Home education is legal, and as long as the child is being educated full time and is developing well, it is up to the parent to decide how a child is educated. All you need to do is inform the school in writing that you are taking the child out of school and that the child will be home educated from there on.  The school will notify the education authority and the home education officer will contact you.

So how do you home educate?  Once the decision has been made, the method of educating a child is up to you.  It is not necessary to follow the National Curriculum.  Some parents opt to employ tutors   or join up with other parents to cover subjects like English, Maths and Science.  A lot of parents approach education on a project basis and aim to include lots of general knowledge, English, maths and other subjects within each project.  Older children can study for exams and certificates via self-study and online courses.

 The important thing is to ensure that a child has a balanced education touching on all major subject areas, takes part in physical education and has social activities.  The advantage of home education is that you can tailor these activities to suit the child. Not all children want to play football or netball – they may be happier learning some form of dancing or going power kiting or ice-skating.  Social and group skills can be achieved through membership of organisations like the Brownies, Guides, Woodcraft Folk, Red Cross or St John Ambulance or through taking part in group activities organised by members of Education Otherwise.

Education Otherwise is a membership organisation for home educating families, which provides social links and activities.  In each county, there are members of Education Otherwise who get together to do all kinds of educational activities on a group basis, visiting museums, castles, theatres, holding workshops, camping and outdoor activities.  You can do as much or as little as you want.

This content was provided by one of our users, pinewoodlodge