BACK TO SCHOOL ... AT HOME

NO more bullying, plastic food packaging or stressful school commutes and plenty of time for extra-curricular activities are just some reasons parents are taking on the mammoth task of home schooling beyond COVID-19.

Caroline Salter said minimising the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus was one reason she continued teaching her children Abraham, 8, and Isaiah Salter 5, from home along with protecting them from bullying.

“My children love animals and nature, so I subscribed them to National Geographic Kids Magazine as one of our home schooling learning resources,” she said.

“They also enjoy visiting wilderness, national parks, rafting or kayaking — since home school, we’ve had flexibility to do these activities.”

Mrs Salter said the kids had used zero plastic wraps, ziplock bags or food paper wraps since home schooling and said she was saving money on petrol and buying lunch food.

Paola Tanner said she and her husband felt they might regret not giving home schooling a try, taking the plunge last year with their kids Mimi, 11, and Manu Tanner, 8.

“They really like it, I think Mimi wants to go back to school for high school for Year 7 but so far they’ve really enjoyed the freedom and they seem to be a bit more relaxed.”

The Department of Education revealed 1164 children were registered for home school at the end of October 2020, compared with 1068 in June 2019.

A spike of 231 new applications came between January and June 2020, but applicants between July and October 30 2020 remained stagnant compared to the previous year.

“Anecdotally, the Office of the Education Registrar are aware of parents who have decided that they enjoyed having their children at home or felt that their children responded better to being taught at home and this is supported by the spike in June 2020,” Education Registrar Katharine O’Donnell said.

“However, we have been very conscious of making sure that parents understand that home education means that the parent is responsible for creating their own program in accordance with the 10 Standards.”

Mrs Salter said home schooling was “not an easy road” but “a lot of fun and adventure along the way”.

“There’s no doubt that home school takes a huge commitment, bravery, confidence, consistency and dedication.”

THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT HOME SCHOOL TAKES A HUGE COMMITMENT, BRAVERY, CONFIDENCE, CONSISTENCY AND DEDICATION

CAROLINE SALTER