HED0347

Written evidence submitted by [member of the public]

[Note: This evidence has been redacted by the Committee. Text in square brackets has been inserted where text has been redacted.]

Home Education Inquiry

Call for Evidence Response

[member of the public]

1. Introduction
   
   My name is [member of the public], I am a mother to two children [ages]. My eldest child attended school for reception and year one, my youngest has not attended school. I completed my A-levels which is where I first became committed to the concept of education as a public good.
   
    
2. Response to the benefits children gain from home education, and the potential disadvantages they may face;
   
   My eldest child began school age [age], we were committed to partnering with the school and wider community. When my son started he was bright, curious, creative, sociable and confident. During reception [personal information]. At the end of year one we decided to homeschool for a period of recovery until we could find an alternative school. During that 6 months we watched our son come back. He started drawing and playing again, his curiosity returned and our relationship and connection was restored more than ever. During this time we learnt how powerful listening, respect, compassion, autonomy and consent were. We decided with our son and daughters input to continue to home educate. My son has taught himself to touch type, faster than my husband who [works in profession]. He drums, learns German, does Maths & English GCSE prep for fun. He dives deep into his passions and has a wide knowledge of politics, geography, culture & music. My daughter had learnt to read through curiosity at the age of [age], she loves horse riding,karate, art, dance, socialising, animals and does maths quizzes for fun.
   
   My children are autonomous in their learning meaning they attend to all the traditional curricula with joy and excitement.
   At this stage in time home educated children are discriminated against by way of resources and access to field trips. Our local school takes all pupils on a field trip once a term at a cost to the government of £75 per child. I suggest home educating families should be resourced to provide the same quality experiences for their children.
    
3. the impact COVID-19 has had on home educated children, and what additional measures might need to be taken in order to mitigate any negative impacts.
   
   Home educated families should have had the clear directive to gather in groups at the same moment children were able to attend school. Whilst most children in the UK were able to access their social circles, home educated children were not. Considering the thousands of home educators in this country it would have been helpful and healthy to have had the clear go ahead under the same protocols as schools.
    
4. Summary
   
   Education is a public good that can come in all forms. My children, along with thousands of others, are flourishing through learning at home.
   
   We would like more funding and more recognition in policy decisions such as Covid19 rulings.

November 2020