‘SCHOOLPHOBIA’ TO BLAME AS PARENTS TEACH FROM HOME
Pupil anxiety among reasons listed for trebling of domestic lessons
HOME-SCHOOLING has tripled in popularity in the last decade – with ‘lifestyle choices’ and pupils’ ‘schoolphobia’ listed among the reasons for the surge.
New figures from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, show that more parents than ever are shunning the school run in favour of teaching their children from home.
At the end of September this year, 1,434 children had been registered as home-schooled, while ten years ago only 439 were educated at home.
Parents choose to remove children from mainstream schools for ‘philosophical, educational, lifestyle, religious and cultural reasons’, according to Tusla.
An increase in anxiety and ‘schoolphobia’ is also partly to blame for the increase but many parents just want a more relaxed pace of life, the findings of
the Freedom of Information request by the Irish Daily Mail reveal.
Overall, 995 more children were registered as home-schooled this year when compared to 2008.
A spokesman for Tusla said: ‘In the intervening years parents and guardians are more aware of the legal requirement to register if home educating a child.
‘Under our Constitution, parents do not have to send their children to school.
‘If they choose not to send their children to school they are obliged to apply to register their child as receiving an education in a place other than a registered school.
‘It is a positive choice for many families who, for reasons of lifestyle or other needs, they choose to home-educate.
‘Parents often choose to homeeducate for philosophical, educational, lifestyle, religious and/ or cultural reasons.
‘Access to educational materials, resources, curriculum and peer support online and/or through network groups are often cited as helpful.’
Tusla claims a rise in mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and ‘schoolphobia’ could also be to blame for the rise in domestic lessons being opted for by parents.
‘The service has also noted an increase in the number of children
‘Very positive for many families’
being home-educated because school is not, or is perceived to not meet their needs,’ the agency said, referring to the lack of appropriate services for special-needs pupils such as autism sufferers.
‘This is most often because the child has a special educational need (SEN), but increasingly because of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, schoolphobia,’ Tusla added.
Last year, when 407 children were registered to be home-schooled for the first time, 82 had special needs and this year, 295 children were registered with a total of 66 SEN children.
Tusla said: ‘The population of children in the school-age_category has risen in line with an overall population increase and proportionately so too has the incidence of detection of emerging special needs.
‘The increase in children with a special needs presentation in home education has risen but no more than in the mainstream and special school settings, and in line with general population increase.’
More children are registered year on year, as 57 extra home-schooled pupils were documented this year compared to last.
The total registered in 2017 was 1,377. But figures show that the number of children who are not educated in a school has steadily risen over the past decade. In 2016 the number registered as homeschooled was 1,322 but 55 more students transferred to homeschooling the following year.
The figures showed the number of six-year-olds registered as homeschooled halved between the end of 2016 and 2017, as only 34 were registered in 2017 compared to 65 the year before.
But the number of seven-yearolds increased from 89 in 2016 to 111 the next year.
Parents have a right to teach their children at home without a formal teaching qualification, according to the Constitution. While they do not need to follow a curriculum, they must ensure the child gets a
‘certain minimum education’.
A Home Education Ireland spokeswoman said: ‘In the last two years in particular the numbers have shot up.
‘While the education system has not changed in the last 40 years, the world certainly has. A lot of children find the system incredibly frustrating especially as they get older and must spend hours on subjects that do not engage them.
‘The competitive nature of school which leads to bullying is also a factor. Luckily families are coming to realise that there are options open to them outside of sitting the Leaving Cert. Online courses, Fetac/QQI courses, apprenticeships, etc are all ways for kids to get to where they want without spending years in a classroom in a very closed environment.
‘Home education opens the world up for children, where they are much more in control of what they learn and the level of experiences they can have. It is a very positive experience for many families.’
Parents can apply directly to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, if they wish to take their children out of mainstream education.
Any child who is educated at home must be legally registered with Tusla as home-schooled.