For those of you who may be thinking about home schooling, here's a quick rundown of all you need to know about it. In the UK there is still a compulsary education law that states that all children of school age must receive a satisfactory education. Much to the suprise of many, that does not mean that attending school is compulsary, in fact as long as the child receives an education, they can pretty much be taught anywhere, at home, at work or even in the local supermarket whilst doing the weekly shop! Now i'm not suggesting that 'Somewhere, sometime'is a great approach to teaching your children but i am suggesting that for those of you who have the desire to teach, it can be 'Anywhere,anytime'.
Unlike the traditional school system of set times and schedules, the advantage of home schooling your children means that you decide when, where and how you teach them. You don't have to be a qualified teacher or have special training, you just need to want to provide the best educational start for your child, which lets face it, is what most of us parents want anyway, so you are already half way there!
There are of course certain guidelines that you must be aware of. Depending on your local area you will have your own Education Authority, if your child is already attending school then before you can home educate you need to inform them of your plans so they can de-register your child from the school system, this is quick and painless and is merely so that you and your child will not face prosecution for truancy.
If like me you are starting to home school your child from the onset, it is not compulsory for you to contact your Education Authority but i was advised to do so in order to avoid any future problems that i may have encountered later if i had reconsidered my decision. In most areas they will provide you with a Learning Support Advisory Teacher, who will give you help and support and will also visit you annually to check on you and your child's progress. They are more than willing to help you with any problems you have and although they are linked to the traditional school system they are very open to all aspects of education and can provide a very welcome backup to what can sometimes feel like a very lonely job!
To find out more information about the legalities of home schooling and to cantact your Local Education Authority visit the Department for Children, Schools and Families
Although there are thousands of parents who have moved out of the workplace to take their child's education in hand, it is still as yet unrecognised as a paid career, so unfortunately one of the down sides to taking this alternative route is that you will not recieve any monetary help. Fortunately however you do get to be at the driving seat of your child's education and for most of us i'm sure that that far outweighs any wage packet. For more information on how you can successfully home school, without stretching your purse strings then visit our page Home school on a Budget for tips and ideas of how to keep the cost of home education to a minimum.
Well if like me you are one of these devoted partents of the education system who tackle there way through the Tears, Tantrums and Teaching then Bravo! and for those who are sat at their desks wondering what their child is doing today at school just think about it!
for further information about all aspects of home schooling in the UK then visit Education Otherwise A home education support charity whose goal is to encourage learning outside the school system and to re-affirm parent's responsibility for their children's education. They provide support and information on all aspects of home education in the UK.
If you have any comments on what you have read or ideas and recommendaions on any aspect of home schooling in the uk, then contact our mail box or post your suggestions onto our online Guestbook, we want to hear from you!
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