Education is no longer considered a privilege. In most jurisdictions, ‘education’ is considered as an indispensable part of a child’s rights.

In the UK, education has always commanded a high priority in the society. The government, in turn, has always adopted a liberal education policy, as highlighted from the laws of the land. That’s why the concept of Home Education (HE) has always been an integral part of society in the UK.

Why Home Education?

Due to a multicultural and plural society as prevalent in the UK, the reasons for parents to opt for Home Education may vary. Some of the common factors influencing parents’ decisions regarding the educational needs of their children include:

Religious, philosophical, or spiritual compulsions
Unsatisfactory school system
Lack of suitable schools in the locality
To meet the specific and/or special needs of some children, like those suffering from diseases such as Cerebral Palsy, autism etc.
Failure of child and school management to effectively tackle certain conditions in school, like bullying, corporal punishment etc.
Financial reasons etc.

Recently, the Parental Responsibility has emerged as one of the major reasons for Home-Educating children in the UK. More and more parents are trying to learn the art of true parenthood and are relishing the additional responsibility of being (actually) responsible for the growth of the thought process of the child.

Whatever may be the compelling circumstances, Home Education is here to stay, and is being increasingly preferred in the UK. An estimated 100,000 children between the ages of 5 and 16 are being given Home Education by their parents in the United Kingdom, and the figure is likely to increase in the coming years.

Benefits of Home Education

Home Education (tutorial-based teaching) has several advantages over classroom education (instructions-based teaching). Some of these include:

The child tends to receive individualistic and far more attention at home than at school.
Comfortable home environment in the company of parents gives the child an ideal environment to learn.
The absence of awe-inspiring teachers means quick feedback from the child to assess his/her learning capabilities.
The Child can learn at their own pace, and follow their own curriculum and interests.
Enhanced self-motivation and self-discipline in the child.
Instilment of parental values instead of peer values in the child.
Cultivation of courage to arrive at independent decisions.
Avoid destructive competition in search of better grades from the peers and fellow students.
Special children need special attention that can only be provided under home conditions.
Above all, as a parental responsibility of teaching your child, nothing is more beneficial and satisfactory than to take complete responsibility of your child’s education.

Shortcomings of Home Education

One must also consider some disadvantages of Home Education before deciding the academic future of the child. Some of these include:

Non-development of social skills due to the absence of interaction with peers and teachers.
Special expertise and skills required to teach may be lacking in the parents. Moreover, they might not be abreast of the latest technologies and teaching aids that might help the child learn better.
Even both the parents combined may not know all the subjects required for the proper education of the child.
Parents may ultimately spend a considerable amount of time equipping themselves with the skills to teach their child; thus, losing out on the chance to supplement the family income.
Laboratories, gyms, and other facilities provided by school authorities may not be accessible from home.
A child’s progress will not be adequately monitored, especially as they do not have to follow the National Curriculum or take SATs.

Home Education in UK – Legal Aspect

The UK is divided into different legal jurisdictions. For instance, there are different sets of laws applicable in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. However, substantially, all these jurisdictions follow similar legal principles and postulates, with minor variations.

Home Education has legal sanction in all three regions in the UK. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 (England and Wales), Sections 30 of Education (Scotland) Act 1980, and Article 45 of Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, are the relevant legal provisions that provide the requisite teeth to the concept of Home Education in the UK.

Here is the summary of these legalities as applicable in the UK:

Only ‘education’ is compulsory under UK laws and not ‘schooling’.
No qualification is prescribed for the parents desirous of giving Home Education to their child.
Parents are at absolute liberty to decide how they want their child to be educated at home.
No compulsion of following the National Curriculum or observing school hours.
Parents must ensure that their child receives an efficient full time education, suitable to his/her age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs the child may have.
Parents are not legally obligated to inform the Local Education Authority (LEA) when they decide to educate their children at home. If the child has never been registered at a State school, or if you move to an area served by another LEA, you are not obliged to notify the LEA, although you may do so if you wish. If you are taking your child out of a state school in England or Wales, the head teacher must remove the child’s name from the register and inform the LEA. If your child has special needs and attends a special school, you need permission to deregister.
However, if you are withdrawing your child from a State school in Scotland, the LEA must be informed.
No special Government grants are available for Home Education in UK.
No formal tests are required to pass by the child. However, the LEA may ask for information informally at intervals to monitor your child’s progress.
There is no prohibition on the Home Education of a statemented child provided he/she is not attending a special school, in which case you need the consent of the LEA.
Home-Educated children can take GCSEs as private candidates or as students of correspondence courses. However, it is not compulsory to take GCSEs.

To address the concern for social deprivation of Home-Educated children, in many areas, home educators meet regularly for social, educational, and other activities. Children also attend clubs, classes, sporting and leisure activities in the community. Children get to interact with people of all ages as well as their peers.

Home study diplomas are similar to college level programs, but they do not require attending classes. The course is like a distance-learning course, which provides you with the flexibility of studying as per your convenience within a set period, depending upon the duration of the course. Home study diplomas make use of the Internet to disseminate important information. It is considered to be a wonderful opportunity for people who wish to learn while working full time.

Home study diploma programs vary from one institution to another. Though many institutes do not require students to appear except during examinations, others may specify a students attendance as mandatory. Many institutes call students to show up in chat rooms at specific times, on set days. Generally, most of the correspondence with the teaching faculty is handled through email, telephone or chat, within a flexible schedule. Either way, home study diploma programs add to your qualifications at the end of the course. It is important to check out the benefits and factors that can influence the decision for opting a home study diploma.

Some of the benefits of home study diplomas are as follows:

. Less stringent setting: A home study program allows you to study in a less formal setting. You can study as per your own convenience. These courses do not bind you with class timings, so you are free to work at any point of time when you feel like.

. One to one attention: The best thing about a home study program is that it offers an individualized attention. Eventually, it becomes easier for a student to interact with professors.

. Final result: The validity of any course is gauged by its final result. As long as the institution from where you are pursuing the course is accredited, the degree/diploma is considered to be as viable as one earned by a regular class.

Factors that influence the selection of a home study diploma program:

. Self-discipline: Before you plan to take up a home study diploma, it is necessary to check whether you can self-discipline yourself while pursuing the course. More often than not, people find it difficult to motivate themselves without the structure of a traditional approach. However, if you require some kind of motivation to get things done, then you can consider a traditional education setting or explore an online diploma program that incorporates regular meetings.

. Learning style: In order judge whether you should opt for a particular home study diploma program, it is necessary to judge your own learning style. Some people learn better when they read something, whereas there are people who require audio-visual aid to understand a particular subject. Several home study diploma courses require learning directly from workbooks. Though this may work well for some, others may not be very comfortable with it. Therefore, it is important to analyze whether you are comfortable with the learning style offered by a particular diploma course.

. Home environment: In order to do well in a home study diploma program, you need to have a positive environment at home. In case you cannot get enough silence at home to work, you need to reconsider your decision.

Some of the more popular holistic programs include training in herbalism. Typical subject matter involves anatomy, physiology, wild crafting, medical botany, herbal medicine formulation, preparation/dosing; ointments, lineaments, basic nutrition, Bach flower remedies, herb cultivation, diet and organic foods, supplements and minerals, aromatherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, and first aid. These particular holistic programs are designed for treating the “whole person,” often resulting in a certificate or diploma of completion. However, holistic programs in herbalism are frequently part of acupuncture and Oriental medicine school curricula, as well as naturopathic studies.

Other popular holistic programs include hands-on training in various massage therapies. These courses are usually between 300 and 500 hours in length; but in some healing arts schools, advanced massage programs run well beyond these training hours. General education entails anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and the history and philosophy of massage. The difference between massage courses is each one of these holistic programs covers its own set of bodywork modalities. In standard massage programs, students will learn massage techniques like deep tissue massage and Swedish massage; in more comprehensive curricula, students gain practical training in these disciplines, as well as geriatric massage, Trigger point therapy, craniosacral therapy, infant massage, and Thai massage, among 80+ additional methods.

Some compelling holistic programs focus on nutrition and wellness. In a holistic healthcare practitioner program, students learn about herbal remedies/therapies, bodywork techniques, ear candling, iridology, spiritual counseling, meditation and visualization methods; energy healing therapies (i.e., Reiki, chakra balancing, harmonic balancing), and other mind-body-spirit medicines.

Generally, holistic programs involve natural healing therapies designed to help support and enhance the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Students who fulfill all educational requirements of the respective course are awarded a certificate of completion, and in some instances – as with massage therapy – graduates can become Nationally certified upon meeting all eligibility requirements. In addition, there are a number of holistic programs geared toward the professional medical provider, like holistic nursing. These courses involve aforementioned studies, in addition to other relative subject matter; and specifically created for nurses and nurse practitioners seeking to broaden professional healthcare treatment options.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding holistic programs, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore holistic programs near you.

Holistic Programs – Popular Studies

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Here’s why:

I’ve been studying Rudolph Flesch, the reading wars, the ed wars, John Dewey, and all points in between. Along the way I learned a lot about Montessori, and her losing, bruising battle with America’s top educators. Mainly, I learned that she deserved to win.

Montessori was the first female doctor in Italy, graduating in 1896. You know she was extremely smart and determined; you know she thought for herself.

She got into education along an odd tangent. She wanted to help retarded children (at a clinic in Rome). She devised her own techniques and was soon producing miracles: these retarded children were beating the so-called normal kids! Now, that right there is an amazing and wonderful story. But it gets better.

Montessori next asked the very questions that would obsess me: what the heck were the public schools doing to Italy’s children that they lagged behind her retarded children? How could she, a medical doctor, come along and beat those schools at their own game?

Long story short: she applied her techniques to ordinary kids and, soon, she was the talk of Europe and then the world. Her ideas swept through enlightened circles in the USA. She came here to speak in 1913.

And then comes one of the most shameful moments in American education. John Heard Kilpatrick, a crony of John Dewey, wrote a piece in the New York Times (1914) that devastated Montessori. Her reputation in the USA collapsed. Montessori schools closed. Her name disappeared until the 1960s. (Both she and Dewey died in 1952.)

Now, if you want to study the differences between Dewey and Montessori, here’s a long and thorough article: “The Egg Man and the Empress,” on Looksmart.com. But I warn you, you might study the material for a semester, and still be confused. So many platitudes, abstractions, details, generalizations. Finally, it comes down to what an educator is REALLY trying to do.

Maria Montessori was trying to set kids loose, make them smart, tap into all their resources, explore (and explode) their potential. That’s what I believe in.

John Dewey and his gang were all too willing to settle for mediocrity. They were Socialists and they believed that too much learning and knowledge got in the way of producing the cooperative, interdependent children they wanted. John Dewey specifically says in “My Pedagogic Creed” (1897) that he didn’t believe in too much history, science, math, geography, literature, and so on in the early grades. That is, ages 6 to 9 when, according to Montessori and common sense, kids are on fire, eager to learn, growing every day. No, John Dewey says that he wants to emphasize social activities, including “cooking, sewing, manual training, etc.” (his words). He wants to slow kids down, to retard them. The pay-off is supposed to be that they will grow up to become good little Socialists. (Even Antonio Gramsci, a real Communist, said that if you want to help poor kids, you had better give them lots of basic academic skills.)

Here’s what I’ve figured out: you have to look at motives. Montessori was obsessed with making slow children fast. That’s a pedigree I can trust. Dewey was obsessed with making all kids Socialists. So, from day one, Dewey was not an educator in the traditional sense. He believed in conditioning. He was a social engineer, trying to build the Brave New World he saw in his head.

A century later, we are still paying for Dewey’s bad ideas. Dewey, I submit, is the Father of Dumbing Down. He and his gang specifically did not like too much literacy. That is, they were comfortable with more illiteracy. And they got it. By promoting whole word, which does not work, they made sure that this country’s literacy rate would steadily drop. This pedagogy is also, I believe, responsible for all the dyslexia and reading problems we hear about. (Want to eliminate dyslexia? My guess is that the simplest way is to eliminate sight words. Every last one. Once children start to see word-shapes, they become doomed, no longer able to perceive sounds in print.)

The problem with Dewey and Kilpatrick is that they were trying to pull off a silent coup. They wanted a Socialist America. You think they can speak candidly about their goals or strategies? Never. That’s why anything Kilpatrick, Dewey or their allies say about Montessori will be bull and balderdash. It will, more formally, be disingenuous.

Bottom line: Let’s don’t get stuck in the details. Montessori was a real educator. She always INTENDS to educate. Dewey was a real Socialist. He always intends to create Socialists. As most people understand the term “education,” Dewey was actually anti-education. Or, to be charitable, he was remarkably cavalier about it!

First of all let’s take a look at what a study group is. It’s where you meet on a regular basis with other students who are studying the same subject as you are. Within the study group you can discuss what you understand of the subject, what you don’t understand with the hope that someone else there can explain it to you in a way that you do understand, and also to talk about any class assignments or presentations that may be required as part of the subject.

Study groups meet at a number of different places, and have a varied approach to the format of the group. Some study groups are very informal, perhaps meeting in one of the member’s homes where a supply of snacks and drinks are provided by the student’s parents.

Other groups are more formal and meet in more traditional places such as an empty classroom or school library space that’s designated for group work. The formal study groups are usually run to some kind of agreed schedule with a list — either written or voiced — of items to be covered at each session, whereas informal groups tend to approach their meetings with a more flexible attitude of just chatting about whatever seems relevant at that time in what they’re learning.

There are many advantages to being part of a study group. These include: Increasing your motivation to study as it’s more fun within a group environment where there is no expectation to “perform”.

There’s a supportive environment that provides a place to admit that you don’t understand something without feeling ashamed. You can ask questions of your study group members that you wouldn’t be comfortable enough to ask in front of an entire class.

You get the win-win situation where not only do you get help, but you gain confidence in the subject by being able to answer the questions posed by other members of the group on areas of the subject they don’t understand.

If you missed a class you’ll be able to catch up using both the notes of the other students in your study group, plus the verbal input from the class that they can give you.

When you are involved in group work you won’t feel that you are alone and looking for a group — your study group is a ready made unit that already knows how to work together and recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of each member.

Revision time can become more focused with each member of the group being responsible for a particular area. It can also be less stressful as there won’t be such a feeling of isolation as the group will meet to discuss their revision and to have group discussion on the possible kind of questions to appear on any test along with the possible answers.

A study group needs to be formed with certain agreements in place. These should be discussed and agreed at the first meeting. You should have a schedule of meetings, a place to meeting and what kind of group (formal or informal) you want to be. If all members of the group accept the terms of belonging to the group, you’re all set to go. If there’s some discord then you need to either negotiate on some points, or have 2 study groups form on different formats so that each student is comfortable with the group they belong to.

If there isn’t a study group for a subject that you believe would benefit from one (or more specifically, you would benefit from) investigate the possibility of setting one up and find out what level of interest there would be from the rest of the class. You aren’t looking for a mass sign-up; even 4-6 active members make it a viable group that all should benefit all.