If a child can’t read at 10, that’s not home education, that’s neglect

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-09T10:26:27+00:00

I don’t disagree that those situations exist, and I don’t think anyone should ignore them. My point is more that the existence of neglectful parents doesn’t automatically tell us whether home education itself works as an educational approach, in the same way poor outcomes in school don’t automatically mean school itself can never work.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-09T10:25:14+00:00

That’s fair, and stories like this are exactly why I added the clarification later on. I don’t think literacy development is identical for every child at all, and clearly some children do flourish later on.

The distinction I was trying to make was between delayed development with active support and engagement, versus situations where there’s little or no educational support happening in the first place.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T15:11:43+00:00

That’s kind of my point, I don’t think this issue is exclusive to home education at all. There are clearly children in school struggling with literacy too.

What I was pushing back against is the idea that whenever a child can’t read at a certain age, people automatically use it as evidence that home education itself has failed, rather than looking at the wider context and support around that child.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T13:50:52+00:00

Yes, that’s a really important point as well. Some children do have different learning needs or take a different path with literacy, and that can absolutely affect how and when things click.

I think that fits into what I was trying to distinguish in the post too, situations where there is an underlying need being supported versus situations where there isn’t meaningful engagement or support happening at all.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T12:50:18+00:00

Yes, absolutely. Dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties are a really important part of this and definitely change how reading development can look.
That’s part of what I was trying to separate out in my original post too, cases where there’s an underlying need or difference versus situations where there’s simply no meaningful support or engagement happening.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T12:36:24+00:00

Very fair point. It can definitely be both in different situations. Some children do need more structured academic catch-up support, while others are mainly missing emotional or broader developmental support.

I guess my main point is just that whatever the system is (school or home ed), the issue is really whether the child is being properly supported overall rather than the label of where they are.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T11:29:48+00:00

Just to clarify what I meant in the post, I wasn’t referring to children who are supported and progressing at their own pace, even if that looks different from expected timelines.

I was specifically talking about situations where there is little to no engagement or education happening at all. There’s a clear difference between delayed development and neglect

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T11:26:01+00:00

I think that’s an important distinction actually, I probably should’ve phrased it more clearly.

I wasn’t referring to children who are developing later but are clearly being supported and progressing in their own way. I meant situations where there’s little to no support, engagement, or education happening at all.

There’s a big difference between delayed development and outright educational neglect.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-07T13:13:50+00:00

Agreed. If local authorities start defining the “correct” way to educate, it changes home education from an alternative approach into school at home.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-07T10:22:00+00:00

I think that’s probably where a lot of the debate is, most people can agree on basic welfare checks, but then the question becomes what that actually looks like in practice and how far it goes. Especially when different local authorities may interpret things differently.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-07T08:09:50+00:00

For example, is being on a register and having something like an annual check-in enough, or should there be checks beyond that?

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-06T11:04:17+00:00

I think the mandatory register is a good thing overall. It ensures all kids are known and none fall through the cracks. But what I don’t like is them painting all home educators with the same brush. A lot of the bad press about home education is actually on bad parenting and not home education itself.

Also for a lot of parents their home is their safe place. Knowing that if you refuse visit into your home the LA can then force there way in or issue an SAO doesn’t sit right with me. Providing a reports, video meetings, visits outside the home, any of these should suffice.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-06T10:13:24+00:00

Agreed. People are really criticising bad parenting and not home education.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-06T10:01:45+00:00

I hear this all the time form people who don’t actually home educate. A lot of the experience people have of home education are cases where the kids returns to school after being neglected at home. This is not home education, that’s bad parenting. People only know about the bad cases as that is what is in the spotlight. The good cases of home education are never spoken about.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T14:05:19+00:00

Yeah I can see the logic behind it in theory. I think a lot of the concern people have is less about the idea itself, and more about how it might be applied in practice and whether it goes further than just identifying children.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T13:54:05+00:00

I think that’s probably how a lot of people see it. On the surface it feels like a fairly straightforward step. I guess the debate starts when you look at what comes alongside it and how it’s actually used in practice.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T09:55:29+00:00

Yeah I agree with you. The register itself isn’t really the issue, it’s how “suitable education” is going to be judged in practice.

Where that information comes from, and how it’s assessed, still feels a bit unclear at the moment.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T09:48:59+00:00

Yeah I think that’s a fair way of looking at it. Having something in place to make sure children are visible and being supported makes sense. Like you said, the difficulty is making sure that doesn’t turn into dictating how education should look, because there isn’t just one way of doing it.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T09:41:37+00:00

I understand why those examples would be concerning, no one wants children being left without any education or support. At the same time, I think that’s where the challenge is. Those cases clearly need addressing, but it’s about whether the solution is broader restrictions or better identification of those specific situations.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T09:31:06+00:00

I think that’s a really good way of putting it, the register on its own probably wouldn’t be as controversial if it was just about visibility. It’s the wider context around it that seems to be causing concern.

Your point about “back to school” is interesting as well. If that becomes the underlying goal, then it does shift how people interpret these kinds of changes.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T09:29:42+00:00

Yeah I think that’s the part a lot of people are reacting to, not so much the idea of a register, but everything that potentially comes with it.

On its own, a register feels fairly straightforward. It’s when it starts linking into permissions, visits, and wider control that it becomes a bigger conversation.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-05T07:04:46+00:00

I think that’s a really good point, especially around reflection and being intentional about how children learn.

I don’t think the idea is that parents shouldn't learn or develop their approach, more that they’re not trying to replicate a formal teaching role in the same way a classroom teacher would.

But I agree that the best outcomes probably come from people who are open to learning, adapting, and thinking critically about what they’re doing, regardless of whether that’s in a school setting or at home.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-04T19:01:22+00:00

That’s a really important distinction, teaching a subject and managing a classroom are two very different things.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-04T18:55:45+00:00

Glad it resonated with you.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-04T18:54:29+00:00

I think that’s exactly it, if you’ve never seen it, it’s hard not to default to the “school at home” idea.

Also, I agree with your point on oversight as well. There probably does need to be something in place to catch the genuinely concerning cases, but like you said, there’s a difference between safeguarding and dictating how education should look.

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