Home Education: Forster's Education Act 1870, which heralded compulsory state education, made provision for school boards to ensure attendance but they were not compelled to do so, though later Acts strengthened this aspect. More recent Education Acts, however, have reinstated the right of parents to opt to educate their children 'at home education', though this has often been made difficult and met with social and administrative disapprobation. This was enshrined in the Education Act 1944 where the term 'education otherwise' was coined, and again in Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 which states:
The parents' own education and their attitude toward schooling, their occupational and socioeconomic status, their expectations and ambitions for the child, the degree of intellectual stimulation in the home education and neighborhood, the pressure of home education duties and remunerative work, all are conditions that influence learning. In general, a combination of favorable factors in the child's home education environment are associated with school achievement. |
