Number of home schoolers up 800pc over 20 years
The number of home schoolers in WA has increased by 800 per cent, says the president of HomeSchool WA.
Stuart Chapman made the statement after statistics from the Department of Education’s WA Home Education Statewide Numbers 1993-2014 report revealed there were 2477 students registered to receive home education in semester one in 2014, compared to the 300 registered in 1993.
He said the motivation for parents and guardians to home school was changing from what was largely based on religious or philosophical beliefs in the past.
“The growth in registered home-educated students has grown exponentially by 800 per cent in past 20 years and there is continual steady growth because there is a growing need for students who do not fit into the current model or feel unsafe in the school environment, ” Mr Chapman said. “The biggest trend is previously, many home schoolers tended to be those with religious or philosophical motivations but now the demographic is changing.
“Many are now seeing that they no longer have to accept excuses from school about bullying or poor academic performance and are now saying, ‘You know what, I am just going to pull my children out of school. I am not going to put up with this situation any longer’.”
The Education Department issued a comment with their findings and said: “There has been only a slow and steady increase in the number of students registered for home education”.
Mr Chapman replied: “An 800 per cent growth in registered home schoolers is not a slow and steady increase, in my opinion.”
He said children have regained their confidence through home schooling, which often resulted in better academic results.
“Previously people home schooled for many years but what we are now finding is that the average time people home school is only one to two years to get through some crisis, ” Mr Chapman said.
“When a child regains their confidence, their academics improve greatly as a result of home education, parents will often put them back into school after one or two years.
“There are many reasons why parents choose to home school their children, including a harmful environment at school due to bullying by other students, children are failing academically at school and the parents have lost faith in the school system, parents wanting to be part of their child‘s education and not outsourcing it to strangers.”
He said children who had been home schooled were more mature and more likely to be self-learners.
