This is a page of links to news articles in the past few years about home education in the media. Most of them are in online versions of newspapers or television sites, primarily in the UK. Please let me know of any other appropriate articles. I would also appreciate knowing if any of the links below no longer work. The most recent articles are at the top.
Home education helped me thrive (BBC, UK, 14-11-24) – A short article featuring an A* student from Shropshire who believes that she would not have succeeded academically in school.
Unschooling parents put their kids in charge… (Guardian, UK, 09-09-24) – A mostly positive look about unschooling or autonomous education, and how it can work with different children.
I loved being home schooled (Guardian, UK, 29-07-24) – This is a personal account, explaining how autonomous learning can work, and potential problems. Pros and cons of different kinds of education are briefly covered.
Home education helps daughter to flourish (BBC, UK, 03-06-24) – A personal account from a mother about an eight-year-old girl who thrives while being home educated. Also some facts and figures about home education in the UK.
Move to home education biggest since pandemic (BBC,UK, 03-06-24) – Details about home education, and some reasons why there has been a sharp rise in home educated students in recent years.
Sharp rise in home educators (Shropshire Star, UK, 28-02-24) – Mostly factual, with figures demonstrating a steep rise in home education since the pandemic ended. However not all parents ‘elect’ to home educate; this is often because schools don’t meet their children’s needs.
Home education in the media: 2023
Education: Learning from home (Sussex Living, UK, 05-09-23) – An excellent article about the rise of home education in the past few years. Some due to the pandemic, some for other reasons. Well worth reading.
More than 300 children in Powys opting for home schooling (Brecon and Bradnor Express, UK, 05-06-23) – A brief article, more an official notification. It mentions the number of children being home educated in one of the Welsh counties.
How home schooling helped a boy who struggled in the classroom (Telegraph and Argus, UK, 04-06-23) – A look at a young teenager who had a hard time at school when he was younger. He has been home educated for eight years now, and has a thriving carpentry business.
Parents who home school their children share their story (Kent Online, UK, 24-05-23) – A very positive article. As in much of the rest of the UK, home education in Kent is up by about 45% since the pandemic. In this article, parents share many reasons for continuing, and explain what they have learned about home educating.
Home education in the media: 2021-2022
Children are thriving by being home schooled (Bracknell News, UK, 07-12-22) Some personal viewpoints, and some research. Many more children in the UK are happily home educated in the wake of the pandemic, and it’s clear that they are doing well, possibly better than they did in school.
Post-pandemic anxiety prompts home schooling rise (BBC, UK, 23-09-22) – A report about the significant rise in home educated children in Lincolnshire. Councillors believe it’s mainly due to the pandemic, and acknowledge that the quality of education is the responsibility of the parents.
Homeschoolers turn out happy, well-adjusted and engaged (Fee, USA, 17-11-21) This article references a study made by Harvard University researchers in the United States. Based on American ‘homeschoolers’, but there are some encouraging discoveries.
Home education numbers rise by 75% (BBC, UK, 19-07-21) This short article mentions that during the pandemic, significant numbers of parents in the UK decided to home educate long term, after seeing the benefits.
Home education in the media: 2020
Families who liked home-schooling so much they will continue to home educate (ITV News, UK, 28-08-20) This is quite a long article, looking at several families who enjoyed ‘home schooling’ during the Covid-19 lockdown. So they have decided to continue home educating long-term. Some useful information about the legal aspects, too.
Mum…took her children out of school (KentLive, UK, 26-07-20) This article is about an autonomously educating family in Australia. The mother took her young teenager out of school due to online pressure. They enjoyed home education so much that she withdrew her younger children too.
First class honours for home-schooled Hampshire teenager (ITV news, UK, 19-07-20) – Academics aren’t everything. But for those who might be concerned that highly academic students could miss out when educated at home, this should be an encouragement.
Home advantage: not going to school was the making of me (Spectator, UK, 18-07-20) – This is a very encouraging article. The author began home educating due to be ill for a long time. She continued because it worked so well, and is now production editor for The Spectator.
It’s taken ten weeks, but I’ve mastered homeschooling (TES, UK, 30-05-20) – This article is by a teacher who eventually discovered that home education can take many forms. She writes about finally going ‘off piste’ and abandoning formal learning during the pandemic.
I learned a lot from being home-schooled (TES, UK, 09-05-20) – Written by a journalist who was home educated. Intended to encourage parents worrying about short-term home education during the Covid-19 pandemic. But the article could be of interest to anyone considering home education.
Mum lets kids decide when to eat…. (Manchester Evening News, UK, 11-02-20) – This is an excellent article about a family who decided to unschool. The children were not doing well in school, but now are thriving.
Home education in the media: 2019
More younger pupils are being home educated (Bicester Advertiser, UK, 20-11-19) – Research shows an increase in the number of primary age children being home educated.
Why are parents choosing to educate their children? (Shropshire Star, UK, 18-03-19) – Despite using the word ‘homeschooling’ rather than the correct phrase ‘home education’, this is an interesting article. It shows clearly how easy it is to start home educating, and the benefits of doing so, if only for a short time.
Most criticism of home education is smoke without fire (TES, UK, 21-01-19) – This is a thoughtful and positive article. It discusses and refutes recent suggestions that elective home education needs to be monitored.
Home schooling soars as parents react to cuts in the classroom (The Scotsman, UK, 13-01-2019) – Quite a positive article about home educators in Scotland. A general article with some facts and figures.
Home education in the media: November – December 2018
Number of home educated children up 27% (TES, UK, 15-11-2018) – This article is a report that over 57,000 children are now known to be educated at home in the UK. It is likely that actual numbers are considerably higher.
Why home educators feel threatened (TES, 13-11-2018) – An opinion piece responding to reactions made to a recent podcast. It discusses the idea of registering home educators, and explains why some are so vocal.
Home schooling on the rise due to risk of expulsion (Yahoo! News, 12-11-2018) – This is an article which explains that many more children are likely to be expelled from school. Some are angry or anxious, and parents are therefore deciding to educate them at home.
Surge in children being home schooled (TES, UK, 06-11-2018) – An interesting article about the rise of home education in Scotland. It includes information about home education, from different points of view.
Home Education in the media: February – October 2018
Ofsted calls for register of home schooled pupils (TES, 31-10-2018) – This is an article explaining why the controversial proposal has been made.
Why this Mumbai couple chose homeschooling (Yahoo India, 06-09-2018) – Another page about a family in India who have decided to home educate. This is mainly due to the various problems in their local Indian schools.
Home education in the media: July – December 2017
Home educating an autistic daughter (Coventry Telegraph, UK, 27-11-17) – A mother explains why her daughter found school overwhelming. They tried more than one school, then found that home education was a better option.
Increase in home education in Notts (Nottingham Post, UK, 26-11-17) – A report on the rise of home education in Nottinghamshire. The article gives some reasons for this.
She hated sitting at a desk all day (Independent, Ireland, 19-07-17) – An informative article about the rise of home education in Ireland in the past few years. It includes some statistics, a few personal stories, and also suggests good reasons to home educate.
Home education in the media: January – June 2017
Homeschooling and unschooling on the rise, and the results look promising (SBS, Australia, 28-06-17) – A very encouraging article about the rise of informal home education in Australia. There are several personal stories, too, showing the benefits.
Why one Southampton mum chooses to homeschool her children (Southern Daily Echo, UK, 27-06-17) – Southampton has a huge rise in home education in the past year. This article discovers why one mother decided to take her children out of school.
Education’s biggest trend – why home-taught kids are doing better (News.com, Australia, 13-05-17) – Research shows that home educated students in Australia outperform schooled children in many areas. This article includes several anecdotes giving examples of different styles and results.
Home education – reasons not to be afraid (Huffington Post, UK, 21-03-17) – A useful article for those worrying about the thought of home educating. It answers some commonly held questions, and looks at good reasons to home educate.
Home education in the media: September – November 2016
No school yet, please: we want to give our daughter a home start (Telegraph, UK, 26-11-16) – An interesting article about someone who has done some useful research. It shows that home-based learning through play is ideal, at least until a child is seven. It is usually more productive than structured classroom learning.
The rise of the home unschoolers (Guardian, UK, 11-10-16) – Looking at the rise of autonomous ‘unschooling’ education and how it works. This is a helpful article which explains the ways that several families go about it.
The children going ‘not back to school’ (BBC, UK, 12-09-16) – An encouraging look at some families who have chosen not to send their children to school for various reasons. It shows how widespread home education is becoming in the UK.
Ten good reasons to homeschool your child (Guardian, UK, 10-09-16) – Nothing new for those who home educate already, but some useful points for those considering the possibility.
Home Education in the Media: January – August 2016
DIY schooling on the rise (Guardian, UK, 12-04-16) – A couple of extensive anecdotes about two different families who opted for home education. Statistics about why more families are taking this route.
Our best ever family decision: quitting school and jobs (Guardian, UK, 30-01-16) – interesting insights from a family who decided to opt out of ‘the system’ and travel instead.
Meet the families where children blossomed after being homeschooled (Irish Examiner, Ireland, 20-01-16) – encouraging article about home educators with teenage or adult children who have flourished, and gone on to higher education after home educating for many years.
Home education in the media: 2015
Rising number of pupils home educated (BBC, UK, 21-12-15) – discussion of reasons why people choose to home educate. It also explains why the number is rising rapidly in the UK.
School’s Out: Home Education on the up in Wales (BBC, UK, 02-09-15) – useful article on several home educators in Wales with legal information included.
Home education in the media: 2014
More families unschooling (Independent, Ireland, 26-03-14) – A report on the increasing number of unschoolers in Ireland. This article includes comments at the end from formerly unschooled people.
Next stop Europe! (Daily Mail, UK, 17-01-14) – adventurous home education for a couple with four children. They have been travelling the world in a vintage car.
Give childhood back to children (Independent, UK, 12-01-14) – a long and thought-provoking article. It is not about home education as such, but about the need for less formal schooling. It also proposes less homework, less structure to children’s lives, and more time for play and creativity.
Home education in the media: 2012-2013
If UK children start school too early it could damage their learning for life (Guardian, UK, 10-12-13) – also not specifically about home education, but showing how important parental involvement and holistic learning is for at least the first six years of a child’s life.
Home schooling: if a child gets bored at school, blame the system (Telegraph, UK, 02-09-13) – what happened when a bright, eager child lost all her motivation after starting school.
A level results 2012: homeschooling as good as school (Huffington Post UK, 16-08-12) – a home educated student explains why he believes A-levels can be studied at home as easily as at school.
Meet Britain’s busiest mother (Telegraph, UK, 13-07-12) – about the lifestyle and relaxed home education style of a mother with eleven children