School is not compulsory - Education is!

Many people still send their children to school unwillingly because they do not realise that school is not compulsory in the UK and many other countries. Only Education is compulsory so this gives the parent the opportunity to home educate their children themselves if they want to.

The law states that the parent of every child of a compulsory school age must provide the child with a suitable full-time education according to the needs of the child’s age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs they may have.  This can be done either by regular attendance at a school or otherwise.

Homeschooling your children can be a lovely experience both for the parents and for the children. Learning becomes less rushed and entirely based in a loving environment; given these surroundings the children can flourish without feeling pressured. They can learn at their own pace and will benefit a great deal from one-to-one learning. Many home educated children go on to pass their GCSE’s at about 13 years old.

Homeschooling gives the children extra time and room to be creative which will ultimately lead the children to develop the freedom of their imaginations.

You are not tied and bound to learning in one particular way, follow rules or be made to follow a curriculum so the children stand a chance at gaining an even wider all rounded education because you can spend as much or as little time on a subject as you want to. You can also spend time teaching your children subjects that are not being taught in schools such as life skills.

There are many different reasons other parents decide to homeschool which all depends on their unique situations and beliefs.

Some parents decide they will homeschool from day one because it is what feels right for them, because they want to keep the family close together, or because they want to have a more active role in their child’s education. They might disagree with the schooling system or for religious reasons.

Other parents realise later on after sending their children to school that things are not working out so well and they pull their children out of school. This can also be for lots of different reasons. It could be because the children have become unhappy at school or because bullying is a problem and they are not happy with how the school deals with it. It could be that they feel they can teach their children better or their child is not doing so well with learning at school and that they could benefit more from learning at home.

It doesn’t always matter what your reasons are for wanting to homeschool, what matters is that you believe in your own heart that you can offer the children more by not sending them to school.

See here for a full list of the pros and cons of homeschooling

Many parents who home educate their children manage comfortably on one income such as income support or jobseekers allowance so you don’t need to be rich at all.

In most cases the money you would spend over the years on school shoes, uniform and non uniform days will cover most of your home education expenses. There are lots of free or cost effective resources available online, at your local library or museums etc.

If your child has never entered the school education system then you may not need to contact anyone to tell them but this will depend on what country you live in. You should always check the law in your country for this as the last thing you want is to be arrested for not telling them.

If you are pulling your child out of school, then it is necessary to send a letter to the school stating that you will be home educating. It is then down to the school to notify your local education department and deregister your child from their school.

You can find out more on the website education otherwise. They have lots of information telling you how you can get started if you decide that homeschooling is for you. The website also has detailed pages about where you stand with the law and an example letter of the one you should send to the school if you are pulling your child out of school.

Education Otherwise also have some very informative information about how homeschooling does and doesn’t affect your income and explains what government benefits you may still entitled to.