22nd October 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Class sizes in the UK have increased over the last few years, and the recession has meant that some parents who would have sent their children to independent schools can no longer afford to. This has led to a rise in ‘Flexi-Schooling’, where parents take their children out of school for one or two days a week to be home schooled. This is a practice that has happened for many years, but as the government does not keep figures it is difficult to know the exact figures. Yet schools have reported a rise in recent years in parents requesting to take their child out of school for part of the week.
Parents who decide to do this often hire private tutors to give their child intensive one to one lessons, before taking them on an educational trip, perhaps to a museum. Parents who advocate flexi-schooling point out that even one day a week where their child receives individual help with core subjects such as English and Maths, will drastically improve their education, given that in schools they may get left behind due to large class sizes. Further, they will receive a more well-rounded education if they are given the opportunity to visit art galleries, museums and other places of education interest.
However, concerns are being raised that it is only wealthy, middle-class parents who can afford to take this option for their children. They must be able to afford home tutors, or be able to take a day off work themselves in order to supervise their child’s education and pay for education trips. Further, the concept is still new to many areas, and some schools will not allow parents to take their children out of school.