The number of pupils being homeschooled on the Isle of Wight continues to rise, as some parents say their children are not in the ‘right mental state to be at school’.
Recent figures from the Isle of Wight Council show nearly 600 students are being taught at home, instead of attending school — compared to 556 at the same time last year.
Between December 2019 to now, there was a 54% increase in the number of children electively home-educated. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the large increase, and figures remain high now.
At the end of 2019, 384 children were being home-schooled on the Island, while in December 2020 that figure jumped to 464.
Nearly three years later, it stands at 591.
Natalie Smith, the council’s assistant education and inclusion director, said one of the reasons numbers are going up is that parents feel their child is not in the right mental state to be at school, or going out at all.
She said:
“We feel strongly, to support those children to be independent teenagers and adults, we need to work very hard with those families to try and re-introduce some kind of school education and get children back into that routine of looking outwards again.”
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Ms Smith said this is something the council was successful at, as 95 per cent of families that home educate engage very well with the authority, compared to 90 per cent the year before. This high level of engagement allows the authority to have access to the children and young people so it can work with them to reengage with school education.
If the council does not have ‘eyes on’ the children, Ms Smith said, it is hard to engage with them and know they are safe.
There were 2 types of homeschooled pupils, she said, ones where children should be at school — “parents want them to go but there are barriers in the way” — but also those whose parents choose, philosophically, to teach them at home.
The latter was an area, Ms Smith said, ‘that for better or for worse’ the Island has a strong reputation for. Both sets of pupils have gone up, she said, but as educators, the council had to worry about the first set and what barriers can be removed to get the children back into school.
600 home schooled,then why if all their parents are paying Council Tax towards education are they not getting a better deal – eg education resources,Course Work, payment for GCSEs etc ?. Council happy to take but not provide.
Home education will continue to increase as schools are forced by Authority and Ofsted to educate in a way that half of what’s taught has no logic or use in future – languages, history, Geography and many parts of Mathematics ( no good learning scientific calculations yet can’t tell time, understand money,percentages etc ) some English as well is so unneeded – . So glad I’m out of school and had common sense, I have very comfortable Life, no debt own home car etc., no thanks to school.
“…some English as well is so unneeded”?
Oh dear. What a ridiculous comment! The education system in this country has gone down. We need more of this, not less
I’m glad I’m one of them. What they teach in schools these days is appalling… Letting a 7year old boy wear a dress is okay apparently… U need to correct these kids before they are permanently damaged…. Let kids be kids. This article does not surprise me atall!!
Parents taking responsibility for their children’s education is a good thing. Not something to be berated.
We don’t want your woke lot near our children. This woke Tory syllabus is out of control!
WEF is going to build walls every 15 mins. Climate change is a hoax. The earth is flat.
I’m glad free thinkers are on the rise. Less education is the only way to save the next generation.
but also those whose parents choose, philosophically, to teach them at home.
that is a polite way of saying the parents don’t want their children having to spend one minute around a teacher or system, that is focused on gender ideology and the destruction of a childs innocence, by indoctrinating them about sex, gender and other drivel, at an age where they should be enjoying their innocence.
instead of schools banging on about gender, inclusion and other pointless garbage, they should be focused on teaching the kids about reading, writing, maths and physical activity.
Really don’t see how home schooling is different to truancy. Do these home educators have any sort of qualification or certificate to prove their ability to teach children?
Spoken like a true bureaucrat. Where are your papers! Fortunately you don’t need qualifications to teach a child to read and write. To add up or subtract. Or to know right from wrong. Otherwise parents in general would require ‘qualifications’. All you need is time and abit of dedication. You know children who perform badly in school are usually the ones whose parents take no interest. They leave it to the ‘experts’. The irony being the experts say its far better for the parents to be involved. Yet they are not qualified, according to you. The law requires parents who choose elective home education to provide one. It is nothing like truancy. Parents who choose this route give up their time, money and a huge amount of effort.
Better off home schooling than attending the absolutely useless schools on the island. Isle of Wight has the lowest academic standards in the UK.
My 13-year-old has never been to school and has just done history and sociology GCSE’s this year. Her mock paper results (marked externally and paid for by me) give her a 7 & 8. Not sure my qualifications have anything to do with it.
Absolutely agree. There surely has to be a level of literacy and numeracy!
I got expelled from school at 13. Never looked back and done very well for my self.
So many of these home schooled kids are just plain weird. I understand the whole woke rubbish is distasteful, but you can have those common sense conversations at home. We live in a SOCIAL world and so many home schooled are anti social! They’ve got to come out of their caves one day and associate with others. The home school parents often seem to have a superior attitude. An arrogance.