education

In the U.K.

Education is compulsory

However,

School is NOT

Many more parents in the UK are choosing to educate their children at home.

It IS legal.

Why do they choose to do it?

Possible reasons include:

Bad educational policies - past and present

Brighter children being held back educationally at school.

Bullying, low moral standards, etc, etc...

Children learn failure at school.

Until they go to school they don't know what failure is.

Then someone - an adult - tells them they're not as clever as Little Johnny at something or other. Until then he didn't realise he was supposed to compare himself to anyone else.

But now he's starting to know what failure is.

Now comes the start of low self-esteem.

Now comes the start of not wanting to try new things, in case he's seen to FAIL.

Home Education

This is the way it should be done. The way it always was done. Personal tuition. Individual attention.

Why should anyone want to home educate their own child?

Why go to all that trouble?

Well, there are many reasons:

Bullying at school. Being left behind with schoolwork. Being bright but not being encouraged enough at school. Low moral standards at school. Low educational standards at school.

Many parents also believe that children are pushed into going to school far too early. Why should they suddenly have to go to school simply because they've turned five?

The more I researched this, the more I realised that in this country (the UK), the government is actually pushing ahead with ideas which have already been proven to do more damage to children than good, especially amongst boys.

In most European countries children do not go to school until age 6 or 7 and the formal tuition where they all have to sit down and do "work" is not introduced until even later - for very good reason. If introduced too early, it does more harm than good.

Even worse, what we now see happening is parents sending their children to school ever younger - School at 4, Nursery at 3, Playgroup at 2.

Whatever happened to childhood?

School Subjects Page	Home Education Links	Educational Research
Newspaper Articles	My Family Album	E-mail me

Educational Research:

Early Education is Harmful to Children

Comparative Study of Early Years Education

(Britain, Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium)

A New Educational Perspective on Music

Home Education Links and addresses:

Hyperlink addresses have been left for you to copy down more easily

(Click on the logos or hyperlink address to go straight to that site.)

Education Otherwise - probably the best known organisation providing support and information for Home Schooling families in the UK.

http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/e_o

Home Education Advisory Service - A superb advisory and support organisation ideal for those considering Home Education for the first time. Subscription £10. Handbook £8 (excellent). Also has leaflets on Dyslexia, Examinations, Special Educational Needs and Home Education Overseas.; http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/home_ed_advisory_srv/

: Human Scale Education - supports alternative methods of education. (Not just Home Schooling).; http://www.hse.clara.net

Education Now - supporting Home based education.; www.netlink.co.uk/users/e_o/edunow/index1.htm
Also, Educational Heretics Press - a series of books relating to home education. See Education Now web site (above) for details or go straight to their book list at: www.netlink.co.uk/users/e_o/edunow/booklist1.html
Educational Heretics Videos also available




Choice in Education- supporting alternative methods of education.
www.choiceineducation.co.uk

Gridlink - distance learning for Home Educated children.; http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/ctrh

Also Libertarian Education. No information yet. Any information gratefully received.

: John Holt's Bookstore E-mail address holtgws@erols.com
A clearing house for information about Home Schooling. (American) postal FREE catalogue available. Just send your postal address to their e-mail address.


The UK Home Education Support Internet Email Mailing List.
Sponsored by AOL. It is 3 years old. It's FREE. Currently has 250 families subscribing.
To subscribe: email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
with the following message: SUBSCRIBE UK-HOME-ED yourname (full name eg Joe Smith not J. Smith)

Much of what is discussed appears to have little to do with education and some list members appear to use it almost as a chat room.
However, for help and advice, especially legal advice, it could prove invaluable. (WARNING - You could receive upwards of 50 E-mails per day.)