What comes to your mind when you read ’home education’?

With the topic coming to the fore following a proposal to grant government the right to access exam grades of home school children, it’s important we understand what it is.

Who better than those who’ve been through it or are currently being home schooled?

In the Examiner last week I spoke with Sara Hogg, from Peel, who has home schooled her five children over 24 years.

This time I spoke with her son, Josiah - who is now studying carpentry and joinery at University College Isle of Man - and daughter, Rebecca - who is in her first year of A-levels at home.

’Home schooling is really tailored to you,’ said Josiah, 19.

’I have learning difficulties, including dyslexia. I remember struggling with reading and writing and mum would write them out on the floor using shaving foam and get me to walk on them so it would get in my head.

’That’s amazing and you just wouldn’t get that dedication in school I think. You do have to have an incredible parent or carer to have that quality of attention.’

Josiah went to QEII High School to study GCSEs and after a week he decided it wasn’t for him.

’I enjoyed it, but I know there wasn’t enough one-to-one support to help me with what I needed. I would have been a shivering wreck if I had not been home educated and had to go to normal school.

’At the college there’s an amazing willingness to try and help me as much as possible. My tutors are really caring.’

He added that being home schooled gave him the opportunity to explore and understand himself, while not feeling stupid if a certain grade wasn’t gained.

’It’s only you judging yourself against yourself,’ he said. ’There’s loads of anxiety in schools at not being able to achieve what’s been set. We don’t all need to be mathematicians or scientists.’

Both said they have had it ’instilled from a young age that your learning is your responsibility’, as there would be consequences in life if you didn’t.

’At the same time mum was ridiculously supportive,’ Rebecca continued.

Rebecca, 16, is studying psychology, classical civilisation and English language through an online school at home. She hopes to pursue a career in art therapy or one that involves writing.

Although home schooled, she has also been through school education.

’I first went to King William’s College for the first three quarters of a year when I was 12. I later decided I didn’t want to go back,’ she said.

’I had never been to school before or been around that many people all at once. During that time I had focussed on doing things correctly than making friends, so I didn’t make any.

’I went to QEII in Year 9 which was much better because I felt I could definitely manage that and decided to make friends. It made the experience better and I liked my teachers a lot.’

However, due to bullying issues between friends she decided to complete her GCSEs at home instead.

Comparing the two education systems, she said home education gave you more freedom as it would let you explore your own interests: ’At school you’re stuck with a set curriculum and you don’t know anything outside of that because there’s no desire to learn it.’

Both said they are not in favour of a law change on home schooling.

’It’s none of their business to know what our results are,’ Rebecca said.

Josiah added: ’They’ve done nothing to contribute to our education at home.’

When asked about the possible issue of neglect, he said: ’There are always abusive people in every community, it’s not indicative of our community as a whole.’

His sister added: ’Child welfare is surely different to knowing results? We decided we wanted to do this because we didn’t want to learn like everyone else.’

Jack Rowlands, 19, from Ballasalla, was home schooled until a certain age like his three older brothers.

’Home education was really good as it was tailored to what I needed at the time,’ he said. ’I would start at 9am every week day and wasn’t allowed to watch TV or go on computer games until after 5pm.’

He added: ’Home schooling is a great conversation starter especially at university.

’It hasn’t at all affected my social skills, but I’m very much my mother’s son and she loves to socialise.

’I would meet up with lots of people my age as well as other ages as I was always in clubs.’

Jack began his GCSEs early when he was 13.

This was through the college, which suggested he start his A-levels early in Year 11.

’I didn’t enjoy it at college, so I went to Castle Rushen High School as I knew people there and the idea of school appealed to me. It’s also partly down to the fact that when my brothers left home I would get a bit lonely.’

There he achieved the highest marks in the school with an A* in maths and physics and an A grade in further maths and music. He is now studying maths at the University of Nottingham.

’Home education is about independent learning, which I think has definitely helped me at university,’ he said.

When asked his thoughts on a possible law change, he replied: ’I don’t see a huge issue with that, although practical skills are very hard to quantify.

’My dad would make a portfolio of the work we had done. That way if we were ever asked for evidential learning we had it there.

’There shouldn’t be a tyrannical approach where a test would be given out every year.

’Just some evidence on what you’ve been learning.

’There are definitely people who choose to home school and haven’t put too much forward planning into it. I knew some kids who would play on Xbox all day.’