We have recently come across two very different examples of home schooling with children at MagiKats, leaving our debate to whether home schooling is successful or not wide open! In our first case, we have siblings who have been home-schooled for a year, the family choosing to do so as the children were disengaged and not achieving their full potential at school. These children have an amazing attitude to learning, and are miles ahead their peers at school. We do mean miles ahead – the five year old can spell words like ‘coincidence’, ‘fatigue’ and ‘collaborate’! The frustration was, according to their parents, that they could learn more in an hour at home than they could all day at school. At school they have to adapt to the other children, where at home there is no limit.
In our other example, we had a 15 year old student who had been home-schooled for many years. Unfortunately, soon to approach his GCSEs, he was completely out of the loop with the education system. He had no idea of the KS4 curriculum and had slipped behind, not only with his education but also his motivation.
We do have to say, both examples have really benefitted from our workshops. For our siblings, the opportunity to engage with other children, and the boost in motivation of their learning with our reward systems have made such an impact.
For our older student, the workshop came as a big reality dose as to what is required for GCSEs! With double homework and a space on our revision programme to catch up, he is realistic and positive about the progress he can make.
The fact is home schooling can only ever be a success if the right provisions and support are in place. Qualifications are a necessity in this country, so losing grasp of the educational world is a daunting thought.
Article written by Sarah Bell.
Sarah Bell runs her own MagiKats Maths and English centre in Hove, East Sussex. She is an Education (BA Hons) graduate from the University of Brighton and has worked with children in many different settings over the years.
