A growing number of students in the UK are being home schooled, in fact the number now stands at far beyond 100,000! This is a dramatic increase from the 48,000 students that were homeschooling in 2016-17. The number is predicted to continue to rise over the coming months and years with more and more parents opting to home school their students.
At EmpowerEd, we support a number of families opting for homeschooling programmes, this ranges from structured programmes of support, tuition in particular topics/subjects, as well as social, communication and peer relation skills in sessions hosted in one of our centres!
Many parents/carers often ask us the benefits of homeschooling and whether a homeschooling education package might suit their child.
Our top three favourite advantages of homeschooling are:
Flexibility Homeschooling undeniably gives families more flexibility in regards to their child's education. It can suit families who wish to travel as children can learn from anywhere in the world. It also allows flexibility for students that may have other commitments, such as sporting or talent events. It enables students to access a full education, without having to be in school everyday.
Individualised lessons This must be the biggest highlight of homeschooling! The curriculum, teaching style and content can be tailored to suit the requirements of the individual student. This is something that is often neglected in schools, who often have large class sizes and are widely restricted to adopting a typical way of teaching (in a school with a teacher delivering a lesson at the front of the classroom). Homeschooling is often a great solution for students struggling to engage in mainstream education on a temporary or long term basis. At EmpowerEd we strongly believe that understanding 'how' a student learns, as well as 'what' (the curriculum) they need to learn is fundamental in ensuring they are able to thrive. Homeschooling definitely allows the focus to be on the individual student, meaning sessions can cater for them specifically.
Parent / Student led Similar the above, another huge advantage of homeschooling is that it can be strongly influenced by the parent/student partaking in the programme. Unlike mainstream schools where a set curriculum is followed, with preplanned topics and lessons, homeschooling allows for more creativity. This can be especially important for student that have struggled with mainstream education, allowing these students to have a say in their education pathway can be instrumental to their progress and confidence. If you are considering homeschooling at the moment, feel free to get in touch for a free consultation about your options, or just for a friendly chat!
Homeschooling advantages, homeschooling programmes, homeschooling in Sutton
These points are so well-made. I think also worth pointing out (even if EmpowerEd is too modest to!) is that homeschooling can also be really cost effective in terms of returns for the child involved. This isn’t an expensive option!