ACTIVEO

Is it legal? Yes it is. In England and Wales parents have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their children receive an effective education - as set out in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996. Although this responsibility is usually delegated to schools, some parents choose to exercise it directly by providing an education based at home.

Does it work? Yes, home education works. And now, since Paula Rothermel’s research, that’s official! Until this study (published by University of Durham, autumn 2000) we had no quantitive data. Rothermel studied 100 home-educating families chosen randomly across the UK. This meant that all types of home education, from autonomous, child-led approaches to the structured, school-at-home type regime were likely to be considered in the study. The results were that 65% of home-educatd children scored more than 75% in a general mathematics and literacy test, compared to a national figure of only 51%. The average national score for school-educated pupils in the same test was 45%, while that of the home-educated children was 81%.

There is a growing body of interest in working alongside schools, especially where flexi-schooling is offered as an alternative to an exclusively school or exclusively home-based approach. Such co-operative and visionary enterprise in education requires a letting-go of the antagonism that so often detracts from the potentially helpful relationships between home educators and education professionals. ActivEO has members who are committed to keeping the lines of communication open and the debate alive.

Do you have to be a qualified teacher? No. Teachers working in schools need qualifications because they are responsible for the education of large numbers of children. Home-educating parents do not need sophisticated strategies for providing one-to-one educational opportunities.

Do you have to follow the national curriculum? No. Nor do you have to have a school room at home, follow a timetable, match school hours or give formal lessons. You have to provide an education that is suitable for your child’s age, aptitude and ability and cater for any special needs they have. That means, it is only fair to prepare your child for life in a modern, civilised society and to enable them to achieve their full potential. Often a parent can do this better than a school.

Will they have friends? Yes. By becoming active members of ActivEO you and your children will have endless opportunities for socialising and play. What is more, we mix in family groups so children get used to relating to children and adults of all ages.

Will they be able to get qualifications? Yes. This is getting easier year by year as access to courses becomes more open and most can be studied from home. Many home educated young people go on to college and university, some even return to school for the last couple of years. There is great flexibility and choice to exploit.

What about exams? You have 3 main options if you want to take academic exams while being home educated: through your local college of Further Education; via a correspondence course; or as an Independent Candidate. Each student has their own preferred way of studying but cost may be another factor that the family has to consider.