With homeschooling becoming more common, you might be wondering if this could be an option for your child. There are many benefits to homeschooling, particularly for families who need to relocate frequently. Home education is not the best option for every child, as we understand that each individual has a different learning style. Alternative options that could be considered are remote tutoring or mentoring support.

 

This blog aims to help you identify whether homeschooling could be right for you and your child, by answering the following questions:

• What is homeschooling?
• Who might homeschooling be good for?
• What are the benefits of homeschooling?
• What are the alternatives to homeschooling?
• How can Think Tutors help?

At Think Tutors, we offer homeschool tutoring support tailored to your child’s learning style and needs. You can contact us online to find out more about how we can support your child with tuition.

What Is Homeschooling?

Elective Home Education (EHE), commonly referred to as homeschooling, is where a child’s education occurs outside of school. Home education can be undertaken on a short-term or long-term basis, depending on what works best for you.

Your child’s education is extremely important, therefore you must think carefully when considering if homeschooling is right for your child. You might take the following questions into consideration:

• Is homeschooling in your child’s best interests?
• What does your child think about being home educated?
• Do you have the time, resources and home environment to adequately educate your child?
• Are there any alternatives to homeschooling that might suit your child better?
• Do you, as a parent or guardian, have enough support from others? Homeschooling in the UK can be difficult and you need a good support system in place for yourself
• What are your long-term intentions for your child’s education? Is homeschooling temporary, short-term or permanent?

At Think Tutors, our homeschool tutoring complements your child’s home education. Our expert tutors can travel around the world with you, if required, to ensure your child has educational stability no matter where they are. Get in touch to find out more about how we can help support your child’s educational journey.

Who Might Homeschooling Be Good For?

Homeschooling in the UK tends to be the most effective option for children and families for the following reasons:

• Convenience – You may not have any issues with your child’s current education but want to go full time with a homeschool tutor because it is more convenient. Home education cuts down on travel expenses and saves you precious time that can be better spent elsewhere.
• Health Issues – There can be hundreds, or even thousands, of children studying in a single school at any one time. If your child has health issues, keeping them away from the crowded school environment may help to protect from viruses or colds spread around the school. If your child has a mental health condition such as anxiety, the school environment can be overwhelming which could have a negative impact on their overall mental health.
• Special Educational Needs – Sometimes, children with special educational needs do not have their requirements met in schools, particularly those that are not experienced or have the necessary facilities. Homeschooling is a personal, unique type of education that ensures your child’s requirements and special educational needs are met to help support them in their skills and growth, and most importantly making it a place they feel safe and happy.
• Bullying – If your child is being bullied at school, or you feel that they are being treated unfairly by teachers, opting for homeschool tutoring support may help to prevent their education and mental well-being from being impacted in a negative way.
• Relocation –  At Think Tutors, our homeschool tutors can travel with you around the world, and even relocate with you. We understand that, due to personal circumstances, some families have to relocate multiple times a year; this is common if someone within the household travels for work, or is in the armed  forces. As a result, one of the advantages of homeschooling is your child’s education will not be disrupted from frequently moving schools.
• Covid-19 – The pandemic has seen a rise in homeschooling in the UK. Homeschooling can be undertaken on a short-term, temporary basis or can be made permanent for the entirety of your child’s school life. If you are concerned about the disruption that Covid-19 has had on your child’s education, or you still do not feel comfortable with your child mixing with other school children, you may opt to homeschool instead.

Homeschooling might not be the best option for all children, it is important to take that into consideration when thinking about home education for your child. If you do decide that homeschool tutoring is the best option for your child, you’ll need to take into consideration their current academic level. At Think Tutors, we offer academic assessments in each subject at every level, in order to help understand your child’s overall academic abilities including strengths and areas where additional support might be needed.

What are the benefits of Homeschooling?

Although homeschooling in the UK is not right for every child, there are many benefits of homeschooling that you should know about:

• Unique, tailored learning – Homeschooling your child means  they receive a personalised education that is unique to them. Depending on what your child responds best to, what they enjoy, how they learn and their personal requirements, you can tailor their learning to get the most out of their homeschool tutoring.
• Flexibility and freedom – Homeschooling in the UK does not need to follow the national curriculum which means your child has the freedom to study any subject they choose. This means they can concentrate on their strengths and weaknesses in different subjects. The flexibility of homeschooling is particularly useful during exam seasons as lessons can be adapted to prepare your child for their exams, whether that be through focusing on a specific subject or working on their time management skills.
• Increased emotional and physical safety – One of the biggest advantages of homeschooling is that it removes your child from the school environment. This can protect their physical and emotional safety, for example, if they are being bullied or have mental or physical health conditions. If you are planning on removing your child from the school system for health reasons, our remote tutoring can complement your homeschooling efforts without your child leaving the house. Find out more about the benefits of remote tutoring, and whether this could be a good option for you and your child.
• Stability – Children need stability to thrive, but Covid-19 has meant that the last two years have been uncertain. This may have been confusing and disruptive for your child’s education. One of the benefits of homeschooling is the stability it provides. Whether your family needs to relocate frequently, or if you are still cautious about Covid-19, UK homeschooling provides an alternative option to attending school.
• Less stress – Homeschooling reduces stress for a child in many ways. Even if you decide to follow the national curriculum, you are able to follow it according to your child’s requirements, preventing unnecessary stress. Most schools have a heavy focus on mock assessments and exams, you can prepare your child for their exams according to their learning style.

There are many advantages of homeschooling, from flexibility to stability. You might however be concerned about your child’s socialisation skills if homeschooling, in this case there are other options such as, face to face tutoring support or even mentoring support which allows your child to attend school and can be provided outside of school hours.

 

Whether your child is in their younger years, or studying for their A Levels, Think Tutors provide tutoring support for all stages to help students flourish academically.

What are the Alternatives to Homeschooling?

If you are questioning whether homeschooling is the best option for your child, the answer could be no. Although there are many benefits of homeschooling, not all children will thrive in an elective home education environment. As a parent or guardian, you might also decide that homeschooling is not the right choice for you either.

 

You might decide against homeschooling for the following reasons:

• Work-life balance – Your child’s home environment will also be their working environment, you might find that they struggle to maintain a work-life balance.
• Reduction in socialisation – Although homeschooling can create experiences that are tailored to your child’s learning style, they will not experience the ‘standard’ experiences of a school pupil.

If you decide that homeschool tutoring is not the right choice for your child, there are alternatives to homeschooling that you should consider, such as:

• Flex-schooling
• Remote tutoring
• Mentoring
• School holiday courses

Legal Responsibilities of Parents or Guardians

As a parent or guardian you take sole responsibility for the following:

 

• Ensuring that your child is being adequately educated – You do not need to be the person who teaches your child. You could hire a homeschooling tutor or make use of online tutoring services, such as the tutoring support that Think Tutors offers.
• All Costs – You must cover all the costs of education, including exam or assessment fees.
• Any special educational needs/requirements – Local authorities are not required to provide extra support for your child, it is up to you to meet their requirements

Taking sole responsibility means that you could be held accountable by local authorities and be given a School Attendance Order if your child is not being adequately educated.

 

There are different types of homeschooling, so flexi-schooling is an option to consider if you are concerned about taking sole responsibility for your child’s education. Flexi-schooling means that your child splits their education between an education provider, such as a school, and home education.

Contact Think Tutors

There are many benefits of homeschooling in the UK because it provides unique learning opportunities that are tailored to your child’s personal requirements. Home education has the flexibility and freedom to focus on strengths and weaknesses of particular subjects, rather than being limited by the national curriculum. It is also more convenient as it reduces travel, time, and hassle if you frequently relocate, as our homeschool tutors can travel with you around the world.

 

If you are still wondering ‘is homeschooling right for my child?’ you might decide to consider alternatives to homeschooling, such as online tutoring or mentoring. Whether your child is studying for their GCSEs, A Levels or is in their younger years, we provide tailored tutoring services available to support them.

 

If you have an enquiry about homeschool tutoring, or you want to know more about our other tuition services or mentoring support, then please contact us and we will be in touch shortly.