Home Schooling

According to walesonline.co.uk (2012) in recent years the number of students being home schooled has risen significantly. According to this article it states that according the Welsh Government 986 pupils were taken out of local authority schools to be home schooled instead.

Home Education is also known as Elective Home Education. The 1996 Education Act stated that "The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable-

a. To his age, ability and aptitude

b. To any special educational needs he may have 

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise." (Department for children,schools and families, 2007).

There are some regulations regarding Home Education. These are;

• Parents can educate their children at home from a very early age.
• Parents are not required to register or seek approval from the LEA.
• Parents must assume full financial responsibility.
• Local Authorities are encouraged to provide support where resources permit.

The article "Elective Home Education" by the department for children,schools and families also provides reasons for elective home education. These include;

• Distance or access to a local school
• Religious or cultural beliefs
• Dissatisfaction with the system
• Bullying
• Special educational needs
• A child's unwillingness or inability to go to school
• Parents desire for a closer relationship with their children.

I believe that if the child is able to attend school then keeping the child home and effectively "Home-schooling" the child is isolating them from the social environment of school. From my experience when beginning secondary education, there is a large opportunity to make new friends and most social activities that involve meeting outside of school are planned and arranged during school breaks. I believe therefore to be home-schooled would deprive a child of other experiences and he/she might not have an opportunity to have as many friends as they would if they attended school.

Although i do believe home-schooling would provide the child with many extra abilities. A home-schooled child could volunteer somewhere that he/she finds interesting and could develop their knowledge in a topic that suits them and could have many more experiential opportunities than their friends at school. This could possibly lead to a well-paid job opportunity.

Another fact that I was shocked by when researching Elective Home Schooling was the list of things that a parent did not have to do when home educating their child. Some points included;

• Teaching the national curriculum
• Have a timetable
• Give formal lessons
• Mark work by their child
• Set hours during which education will take place
• Provide a broad and balanced education. (Department for children, schools and families, 2007)

In conclusion I believe that Elective Home Education could benefit the child in some way, but I do not believe this to be better than Local Authority Schooling. When a child is at school they learn many different academic subjects but also have the opportunities for extra-curricula activities and can socialise effectively with other pupils.