Have you ever wondered if homeschooling could be the right choice for your family? It’s a question that’s been on many parents’ minds, especially in recent years. While home education can be an incredible journey for some, it’s not a perfect fit for everyone. Over the years, I’ve worked with a large number of home educating families as a tutor. Sometime, elective home education has been a wonderful choice for a family, and other times it’s ended up being detrimental.
Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece based on my experience working with families. For almost every challenge I’ve mentioned, I know a family who has made it work regardless! This post is meant to give you some food for thought as you decide if this path is right for your family and how you could tackle some of the challenges.
Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of when home education might be a fantastic fit and when it might be better to explore other options.
The Challenges of Home Education
Can you home educate if you work full time or have multiple jobs?
If you’re juggling multiple jobs or facing financial constraints, homeschooling can be a tough mountain to climb. You absolutely do not have to keep to regular school hours, but you do need to fit things in somewhere. You may also need to consider who is caring for your children during the day if you are working, and that may come at additional cost. Chat with local family members too – retired grandparents are often willing to support and free during the working day.
Is home educating expensive?
By electively home educating, you normally assume all of the costs associated with your child’s education – and that includes exams if you wish them to take them. GCSEs typically cost £90-£150 per subject so this cost can add up (but you don’t need to do them all at once like in school!). Resources and subscriptions can cost anywhere from £7 – £30 per month each. If you hire a tutor, expect to pay around £40/hour for 1:1. It is possible to home educate for free and the best places to start are your local library, BBC Bitesize and Oak Academy, but like anything in life, the trade off is usually time for research and planning.
Do I need any qualifications to home educate my child?
No, you don’t need any formal teaching experience of qualifications to home education. However, a lack of subject expertise may occasionally be a barrier – certainly, if my son decided he wanted to do A Level Physics that would have me breaking out in a cold sweat! At the younger end of schooling, the content is within reach of most parents. As children get older and specialise, some subjects may become more challenging for parents to support. You can employ tutors if you feel you need to do so, or you might want to start with group classes such as those found on The £2 Tuition Hub website. Another option is learning along with your child, and this is a great way to model effective learning strategies at the same time. Where parents sometimes find a necessary cost attached is where their child needs additional intervention and they don’t have the expertise to move them forward – reading difficulties are a prime example of this – and it’s wise to consult a specialist tutor who has undergone formal training if this is the case.
How important is socialisation for home educated children?
One of the most commonly asked questions is about the importance of socialisation for home educated children. Some kids crave daily social interaction. Whether yours do or not, you’ll need to actively seek out in-person social opportunities. Home ed groups are widespread now – both in the UK and across the world – and hobby classes for evenings and weekends are easy to find. When parents prioritise socialisation, home-educated kids often become social all-rounders. They can interact comfortably with people of various ages and backgrounds, sometimes outperforming their school-going peers who mainly socialise within their age group.
I feel burnt out just parenting – should we still try home educating?
If you’re constantly battling discipline issues or feeling burnt out parenting, home educating might be more of a struggle than a solution. The dual role of parent and teacher can blur boundaries, making it challenging to maintain structure and authority. Without the built-in respite of traditional schooling, you might find yourself emotionally and physically exhausted, questioning your decision to home educate and dreading each new day. On the flip side, challenging behaviour is usually a symptom of mental health issues and triggering experiences and environments. It’s entirely possible, for those triggered by school, that home education eases many of those issues. If you’re unsure, it may be beneficial to explore some behaviours with a psychologist, or other mental health professional, ahead of deregistering.
Can I home educate my child with special educational needs?
A good proportion of children being home educated have SEN – so that in itself is not a limiting factor, but you do need to plan how you will meet their needs. The good news is that you know them best, so you’re just adapting home practices. You can deregister your child from a mainstream school without permission, even if they have an EHC plan. But if they’re in a special school, you’ll need the local authority’s okay first. The EHC plan stays active after deregistration, and the local authority will review it yearly – you don’t have to attend this review. Be ready to explain how you’re meeting your child’s special needs at home, in line with their EHCP. School services like speech therapy, occupational therapy and academic interventions will stop, but you can try getting some of them through your GP or other health services. The school nurse team can still help with referrals for assessments.
If you have special educational needs yourself, this does not necessarily preclude you from home educating as long as your can still meet their educational needs. There are plenty of teachers in schools teaching successfully with a range of special educational needs. My Dad is dyslexic and recently retired after a lifelong career in the classroom. Because of his dyslexia, his lessons focussed more on developing understanding orally through discussion and questioning, and through practical experiments than writing notes – and his students reaped the benefits of that and got great results! Sometimes, what feels like a limitation is just a hidden superpower.
My child is struggling with other issues – can we home educate?
For families dealing with various behavioural challenges – such as addiction, aggression, anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues – the idea of spending more time together at home can be overwhelming. Often, these behaviours are symptoms of underlying problems. If school provides a safe environment, even if it’s not fully meeting all educational needs, it might be better to pause before transitioning to home education while working with a trained professional first to begin addressing these challenges. Sometimes, them having a school place can help with access to support services. This approach can help create a more stable foundation, improving the likelihood of a successful home education experience. However, if the school environment is worsening the situation, then you can still access support services through your GP or the school nursing team. Trust your gut on this one – you know what’s best for your kiddos!
When Home Education Could Be Your Family’s Superpower
Let’s now look briefly at the flip side and see
- Flexible schedules: If your family thrives on non-traditional routines, homeschooling can be a game-changer. It gives you the opportunity to travel, to learn all year round if this works best for you child, or pace out a day to meet their needs.
- Personalised learning pace: Got a quick learner or someone who needs extra time? Home education allows for tailored pacing and mastery of skills without the pressure of having to keep up with the rest of the class.
- Strong family bonds: Home education can be an incredible opportunity to strengthen family relationships.
- Specialised interests: If your child has a passion that traditional schools can’t accommodate, home education lends itself really well to exploring it in further detail. Traditional school subjects can easily be integrated into your choice of theme and there are some example on this site – referred to as ‘Unit Studies’.
- Safe learning environment: For families dealing with bullying or other school-related anxieties, home can be a nurturing alternative.
Remember, there’s no perfect educational path – it’s all about finding what works best for your unique family situation. Have you considered home education? What factors are weighing on your decision? Give some thought to these points and see where you land.