Upsurge in home education interest

[frockery]

For immediate release, Monday 11 August 2008

UPSURGE IN HOME EDUCATION INTEREST

With the new school session about to begin, the national home education
support organisation Schoolhouse has reported an upsurge in enquiries from
parents whose children are dreading a return to the classroom and who are
now actively considering home-based education as an alternative to school.

Coupled with a record number of enquiries from parents who choose from the
outset not to send their children to school, the charity believes that
greater public awareness of parental rights and responsibilities in relation
to compulsory education is contributing to a rise in the number of home
educated children.

However, Schoolhouse is warning parents in Scotland to ensure they comply
with the relevant legislation north of the border and are not misled by
websites or organisations which purport to advise on UK home education but
refer exclusively to English law. While the legislation may appear similar,
there are some significant differences, especially when it comes to removing
a child from a state school. [1]

Schoolhouse Convener Alison Preuss said:
"Since access to information about educational alternatives is now much more
open, thanks mainly to the Internet, many parents who contact Schoolhouse
have already done their own research into home education, but often report
finding conflicting information regarding the legal situation.

"It is frustrating to hear from families who have run into difficulties with
their local authority, having relied in good faith on erroneous information
and removed their children from school without following the proper
procedures.

"As an exclusively Scottish organisation, we can reassure parents that the
Schoolhouse website contains accurate and up to date information about
home education in Scotland with a link to the current statutory guidance
issued by the Scottish Government."

Founded in Dundee in 1996, Schoolhouse is still run entirely by volunteers
and deals with more than 1200 enquiries a year with seasonal peaks and
troughs. August is always a busy month as the start of the new school term
looms.

Alison continued: "We expect an increase in enquiries at this time of year
from parents whose children find going to school difficult for one reason or
another, as well as from those who just want to make contact with other
families as they begin their planned home education journey.

"Issues such as bullying and unmet special needs are cited in many cases
where parents report seeing their children relax and flourish during the
long summer holidays before becoming highly stressed at the prospect of
going back to school.

"Callers often describe their frustration at hitting brick wall bureaucracy
when trying to resolve school related problems and many simply do not
believe that the one size fits all school system can provide for their
child's aptitude and ability."

In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of parental involvement in
education, regardless of whether children go to school for part of the time
or not, Schoolhouse is hosting a conference and family weekend in Arbroath
from 12-14 September to celebrate International Freedom in Education Day.

Keynote speakers at the Learning Without Limits event will be New York
author and former teacher of the year, John Taylor Gatto, and Iain Nisbet,
head of the Education Law Unit at Glasgow's Govan Law Centre.

Parents with an interest in children's learning are invited to attend and
share their views on education with professionals from the public and
voluntary sectors.

For a programme and booking details, visit
www.learningwithoutlimits.org.uk or telephone 01307 463120.

ENDS

For further information, contact media@schoolhouse.org.uk


NOTES FOR EDITORS

[1] The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 requires parents to ensure their
children are properly educated, either by sending them to a state school or
by other means, but where a child is already a pupil at a state school,
parents are required to obtain the consent of the local authority to
withdraw them (although stated exceptions apply). In England, the child may
be removed immediately on written notification by the parent unless the
child attends a special school.