At Home With Learning: A look at alternative education provision with Hannah Titley

The pandemic, and resulting interruption to education, has led increasing numbers of parents and young people to think about whether being at school is the best place for them. For many of us, this period of remote learning reinforced the need for our children to be in class. While others saw it as an opportunity to address the individual educational needs of their children. However, does taking them out of the mainstream make it more difficult for young people later in life with qualifications? Or is the benefit of tailored and focused learning too great to miss out on?

This week we’re looking at home education and home schooling.

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Nathan McGurl, Founder of The Study Buddy is joined by Hannah Titley. Hannah is the Founder of The Home Schooling Association. The HAS was created so that parents can make informed decisions and get the most out of home-schooling. Hannah is also a qualified teacher and director of The Golden Circle, the UK’s first professional home-schooling group.

The news has been full of stories about the cancelled exams, teacher assessments, and catching-up with lost learning. In talking to Robyn this week, I was reminded that not everyone has been affected in the same way. Robyn, you may remember, is home schooled. She has already taken some of her exams, but like everyone else, isn’t able to sit them in Summer 2021. Of course, for home schooled students this presents an obvious issue – how will they get grades without teacher assessments? Underneath that there are other considerations. For example, Robyn has covered the full syllabus whereas, in schools, teachers have the option to focus on certain areas in more detail. And so, she is unsure if this will give a fair reflection.

In a wide-ranging conversation, we explore why more and more parents are turning to alternatives to going to school. We touch on the impact of this year’s exam cancellation and calls for a register of home-school children.