Home education collection

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Home education, homeschooling or elective home education, as it is also sometimes referred to in the UK, garnered significant public attention during periods of pandemic disrupted schooling and online learning because of national lockdowns between 2020-2021. Yet anecdotally the practice of educating children and young people outside of mainstream education has been steadily increasing for several years prior to 2020.

While the study of home education around the world has also expanded over the last decade, research-informed and high-quality articles, videos, audios, and courses can be difficult to locate and access by educators, parents, children and young people, practitioners, and other organisations directly involved in supporting this form of educational provision. In the past, this has reduced the capacity to exchange knowledge and build mutual understanding between different communities and stakeholder groups.

What does this collection cover?

This collection of articles on home education has been curated and edited by experts within the OU and brings together a wider academic community of new and established researchers across five UK universities (outside the OU) to showcase expertise in different aspects of home education. Some of the authors are affiliated with the communities and groups that they have researched as home educators and/or previously home-educated themselves. It features key issues and topics including parental values and attitudes towards familial and personalised learning, obtaining qualifications and the cancellation of public examinations in 2020 and 2021, and employability and carer experiences of previously home-educated adults. But we won’t stop there. We will continue to develop and add new content and already have some exciting projects in the pipeline.

Who are they for?

These articles are intended for any individual, community and/or organisation with an interest in home education including, but not limited to:

• Parents/carers who are currently home educating their child/children, or who are considering it
• Current and/or previously home-educated young people
• Educators working within and across mainstream and/or alternative provision settings including teachers and transition support workers
• Local government professionals and related staff including education welfare officers, social workers and/or attendance officers
• Policymakers

A short disclaimer

As an educational practice and field of study, home education invites diverse ideas and sometimes controversies and contestations. In setting out their respective areas of research and project findings, the authors of these articles do not seek to make broad generalisations about what can be an emotive subject.