Burke, Barbara; (2007) Home education : the experience of parents in a divided community. Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.

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Abstract

This thesis focuses on the experiences of families who for a variety of reasons find themselves outside of the school system. It is concerned with families in one London borough who have decided not to send their children to school and to educate them at home. It examines the experiences of families who make a positive choice to home educate because of philosophical or religious beliefs but is particularly concerned with families who home educate following a series of difficulties with the school system, perhaps because their child has been bullied or because their child has special educational needs. The thesis contributes and adds to studies on home education as very little has been written about families who feel forced out of formal schooling. Only in the last few years has the diverse nature of the home educating population in the UK started to be acknowledged in the professional literature. The research for this study was carried out between 2003 and 2005. When the research was started there were 38 families with 55 children known to the local authority to be home educating. Of these 38 families, 17 were interviewed in order to gain the perceptions and experiences of parents. In this thesis, four key areas of home education are considered. Firstly, the reasons that parents give for home education are reviewed. Secondly, the educational experience of home education is considered, including the methods of teaching that parents choose, as well as the academic achievement of those home educated. Thirdly, this study examines the relationship between home education and state education and considers whether parents' own experiences of formal schooling influenced their decision to educate their own children. Finally, policies on home education are examined both in the UK and in other countries. The conclusion reached is that the community of home educators in the UK is indeed a deeply divided one in all the key areas studied.

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