There has definitely been a growth in the number of children who choose home education over standard primary school since the pandemic. Personally, I never used to teach any Home Ed students prior to the pandemic, but now I have a growing number of them on my student list.

Why home school when you can go to school? Well, all their families seem to have different reasons, ranging from parents having got into the rhythm of home schooling & realising that they can do it to not wanting their children growing up in a system…. One of the most common reasons mentioned is bullying and issues with teachers. It seems that it is more the social context of a school community where you need to find a way to work with various individuals that seems to be more of a problem than anything else for most home schoolers.

On the other hand, the argument that home schoolers are missing out on the social side of things, such as playing with friends, is also very common. To this, the parents of home schoolers usually say that they take part in a range of activities anyway where they mingle with and meet with other people.

My take on it is that you can find a way with all options if you choose one way over the other. The only added ‘burden’ with home schooling is the expense. To pay for private tutors, music teachers, group sporting activities, circus school, wood work, forest school, or any activity that a child (or children!) are taking part in regularly does not come cheap!