Home education or homeschooling, has traditionally been more popular in the US than the UK, with about 2 million students being homeschooled.

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Homeschooling is growing in the U.K. Here we look at some reasons why parents consider this option.

The rise of home education

Home education or homeschooling, has traditionally been more popular in the US than the UK, with about 2 million students being homeschooled. However, it is on the rise in the UK with reports of at least 50,000 to 80,000¹students being educated by parents and/or private tutors.

The number of students in home education in England has doubled in the last 6 years². There are many reasons why parents decide to embark upon this route:

Dissatisfaction with academic instruction or philosophy
Increased competition to obtain a place within a school
Prolonged bullying of the student
Behaviour issues within school leading to expulsion
Special educational needs
More flexibility desired in educational practices
Desired religious or moral instruction
Chronic illness
To increase knowledge and exposure via travel
To connect with nature more via outdoor education

Home education leads to better than average qualifications and does not prevent access to tertiary education. One issue that parents have to pay attention to is socialisation, however, this has become much easier to overcome through online networking and parents creating home education groups and meetups.

Under English and Welsh law parents do not require any qualification to start home education and there is no requirement to conform to the National Curriculum or undertake examinations2.

At Bright Heart Education we respect the freedom of choice to educate your child as you think best, and can help support you on this path and work to meet your unique requirements.

Law and Parents, 22 January 2018: ‘Regulations On The Home Schooling of Your Child‘.
The Telegraph, 7 July 2017: ‘Number of children home taught doubles in six years amid increased competition for school places‘.

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