Articles

Play is not a break from learning, it is learning.

Play is learning: why play fuels education for children of all ages

Learning through play: From early years to teens

In England, play often gets treated as a nice extra, something squeezed in when the “real work” is done. But research, and decades of experience in home education, show that play is not a break from learning. It is learning. When we think of play, we often picture young children with building blocks or playground games. But the power of play goes far...

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Stop calling home educated kids invisible: why these children aren’t missing

The term ‘invisible children’ wrongly paints home-ed kids as lost or at risk. In truth, they’re thriving outside school - seen, loved, and learning in their own way.

There’s a damaging phrase that has been popping up in media stories for years: “invisible children.” It’s often used to describe children who aren’t in school, as if being out of sight means out of mind. As if children...

ADHD, hunter-gatherers, and education: why the system isn’t built for our brains

There’s been a popular photo being shared on Facebook about how ADHD isn’t really a disorder - it’s a different kind of wiring. A set of traits that once helped humans survive, especially in fast-paced, unpredictable environments. And for many home-educating families like ours, this idea makes a lot of sense.

It’s backed by research too. A study in Nature Genetics found that ADHD traits are...

Home education: changing the environment, not the child

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower – Alexander Den Heijer

So often, families come to home education after watching their child struggle to thrive in school. They’re told their child is behind, too distracted, too sensitive, too slow, too much. But what if the problem isn’t the child?

This quote speaks right to the heart of it....

Oscar Wilde: “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue.

Why disobedience matters: home education as a quiet act of rebellion

Oscar Wilde wrote, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.”

Many of us come to home education through a quiet act of disobedience. We’ve said no to a system that doesn’t serve our children. We’ve stepped off the expected path - not out of...

What real learning looks like: letting go of school-like expectations

Learning doesn’t follow a straight line What I used to think learning should look like: Workbooks. Steady progress. Timetabled ‘learning’. Educational apps. A clear beginning, middle, and end. What does it actually look like? Messy bursts of curiosity. Half-finished projects. Sudden leaps after long lulls. Ideas that spark, fade, and sometimes return months later - or not at all.

Growth isn’t...

Stealth learning ideas: Turning play into education

Make learning stick: how playing can teach more than worksheets

Ever watched your child completely absorbed in a game - laughing, problem-solving, working things out, and realised they were learning without even noticing? That’s stealth learning . Also known as hidden education, it’s about weaving learning into activities that feel nothing like school. No pressure, no worksheets - just real,...

Supporting neurodiverse learners at home: a personalised approach to education

When I first began working with home-educating families, I was struck by how many parents described the decision as both daunting and deeply necessary. For those raising neurodiverse children, the choice often stems from a desire to prioritise wellbeing—after witnessing their child struggle with anxiety, overwhelm, or a lack of understanding in school settings.

Again and again, I’ve...

Stop the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill | Protests Across England

Families across England unite to oppose the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

On Sunday the 13th of July, families, educators, and allies gathered in towns and cities across England to protest the proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill , a controversial piece of legislation that many believe would harm, not help, young people. The bill is being presented as a measure to improve...

How Do Home Educated Children Socialise? | The Myth of Homeschool Isolation

Do you worry about socialisation? Home educated children thrive through hands-on experiences and mixed-age friendships - learning together, not just side by side.

But how do they socialise?

It’s one of the most common questions we get - and one of the most frustrating myths about home education: that our children must be lonely or isolated. It usually comes from a kind place (...

Ben’s Home Education Adventure by Lorraine Blanche

Ben’s Home Education Adventure: Inspired by School Anxiety and EBSA

Home educator Lorraine Blanche writes a story inspired by Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) Author Spotlight

I wanted to spotlight this author because stories like Ben’s are rarely found in children’s books — yet they reflect the lived experience of so many home-educating families. It gives children like ours a voice, and offers comfort, recognition, and reassurance to the parents who’...