Home Education Surges Amidst Children’s Mental Health Crisis

Severe anxiety, depressive states, and persistent vomiting are reported reasons compelling families to withdraw their children from conventional schooling. A BBC inquiry revealed a 96% increase in home education in Bristol over the last five years, primarily driven by significant mental health issues among children and young people. Numerous parents report transitioning to home education after losing optimism about securing additional assistance for their children. Bristol City Council stated its intention to collaborate with parents opting for home education “in order to safeguard the educational interests of children and young people.” The government has committed to establishing registers for children not attending school, with official data expected in December. Lizzie observed a swift decline in her child’s mental well-being upon starting Year 1 in 2018. The young girl developed rumination syndrome, a vomiting ailment associated with depression and anxiety. Lizzie informed the BBC: “She was just unrecognisable, she was depressed, she didn’t want to get out of bed.” She added that “(The school) was really crowded, it was really noisy.” Lizzie further recounted: “Some days she would spend all her time with a bucket just spitting up food. She stopped eating all together for a time.” The family was repeatedly informed that their daughter did not fulfill the requirements for an autism assessment or a referral to mental health services, and faced threats of a fine if she failed to attend school. The parents stated they transitioned to home education when their daughter reached Year 4, at which point she seemed on the verge of a “complete mental breakdown.” Katy’s child received an autism diagnosis at five years old and performed effectively in school until entering secondary education. Katy explained: “They couldn’t cope with the upheaval – the large class sizes and the constant moving.” She continued: “They wouldn’t be able to say if they couldn’t complete a task or didn’t understand.” Katy concluded: “It just led to them looking like a failure and them just withdrawing.” Katy awaits the outcome of an application for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), a legal document outlining a child’s required support, a year after its submission. Her child, who would currently be in year nine, is undertaking some online courses as a temporary solution. Katy commented: “Local authorities are just in absolute meltdown. They are fire fighting. They’ve got no funds.” As of 2024 in the UK, 1.6 million young individuals are identified as having special educational needs or disability (SEND). This number rose by 101,000 in the last year, based on data from the Department for Education (DfE). In Bristol, the corresponding figure reached 14,588 during the 2023-24 academic year, an increase of 32% from 11,063 in 2019-2020. The council’s annual SEND budget is approximately £78 million. In March of this year, it secured a £53 million bailout from the central government specifically for its SEND provisions. During the previous academic year, a freedom of information request disclosed that the city council received 530 notifications of children no longer attending school, a 96% increase from 270 in 2019-20. Lizzie sought support from one of Bristol’s numerous home education collectives, viewing it as a school alternative. These collectives operate without financial support from either central government or local authorities, meaning expenses are borne by the students’ families. They frequently employ qualified teachers, who are legally restricted to working 18 hours per week, with parents responsible for the remaining educational hours. Lizzie, who works as a marketing communications manager, is employed three days a week and completes additional work in the evenings after her husband concludes his workday. She stated: “I am exhausted with the hours that I work, but obviously I am going to do that because my family is happy in comparison to where we were.” April, a mother of two, co-established the Hawthorns home education collective in Fishponds in 2023. April noted that while Hawthorns is unable to provide the extensive support needed for a child with a severe SEND diagnosis, children with less complex needs frequently flourish in its setting. She explained: “We say we are for children who are ‘sensitive and spirited’.” April added: “We have the freedom to be influenced by lots of (education) models, including forest school – we spend about two hours a day outside and one day a week in woodland.” However, April pointed out that because Hawthorns relies solely on parental funding, “it is not as inclusive as we would like it to be.” She elaborated: “Parents on a low budget that choose to home educate are really restricted in terms of what they can access to provide education for their children.” Magdalena Leszczyc, a teacher at Hawthorns, stated: “Some people who had their children in mainstream education, the impact was just not liveable. The children had depression and anxiety and now they are able to relax and to enjoy learning.” She concluded: “This is a life-changing provision.” Jenny’s 15-year-old son, whose autism was not severe enough to necessitate a specialized environment, encountered difficulties in secondary school because of its scale and the breadth of subjects. All proposals from the family aimed at maintaining his mainstream education, including enrolling him in the same school as his older sibling or permitting him to take fewer GCSEs, were rejected. Jenny, residing in Henleaze, opted to remove him from school citing autism burnout, a condition where an individual becomes so overwhelmed that their mental health substantially deteriorates. He is currently engaged in a mix of online courses and several hours of one-to-one tutoring, pending the decision on his EHCP application. Jenny remarked: “We are in a real limbo.” She added: “Things are falling apart around us at the moment – home educating is on the rise because children aren’t ticking the box and the education system isn’t flexible enough to allow tailor-made provision.” Approximately one-third of children holding an EHCP have an autism diagnosis, as per the DfE. Joey Nettleton Burrows, policy and public affairs manager at the National Autistic Society, attributed the increase in children needing SEND support primarily to heightened awareness. He stated: “It is a good thing because children should be getting the support they need.” Mr. Nettleton Burrows further noted that the provision of SEND services has not matched the demand, and only 14% of secondary school teachers have received more than half a day of autism training. Mr Nettleton Burrows asserted: “We need to empower schools to make small changes, such us creating quiet spaces or allowing children to go out of class now and then and stronger teacher training.” He concluded: “Some changes can make a huge difference.” The government intends to establish a register for all children not attending school, as outlined in its Children’s Wellbeing Bill. A DfE spokesperson commented: “Our mission is to break down the barriers to opportunity, so every pupil has the best life chances.” The spokesperson added: “That includes making sure every child is receiving a suitable education for their age, ability, aptitude, and any special educational needs whether they are in school or at home.” They also stated: “(We are) reforming the SEND system so more children receive earlier and better support to thrive in education.” For updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available for review.