Long before their child's first birthday, most parents are already worrying about where their child will go to school.
With the papers full of stories of pressures exerted on children, league tables and bullying, many are choosing to bypass school altogether and educate their children at home. Around 50,000 children are currently being home-educated in the UK.
Lucy Gulland, 38, an antenatal teacher living in Brighton, felt her eldest child Ione, now 10, was too young to go to school aged four and so decided to educate her at home. Her three children, Ione, Cory, six and Kit, two, are now all educated autonomously at home.
The theory of autonomous education is that children are free to pursue their own interests rather than having what they must learn dictated by the National Curriculum.
Developing skillsLucy explains: 'I am here to facilitate my children's own individual learning journeys. I make arrangements, follow things up with them, take them to the library, answer questions and organise activities. Because they choose their own areas of interest they have a great enthusiasm for information. – my six-year-old's fascination with cars and dinosaurs means he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of these subjects!'
'As they get older, I have found that what really matters is not the content of their study but rather the acquisition of learning skills.'
The children also attend learning groups, music lessons and sports so Lucy doesn't feel they are missing out on the social aspects of school and adds they have better relationships with adults than many of their contemporaries.
So will they always be educated at home? Lucy says: 'I do ask them if they want to go to school fairly regularly; some children I know have made that decision because they have wanted to do more regular team sports or because the school has the drama or music facilities which we don't really get to use.'
The social factor
'But my daughter says she is far too busy to go to school! She can get together with her friends any time she wants and work on the website they are building or practice with her band; they make magazines together, make clothes, devise games or invent recipes.'
'If she went to school, all these creative endeavours would be limited to after-school hours.'
'We get the immense pleasure of seeing first-hand how our children grow and flourish; the support and friendship of a wonderful network of people; the chance to learn ourselves every day and the privilege of sharing in such a momentous time in our children's lives.'
Allowing children to live and learn at their own speed is always going to be a plus on the mental health front
Other parents have different reasons for choosing home schooling. Amanda Harrington, 36, a writer from Cumbria has home-schooled her two sons since her eldest son Chris started junior school where bullying was a problem and she wasn't satisfied with the standard of education. Fiona Nicholson, 45, from Sheffield decided to educate her 13-year-old son Theo at home because she feels 'school is in the business of forcing square pegs into round holes'. And Katrina Dare, 35, from Bedfordshire home-schools her eight-year-old son Callum, who has Aspergers Syndrome, because he found school too traumatic.
All of them stress the benefits of allowing children to choose their own methods of learning and having friends of different ages – not just that of their peer group.
The legalities
Home education is legal in the UK and you do not have to have permission in England and Wales. The law states children must receive 'efficient full-time education….either by regular attendance at school or otherwise'. There is no obligation to follow the National Curriculum nor for children to take formal examinations, such as GCSEs and A-Levels, although they can do if they wish. Home-educated students can apply to university either through the usual channels or by portfolio entrance. You do not need teaching qualifications to home-educate your children.
Children and young people's counsellor and former teacher Eleanor Patrick says: 'Allowing children to live and learn at their own speed is always going to be a plus on the mental health front. But children are wired for relationships so home education would not be beneficial if the child didn't want to be at home or had no friends. Fitting in at school means doing life someone else's way. Some children flourish, others don't.'
Help and information
For more information about home educating your children and details of local support groups visit www.home-education.org.uk or www.education-otherwise.org
Read more
With the need for parents to be so involved in their children's education these days, ever feel that you end up doing most of the work anyway? Read our columnist Jack Shamash on why he's had it with the school system.
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