Rather than focusing on free schools, Labour should consider supporting home education

The Labour Party, since at least 2010 have gradually begun to present a coherent, cohesive education programme, to present to the electorate in time for the General Election in 2015. We’ve rightly focused on Michael Gove’s profligate waste of money on free schools. We’ve rightly focused on the Liberal Democrats’ breaking their pledge to vote against raising tuition fees. We’ve rightly focused on the other 50% of people who decide to not go to University and we’re now right to reverse Michael Gove’s disastrous AS reforms. Plus, the apt criticism of the Coalition’s education reforms such as cancelling EMA in England, teachers not needing to be formally trained to be employed in free schools and abhorrent spending cuts to early years education.

But, the Labour Party still need to go much further in regards to education. We need more investment for computer programming to catch up to other developed countries. We need to find ways to ensure that more teenagers are involved in studying politics, but in a positive manner. We need to spend more on early years education, rather than draconian spending cuts that we’ve seen from this Coalition.

However, one part of education that seems to missing from Labour Party policy. Something that is wrongly ignored and not focused upon by the main parties (probably due to political reasons). That is home education.

The Labour Party, seems to prefer to focus their attention on free schools, compared to discussing the future of home education.

That future could be remarkably bright. With the growing strength and importance of the internet, the supply of free education is growing by the year. And not just free education, quality education that can be enjoyed by anyone who is able to gain access to the internet (which is obviously quite a lot). Education that is free, full of quality information that you actually wish to learn.

Want to learn another language? Go to the BBC or Duolingo. Want to brush up on your maths and science? Go to the Khan Academy website. Want to learn more about 19th history? There is a copious amount of history documentaries on Youtube and there is an abundant of websites dedicated to a particular area of history i.e. historyhome.co.uk. And this a period where the internet is still incredibly young. Wait another 10-20 years – the internet will be extremely important for education. Education is changing and the Labour Party doesn’t realise it, or even wish to consider it in their policy. Education is moving away from one size fits all to a system where you can learn about anything, whenever you wish, that’s free and is available incredibly easy.

I was home educated for 5 years and although there was significant challenges, I believe that it was the right decision at the time.Now admittedly, home education is not for everyone.  But you need to at least give parents and children the opportunity to have that experience of home education if it works for them and they decide to go for it. Especially as I say, with a new era of education with the inexorable growth of the internet.

That’s why I believe the Labour Party should have a clear position on home education. A position where they support home education, where they will ensure if they are elected in 2015, to make it easier to be able to home educate their child or teenager, where there is more information and resources are diverted into home education to give parents more choice and freedom in how they wish to educate their sons or daughters.

The Labour Party have made positive and significant proposals for education, in particular, those that would reverse many of Michael Gove’s reforms (Although, as I say, many more positive proposals are needed before the General Election). However, they need to promise to support home education. It has a unique potential that it not being utilised effectively by the main parties. Parents need to have the opportunity to have choice in how to educate their children and that choice also needs to include home education.