HED0552

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.]

I am a mother and home educator, and I wish to submit evidence in support of home education, and in particular in support of the current freedom we have to respond to each child's specific needs. We have two children, each with very different learning styles, but being at home allows us to easily adapt to each one, give them one-on-one attention, and seek opportunities that will make them both thrive and truly be who they are. Our son cannot learn through traditional sit-down techniques, so we have to adapt, using situational learning, computer related activities, etc.

We originally chose the home education route because my son was particularly traumatised whenever he was separated from me. We knew that school would have had a hugely detrimental impact on his well being. To have had the freedom to choose to keep him out of school was a relief beyond measure. The freedom to give him what he particularly needs and to follow his style of learning has been invaluable, and as a result we have an incredibly happy and well-rounded son, who is confident and secure in himself.

Our daughter also now benefits from the same freedom to choose how she learns. We can follow her lead on the things she is capable of, and hold off on the things she finds difficult. She loves to learn, and excels in the things she is confident with, but gets very frustrated by something she doesn't understand. Being at school with such feelings would not be easy, but being at home means we support her in this.

We have found over and over that the children learn the things they are interested in incredibly quickly, because they want to know, and because we can give them the attention and resources needed. Learning is efficient, and exciting, and happens through all sorts of different media. Really this is not "home" education, but free-range life learning. Opportunities to learn come up any time, anywhere.

Educating outside of school means our children get to explore their interests in a way that suits them, and at a pace that suits them. They are happy, and thriving. We would not want it any other way, and are very grateful that such freedoms are ours to choose. We hope very much that it continues as such, for ourselves and for other families that wish or need to choose this route for the well being of their children.

November 2020