31st December 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
A new report published by the commons select education committee has concluded that parents who home school their children face a post-code lottery. There are significantly different levels of support available from local councils around the country, with some councils offering appropriate support whilst others treat home-schoolers as borderline truants.
The report collected evidence from parents and support groups, who said that one of the biggest problems they faced was that local councils often make it very difficult for home schooled students to take exams. Home schooled students have to take their GCSE exams in a registered centre, which means that local councils must find a school to host the students taking their exams. The report found that one family were forced to drive their child 200 miles to a centre that would host their exams.
The current regulations state that whilst parents are obliged to give their children an education, this doesn’t have to be at a school. Local authorities must support parents if they decide to teach their children at home, but many authorities are currently failing to provide an appropriate level of support.