Home Education: Exploring the views of parents, children and young people By Jeanette Nelson ESRC 1+3 Studentship A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Academic Supervisor Professor Gary Thomas Department of Education College of Social Sciences The University of Birmingham 2013 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract This study explores the views and experiences of home educators, children and young people with regard to elective home education (EHE) practice and learning and its position in society. The outcomes of this provision are also examined. This study is topical due to the anecdotal evidence which suggests that home education or home schooling is growing in the UK and worldwide, and there is a resurgence of interest in home education in political and media discourse in the UK. Moreover, this study is also timely due to home education being an under-researched area generally, with children and young people’s views rarely elicited. The study found that the practices and activities pursued by EHE families were diverse, whether they were focused in the home or other environments. Even the respondents who followed or subscribed to a particular approach (i.e. structured; autonomous or semi-structured) had their own way of home educating which, in the main, focused on the child’s interests and/or needs. The diversity of the practices followed also echoes the diversity of the sample population itself; home education was pursued for a wide range of reasons, although dissatisfaction with schools or established schooling ranked high among those reasons. The experiences and outcomes afforded by home education were on the whole positive but nonetheless challenges were mentioned with regards to support and funding for home educators and their families. Recommendations include greater awareness about EHE as a legal alternative to school; access to/and funding for exams; and increased training for Local Authority officials charged with overseeing or monitoring this area. 2 DEDICATION In loving memory of my Nan, Anna Fitzpatrick ‘Some people come into our lives and quickly go, some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same.’ (unknown) 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank the ESRC for funding this research. Thanks also go to my supervisor and the School of Education at the University of Birmingham for supporting and encouraging my research and providing a platform for discussion. I would also like to thank Professor Emma Smith for helping me obtain ESRC funding and supporting the development of my research in the early stages. Strong thanks goes to all of the people who participated in this research and were gracious with their time and offered encouragement. In particular the EHE groups who opened their doors to me – quite literally – offering me tea, and being there to bounce ideas off when I was feeling lost or needed to talk things through. You were all amazing and this PhD is as much yours as it is mine. Thank you. Thanks go to my wonderful friends – I’m so lucky to have you in my life. In particular, I would like to thank my partner Karl – you have helped me in so many ways. Thanks for being there. Thanks to my twin sister, Leanne, for putting up with me when at times I could not see the ‘wood for the trees’. I am just as proud of you. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my wonderful parents Mary and Derek Nelson for supporting me throughout this journey. Mum, thanks for being my best friend and sounding board – I could not have done this without you. Dad, thanks for being my ‘taxi service’ when I did not have a car regardless of the field trip I lined us up for! It has been a roller coaster ride and I could not have got through it without your love and support. Words are not enough to express my deep-felt gratitude. 4 Table of Contents 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................... 11 1.1 Overview ....................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Choice of topic .............................................................................................. 15 1.3 Outline to the study ....................................................................................... 17 1.4 The aims of the study .................................................................................... 19 1.5 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................... 21 1.5.1 Background ............................................................................................ 21 1.5.2 Design/analysis of the study .................................................................. 21 1.5.3 Presentation and discussion of the results .............................................. 22 2 Chapter 2: Origins of home education and its contemporary legal context ......... 24 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 24 2.2 History of home education ............................................................................ 24 2.2.1 Historical context ................................................................................... 24 2.2.2 Mass education....................................................................................... 25 2.2.3 Disillusionment with public education .................................................. 26 2.2.4 Figureheads of the movement ................................................................ 28 2.2.5 Changes in policy and legislation .......................................................... 29 2.3 Policy and law ............................................................................................... 30 2.3.1 The US ................................................................................................... 30 2.3.2 Continental Europe ................................................................................ 31 2.4 The Badman Review ..................................................................................... 36 2.4.1 Aims of the Review ............................................................................... 36 2.4.2 Conduct of the Review........................................................................... 37 2.4.3 Recommendations .................................................................................. 38 2.4.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 39 3 Chapter 3: Rights in education – who has the right to educate and what is it for? 42 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 42 3.2 Right to educate ............................................................................................. 42 3.2.1 Case law ................................................................................................. 42 3.2.2 Leuffen v Germany (1992) .................................................................... 42 5 3.3 Supporting the rights of parents/guardians.................................................... 44 3.3.1 John Locke ............................................................................................. 44 3.4 Opposing the rights of parents/guardians ...................................................... 47 3.5 Supporting the rights of the state .................................................................. 49 3.6 Opposing the rights of the state ..................................................................... 50 3.7 ‘Triad of interests’: Parents, children and the state ....................................... 52 3.7.1 Summary ................................................................................................ 53 3.8 Key debates: The purpose of education and schooling ................................. 54 3.8.1 Definition of education .......................................................................... 54 3.8.2 Education: Knowledge acquisition ........................................................ 54 3.8.3 Education: Nurturing interests ............................................................... 55 3.8.4 Education: Individual pursuit ................................................................. 56 3.9 Criticisms of home education:....................................................................... 58 3.9.1 Privatisation of education ...................................................................... 58 3.9.2 Citizenship ............................................................................................. 60 3.10 Counterarguments: ........................................................................................ 61 3.10.1 Privatisation of education ...................................................................... 61 3.11