Schools out

From The Star: "More and more parents are choosing not to send their children to school. [...] you won't find a desk, a blackboard or even any exercise-books in their household. The children don't have a set curriculum, lessons or homework. They simply learn through play and set their own agenda guided by their interests."

FACTFILE

Contrary to popular belief it is both legal and reasonable to educate your child at home. It's a growing phenomenon - last year 50,000 kids were home educated, that's a 17% increase on 2006.

Bullying, poor educational standards, religion, special needs and school choice are all common reasons for home educating. It can be a natural choice for parents who want to continue their child's early learning and see no reason to stop when the child reaches the age of five. The method of learning is entirely personal and parents can use any approach considered suitable.

A UK support website for those practising home education education-otherwise advises: "You do not need to 'know everything' - a more important skill these days, with the ever increasing volume of facts which changes and soon becomes out of date, is learning how to learn, how to think, how to find information and where to look."

Read it here.