Should I Homeschool

Many UK families are now asking themselves, should I homeschool? Well, this decision depends entirely on your own unique circumstances.

While it is challenging to switch from school to unschool, homeschooling in the UK can be a real possibility for many parents and caregivers.

Starting To Homeschool – Things To Consider

If you’ve been thinking about taking your child out of school and teaching them at home, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, according to recent data, there are around 86,000 home-educated pupils in the UK. With more parents choosing to remove their children and teenagers from public and private schools across the country, this figure is on the rise!

But before you make a final decision about starting to homeschool, let’s look at the top things all parents should consider.

How Much Does It Cost To Homeschool?

Sending your children to a public school might well be considered a free education, but parents who are on a budget tend to find small school expenses quickly start to add up.

From buying the right pair of school shoes, purchasing school uniforms each year to paying for after-school clubs, stocking up on packed lunch items or paying for school dinners, to forking out for school trips, this ‘free’ education can actually be expensive for many families.

But how much does homeschooling cost? Well, this depends entirely on you and your style of education.

Since they won’t be attending a traditional school, there are no uniform costs to consider.

Plus, school trips are only on the cards should you have budget to spend. This is often a much better situation for parents as they won’t feel guilty for their kids missing out on a school trip if they can’t afford to pay for it.

Now consider homeschool resources. There are plenty of free homeschool resources and websites to help homeschool families. This means even the activities you choose to download and print off at home can be free of charge. So no need to invest in expensive workbooks, textbooks and the like.

Take a look at our homeschool resource section for inspiration and a whole world of unschool activities and ideas.

How To Start Homeschooling?

In the UK, it’s fairly easy to take your child out of school and choose to homeschool.

If your child is currently at school, you should tell the school if you plan to educate them at home. The school must accept if you’re taking your child out completely. They can refuse if you want to send your child to school some of the time.

For full UK Government guidance on how to start homeschooling click here.

Financial Benefits Of Homeschooling

Homeschooling doesn’t need to be expensive. You set the activities, and your budget for resources and day-trips and as long as one parent can provide their time, energy and attention on providing a solid education, other family members can be free to work full or part-time and support the family.

Emotional Benefits Of Homeschooling Children

Why do you find it a nightmare to get your kids up for school at 6,7 or 8am in the morning?

The truth is, this is not natural for children and causes significant distress, especially if parents are also stressed out. When a child wakes up, they should feel safe, calm and secure. The dreaded school-run in rush-hour traffic with a parent who is tired, stressed and over-worked is not a recipe for nurturing a child’s emotional needs.

Homeschooling allows for a more flexible and relaxed daily routine. Free from the strict boundaries of the school system.

Homeschool also removes the emotional stress of being around badly behaved children who may be disruptive, verbally or physically abusive and ruin your child’s opportunities to succeed both on an educational level and emotional level too.

Starting To Homeschool To Prevent Bullying

Parents with children who are being bullied often turn to homeschooling to protect their child. We strongly support this decision, especially today, where bullying has evolved from classroom taunts to online bullying 24/7.