Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, homeschooling —the practice of parents teaching their 5- to 17-year-old children at home rather than sending them to public or private schools—has witnessed a significant increase.
In England, the number of parents who choose to home teach their children has climbed by 34% in the last two years.
Since 2019, the number of pupils homeschooled in South Australia has increased by 31.9 percent.
Similarly, over the same two-year period, the number of families choosing to teach their children at home increased by 34%.
The Department of Education in South Australia is currently processing a backlog of applications for this year. However, final numbers will not be revealed until the conclusion of the school year.
According to the National Home Education Association, this is a nationwide trend.
Over the same period, the figure has risen by 23% in Wiltshire. And 45 percent in Bath and North East Somerset.
Daisy, 13, has been homeschooled since the lockdown and enjoys it, describing it as “like a cloud lifted.”
“On a Sunday, I’d be thinking about going back there the next day. I don’t want to return “she continued.
In Wiltshire, approximately 788 children are permanently schooling at home. Whereas in Bath and North East Somerset, approximately 188 children are permanently opting for homeschooling.
Covid disruption, according to Pat Black, head of primary and early years at Bath Spa University, has been a factor in the surge.
“We’ve had an odd form of schooling,” she explained. “There have been lockdowns, social measurements when they’ve returned to school, social distancing, bubbles, lateral flow tests, in and out all the time.”
Could Homeschooling be a substitute for school?
According to Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Community Learning, which operates 52 schools across the country, including nine in the West, educating a child from home is no substitute for going to school. It could be “tempting”.
Mr. Chalke added that while home education may appear to be an “easy cure” for a youngster who dislikes attending school, it comes with many drawbacks.
“As much as learning from a teacher, school is about being together and learning from one another,” he continued.