Home education
Encyclopedia
Home education is a collective term used in the UK to describe education provided otherwise than through the schooling system. Parents have a duty to ensure their children are educated but the education legislation in England and Wales does not differentiate between school attendance or education otherwise than at school. Scots education legislation on the other hand differentiates between public (state) school provision and education “by other means”, which includes both private schooling and home education. The numbers of families retaining direct responsibility for the education of their children has steadily increased since the late 1970s following the formation of support groups such as Education Otherwise
and Schoolhouse
. Liberated from the formalities of schooling home educating families frequently adopt an informal style of education described as unschooling
, informal learning
, natural or autonomous learning. Others prefer to retain a structured school at home approach sometimes referred to as homeschooling
(a term more popular in the US) although the terms are often interchanged.
came attempts to formalise and regulate what had been an ad-hoc schooling system. Campaigners to establish a school system such as the National Education League
had argued that schools were for children "not otherwise receiving education" and the 1870 act specified "a reasonable excuse for non-attendance at school : 1. That the child is under efficient instruction in some other manner".
With the growth of the schooling system came fresh theories and philosophies of education such as those of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
who would influence the likes of Herbert Spencer
who in his essays on education (1854 and 1859) argued against the traditional authoritative classical form of education that disregarded the natural wishes, tendencies, and motives of the child In turn there were many further pioneers such as Charlotte Mason
, Caroline Southwood Hill and Susan Sutherland Isaacs
.
The twentieth century saw the opening of schools such as Summerhill
and Dartington and the establishment of The Peckham Experiment
. The government had set up consultative committees chaired by William Henry Hadow
. The Hadow reports (1923–1933) with their suggestions such that "a good school 'is not a place of compulsory instruction, but a community of old and young, engaged in learning by cooperative experiment'. laid the foundations for the 1944 Education act
which required that each child be educated according to their individual aptitude and ability either at school or otherwise. The plans for a liberal communal based education system incorporating schools, village halls and community centres floundered against local bureaucracy and finance and offered little more than a tripartite school system
which itself would be abandoned as ineffectual in favour of comprehensive school
s later to be dismissed as "bog standard"
During the early 1950s Joy Baker became one of the first parents to abandon the school based education system in favour of the otherwise path. She would spend ten years battling with the authorities who insisted her children should attend school. During the early 1970s Dartington school ran a scheme, known as The Terrace, with Yorkshire County Council overseen by Alec Clegg
to provide education to pupils who were required to stay on at school due to the raising of the leaving age. The scheme was run by Dick Kitto who had been working at Dartington. Kitto set up an informal democratic system and was impressed by how well the pupils responded to such opportunities. Kitto planned to expand his ideas to cover more schools but he discovered that some parents had already moved beyond his ideas and had decided to abandon schooling for their children altogether. A meeting for these families was organised which would lead to the establishment of Education Otherwise.
SInce 1998, home educators and their families have come together at the annual HESFES event
for a combination of education, co-operation and entertainment.
.
See also, work by Alan Thomas PhD, Amanda Petrie PhD, Ian Lowden PhD, Noraisha Yusof PhD, Leslie Barson PhD, Samantha Eddis PhD, Daniel Monk PhD, Sean Gabb
, Harriet Pattison, Prof. David Galloway.
Education Otherwise
Education Otherwise is a registered charity based in England for families whose children are being educated otherwise than at school, and for those who wish to uphold the freedom of families to take responsibility for the education of their children...
and Schoolhouse
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. Liberated from the formalities of schooling home educating families frequently adopt an informal style of education described as unschooling
Unschooling
Unschooling is a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including play, game play, household responsibilities, work experience, and social interaction, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum....
, informal learning
Informal learning
Informal learning is one of three forms of learning defined by the OECD. The other two are formal and non-formal learning. Informal learning occurs in a variety of places, such as at home, work, and through daily interactions and shared relationships among members of society. For many learners this...
, natural or autonomous learning. Others prefer to retain a structured school at home approach sometimes referred to as homeschooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
(a term more popular in the US) although the terms are often interchanged.
History
With the Elementary Education Act 1870Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
came attempts to formalise and regulate what had been an ad-hoc schooling system. Campaigners to establish a school system such as the National Education League
National Education League
The National Education League was a political movement in England and Wales which promoted elementary education for all children, free from religious control....
had argued that schools were for children "not otherwise receiving education" and the 1870 act specified "a reasonable excuse for non-attendance at school : 1. That the child is under efficient instruction in some other manner".
With the growth of the schooling system came fresh theories and philosophies of education such as those of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
who would influence the likes of Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher, biologist, sociologist, and prominent classical liberal political theorist of the Victorian era....
who in his essays on education (1854 and 1859) argued against the traditional authoritative classical form of education that disregarded the natural wishes, tendencies, and motives of the child In turn there were many further pioneers such as Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason was a British educator who invested her life in improving the quality of children's education. Her ideas led to a method used by some homeschoolers.-Biography:...
, Caroline Southwood Hill and Susan Sutherland Isaacs
Susan Sutherland Isaacs
Susan Sutherland Isaacs, CBE was a Lancashire-born educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. She published studies on the intellectual and social development of children and promoted the nursery school movement...
.
The twentieth century saw the opening of schools such as Summerhill
Summerhill School
Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
and Dartington and the establishment of The Peckham Experiment
The Peckham Experiment
The Peckham Experiment took place between 1926 and 1950, initially generated by rising public concern over the health of the working class and an increasing interest in preventative social medicine.-Commencement:...
. The government had set up consultative committees chaired by William Henry Hadow
William Henry Hadow
Sir William Henry Hadow CBE was a leading educational reformer in Great Britain and a musicologist.Hadow was born at Ebrington, Gloucester, England. He studied at Malvern College, followed by Worcester College, Oxford where he taught and became Dean...
. The Hadow reports (1923–1933) with their suggestions such that "a good school 'is not a place of compulsory instruction, but a community of old and young, engaged in learning by cooperative experiment'. laid the foundations for the 1944 Education act
Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
which required that each child be educated according to their individual aptitude and ability either at school or otherwise. The plans for a liberal communal based education system incorporating schools, village halls and community centres floundered against local bureaucracy and finance and offered little more than a tripartite school system
Tripartite System
The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state funded secondary education between 1944 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland....
which itself would be abandoned as ineffectual in favour of comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
s later to be dismissed as "bog standard"
During the early 1950s Joy Baker became one of the first parents to abandon the school based education system in favour of the otherwise path. She would spend ten years battling with the authorities who insisted her children should attend school. During the early 1970s Dartington school ran a scheme, known as The Terrace, with Yorkshire County Council overseen by Alec Clegg
Alec Clegg
Sir Alexander Bradshaw Clegg, also known as Alec Clegg became the innovative Chief Education Officer of the West Riding of Yorkshire County Council for whom he worked from 1945 to 1974.Clegg, the son of a Derbyshire schoolmaster, attended Long Eaton Grammar School, Bootham School in York...
to provide education to pupils who were required to stay on at school due to the raising of the leaving age. The scheme was run by Dick Kitto who had been working at Dartington. Kitto set up an informal democratic system and was impressed by how well the pupils responded to such opportunities. Kitto planned to expand his ideas to cover more schools but he discovered that some parents had already moved beyond his ideas and had decided to abandon schooling for their children altogether. A meeting for these families was organised which would lead to the establishment of Education Otherwise.
SInce 1998, home educators and their families have come together at the annual HESFES event
Hesfes
HESFES is an annual festival aimed at home-educators and their families. Organised annually since 1998 by 'a cooperative of volunteers' headed by Andy Blewett, the festival offers music, entertainment, crafts, life skills, technology, discussion, conferences and many other activities...
for a combination of education, co-operation and entertainment.
Research
Research into home education in the UK has been undertaken by Dr Paula RothermelPaula Rothermel
Dr Paula Rothermel is a leading UK academic in the field of home education . She is an Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts FRSA and an Elected Associated Fellow of the British Psychological Society...
.
See also, work by Alan Thomas PhD, Amanda Petrie PhD, Ian Lowden PhD, Noraisha Yusof PhD, Leslie Barson PhD, Samantha Eddis PhD, Daniel Monk PhD, Sean Gabb
Sean Gabb
Dr Sean Gabb is the director of the Libertarian Alliance, a British free market and civil liberties think-tank..-Career:...
, Harriet Pattison, Prof. David Galloway.
See also
- Education in the United KingdomEducation in the United KingdomEducation in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are...
- HomeschoolingHomeschoolingHomeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
- Schoolhouse Home Education AssociationSchoolhouse Home Education AssociationSchoolhouse Home Education Association, more commonly referred to as Schoolhouse, is a charity based in Scotland which provides support and information to parents about Home education in Scotland....