Dealing With the Local Authority: It’s Simpler Than You Think One of the biggest worries for home educators is the Local Authority (LA). Parents often imagine officials turning up, demanding to see work, inspecting the house, or forcing children back into school. But the reality is much calmer than that. In England, the law around […]

The Nervous Home Educator Almost every new home educator starts out the same way. Nervous. Even parents who were confident about leaving school often find themselves asking quiet questions in the first few weeks: Am I doing enough?What if my child falls behind?What if the Local Authority asks questions?What if I get it wrong? That […]

The bill is not law yet, but the home education element is finalised. How long it takes to become law will be down to how long government take to finalise the rest of the bill, then get secondary legislation out, and the EHE guidance sorted (we can all have a say in that, so sign […]

Over the last few days we’ve been accused of “scaremongering”, “fearmongering”, acting like a tabloid, and even told the news is good because it will safeguard children — all because of the information we’ve shared about the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill this week. Some of these accusations are coming from within the home educating […]

The New Generation of Home Educators — and the Risk of Turning Home Education Back Into School Something interesting has been happening in the home education world over the last few years. A new generation of home educators has arrived. Many are parents who left the school system after difficult experiences — anxiety, unmet SEN […]

The Hidden Danger of Home Educators Recreating School at Home – When families first start home educating, many make the same mistake. They try to recreate school at home. A timetable goes on the wall. The kitchen table becomes a classroom. Lessons begin at 9am and run through the day. At first, it feels reassuring. […]

Home Educators Are F****d — Barring War, a General Election, or a Miracle The reality is now unavoidable in England, but Wales still stands a chance. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is moving toward becoming law, and with it comes the most sweeping and intrusive changes to home education in England and Wales in […]

Home Education for Teens: But What About Their Future? One of the biggest worries parents have about home educating teenagers is simple: “But what about their future?” People often imagine that if a teenager leaves school, they won’t get qualifications, won’t get into college, and won’t have good career options. But that’s not how it […]

What Does Home Education Actually Look Like Day to Day? One of the biggest questions parents ask when they first think about home education is: “But what do you actually do all day?” Many people imagine that home education means recreating school at home — sitting at a table from 9 until 3 doing lessons. […]

School Isn’t Compulsory (Yes, Really) Most people believe something that isn’t actually true. They believe school is compulsory. But it isn’t. In England, the law says something slightly different. The law says education is compulsory — not school. Parents must make sure their child gets a suitable education, but that education does not have to […]