This is the author’s version of a work that was submitted/accepted for pub-lication in the following source:

English, Rebecca M. (2013) The most private private education : homeeducation in Australia. Homeschool Researcher. (In Press)

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c© Copyright 2013 National Home Education Research Institute

Notice: Changes introduced as a result of publishing processes such ascopy-editing and formatting may not be reflected in this document. For adefinitive version of this work, please refer to the published source:

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Themostprivateprivateeducation:HomeeducationinAustralia

RebeccaEnglishLecturerFacultyofEducationQueenslandUniversityofTechnologyQueensland,Australiar.english@qut.edu.auAbstract

InAustralia,thedecisiontohomeeducateisbecomingincreasinglypopular(cf.Townsend,2012).Thepopularityofhomeeducationisinspiteofalargenumberofpublicallyfunded,financiallyaffordableprivateandpublicschoolsthatofferarangeofeducationalalternativestoparents(cf.English,2009).Inspiteofitsincreasingpopularity,thereasonshomeeducationischosenbyAustralianfamiliesisunder‐researched(cf.Jackson&Allan,2010).ThispaperreportsonacasestudythatsetouttoexplorethereasonsAustralianparentschoosetohomeeducateandwhetherthisdecisionisrelatedtothechoiceofaprivateschoolinAustralia.In‐depth,qualitativeinterviewswereconductedwithagroupofhomeeducationfamiliesinoneofAustralia’smostpopulatedcities.Datawerethematicallyanalysed.Theanalysisrevealedthatthereweresimilaritiesbetweenthediscoursesofparentswhoprivatelyeducateandparentswhohomeeducate.Inparticular,itrevealstheparents’fearsaboutschools,theirnegativeexperiencesofschoolsandtheirhopesfortheirchildren’sfutures.

Keywords:homeeducation,schoolchoice,privateeducation,Australianeducation

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Introduction:

InAustralia,thereisanopportunitytochooseaschoolfromaplethoraofinstitutionaltypes,allofwhichareatleastpartiallygovernmentfunded.TheAustralianeducationallandscapeincludesfullypubliclyfundedschoolsvariouslycalledpublic,stateorgovernmentschoolsandpartiallypublicallyfundedschoolsvariouslycalledprivate,independentornon‐governmentschools(cf,English,2005;2009).However,increasingnumbersofAustralianparentsarechoosingoutsidethetraditionalpublic/privatedichotomyandareeducatingtheirchildrenathome(cf.Townsend,2012).

Ratherunusually,Australiaisoneofahandfulofcountriesthatactivelyfundsitsprivateorindependentschools.Thus,allschoolsinAustraliadrawsomegovernmentmoniestofundtheiroperationalexpenditure.Whilethisprocesshasbeenquestionedinarecentreviewofeducation(cf.Gonskietal.,2012),andthereisevidencethatsomeschoolsareabletomakeaprofitfromthisarrangement(cf.English,forthcoming),thereisnoindicationthateithersideofpoliticswillalterthecurrentmodelofpublicallyfundingallschools.

Inadditiontothefundingthatgoestotheschool,parentsareabletodrawsomepaymentsfortheirchild’seducationalexpenditure.Thepayments,knownastheSchoolKidsBonus(cf.AustralianGovernment:AustralianTaxationOffice,2013),alloweligibleparents,includingthosethathomeeducate,toclaimupto$420/annum/childforprimaryschoolagedfamiliesandupto$820/annum/childforsecondaryschoolagedfamilies.Thismeasuredemonstrates,insomeway,thegovernment’sacceptanceofhomeeducationasachoiceequaltothatofallotherschoolingoptions.

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Thispaperreportsonpreliminaryfindingsofastudyintohomeeducation1inAustralia.Thefindingsreportedherearedrawnfrominterviewsconductedwiththreehome‐educationfamilieslocatedintheoneofthemostpopulousstatesinAustralia.Theparentsofthisstudywerefollowingtheunschoolingornaturallearningphilosophyofhomeeducation.Inthisstudy,homeeducationhasbeendefined,inlinewithHardingandFarrell(2003,p.125)as“theeducationofchildrenwithinthehomesetting…overseenbyparentsorotheradults,significanttothechildandfamily”.Unschoolingisdefined,inlinewithHoltandFarenga(2003)as“allowingchildrenasmuchfreedomtolearnintheworldastheirparentscancomfortablybear”(p.238).Theterm,unschoolingwasusedinterchangeablyintheinterviewswithHoltandFarenga’s(2003)otherterms,naturallearning,child‐ledlearningandself‐directedlearning.Thepurposeofthispaperistoexaminewhetherhomeeducationisalignedwithotherprivateeducationalchoices,includingthechoiceofanon‐governmentschool.

LiteratureReview:

IntheUSA,thedecisiontohomeeducatehasbeenfoundtobeincreasinglypopularamongparents(cf.Collom,2005;Cooper&Sureau,2007;Hurlbutt,2011).However,inspiteofitsincreasingpopularity,intheUSAasinAustraliaandtheUK,thereislimitedliteratureonthehomeeducationmovement(Green&Hoovey‐Dempsey,2007).Inaddition,stereotypesremain.AsMorton(2012)

1Thispaperisusingthetermhomeeducation,asitisthepreferredtermin

thestateinwhichtheresearcherislocated.AccordingtotheDepartmentofEducation,TrainingandEmployment(DETE),theterm“encompassesabroaderconceptofeducationalexperiencesbasedinandbeyondthehome”(QueenslandGovernment:DETE,2013,¶3).

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notes,perceptionsabouthomeeducationfamiliesrangefrom“social'misfits':either'tree‐hugginghippies',religiousfanatics[to]'hothousing'parentsdeterminedthattheiroffspringshouldachieveacademicexcellenceatanearlyage”(p.46).

InonestudyinNorway,Beck(2012)foundthattherewerefourgroupsofhomeeducators.UsingtheworkofBernstein(cf.1990),particularlyonorientation,heidentifiedthesegroupsas,firstly,thestructuredhomeeducators.Structuredhomeeducatorsweremiddleclass,religious,well‐educatedconservatives.Thesecondgroupwereunschoolerswhowere“welleducatedmiddleclassparents,anti‐establishment,withradicalpoliticalandculturalviews”(Beck,2012,p.74).Thethirdgroupwerepragmaticandwereusuallyrural,workingclassfamiliesforwhomthehomeeducationenvironmentandthefamily’sworkenvironmentwerelinked.Finally,theunknowngroupwasallthosewhowerenotregisteredandthusnotaccessibletostudy.

Intheirmeta‐analysisoftheAustralianhomeeducationresearchlandscape,JacksonandAllan(2010)foundthattherearevariedreasonsfamilieschoosetohomeeducatetheirchildren.Theycategorisedthesereasonsasfirstly,“realorperceivednegativesassociatedwitheducationfoundinmainstreaminstitutions”andsecondly,the“realorperceivedbenefitsofeducatingchildrenathome”(Jackson&Allan,2010,p.351).SimilarfindingswereseeninMoreton’s(2012)study.Herresearch,conductedintheUK,examinedmotivationsforchoosingtohomeschool.Acknowledgingthefragmentednatureofthe‘community’ofhomeeducators,shefoundthat,ratherthanthecommonperceptionsnotedabove,therealitywasfarmorenuanced.Moreton(2012)

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arguedthatmanyofthediscoursesconstructedbythehomeeducationfamiliessheinterviewedmirroredthoseofparentswhochoseaprivateschoolfortheirchildren.Forexample,shearguedthattherationalesusedbyparentstoexplaintheirchoicetohomeeducatemirrored“rationalesforeducationalchoiceusedbymiddleclassparentsabouttheirchoiceofprivateschool,suchassocialmilieu,acquisitionofwiderlifeskillsandthetransmissionofvalues”(Moreton,2012,p.47).

TheresearchbyMoreton(2012)hasbeenusedtolocatethechoiceofhomeeducationinwiderliteratureonschoolchoice.Recentstudiesonschoolchoice,particularlyintermsofmiddle‐classfamilies,havefocusedonparents’reasonsforchoosingaparticularschoolanditsroleinmanagingrisk.Thispaperdrawsonresearchintomiddle‐classeducationalchoicepractices.Itisnotedthat,asBrantlinger(2003)states,themiddleclassesusetheir“agencyincraftywaystosecurethebestofwhatschoolshavetoofferforourownchildren”(p.xi).Thispaperextendsthenotionof‘school’,usedbyBrantlingertoincludehomeeducation.

Lareau(2008),workingintheUS,arguesthattherearethreewaysthatparentssecurethisadvantage.Firstly,they“presumethattheyareentitledtohavetheinstitutionaccommodatetotheirchild’sindividualizedneeds”(p.117).Thus,theseparentsexpectanindividualisationofinstructionandenvironmentthatbestsuitstheneedsoftheirchildren,particularlyinprivateschoolswheretheyarepayingfeesforthateducation.Secondly,theseparents“feelcomfortablevoicingtheirconcernswithpeopleinpositionsofauthority”(Lareau,2008,p.117).Thus,theyareabletonegotiatewiththoseinpowertosecurewhattheir

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childneeds.Thirdly,middleclassparents“appeartobewillingandabletoclimbthehierarchyofauthoritytopursuetheirinterests”(Lareau,2008,p.117).Thus,theseparentswillgobeyondtheschoolandseektheassistanceofregionaldirectors,areasupervisors,governmentbureaucratsandministersofeducation.

Inherstudyofethnicminoritymiddleclassparents,Archer(2010)lookedatschoolchoiceintheUKthrough36semi‐structuredinterviews.ShefoundthatLareau’s(2008)contentionsaroundparentaldesireswerecorrect.Shearguedthat“parentsexpressedadesireforpersonalisededucation,feltcomfortablevoicingtheiropinionsandconcernstoschools,andwerewillingtoclimbtheladderofauthoritytogettheirvoicesheard”(Archer,2010,p.465).Shealsofound,inlinewithBrantlinger(2003)thatmiddleclassparentsinvolvedthemselvesintheirchildren’sschoolingandconsideredthatinvolvementtobeboth“a‘normal’and‘responsible’aspectofbeinga‘goodparent’”(Archer,2010,p.466).

Inaseriesofsimilarstudies,Vincent,Rollock,BallandGilborn(2012a;2012b)foundthatparentsendeavouredtomanagerisksineducationfortheirchildren.Byexaminingtheexperiencesof62blackfamiliesintheUK,theVincentetal.(2012a;2012b)studieslookedatthewaysthatrisksweremanagedtosecureadvantagefortheirchildren.Thefamiliesofthesestudieswerefoundto“perceiveschoolingasarisk…thatchildrenmaynotfullyrealisetheiracademicpotential”(Vincentetal.,2012b,p.266).Thus,thefamiliesofthesestudieswereusingeducationalchoicesasaresourcetomanagetherisksfacedbytheirchildreninschools.

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However,inspiteoftheirwillingnesstointerveneonbehalfoftheirchildren,severalstudiesbyCrozier(cf.Crozier,2000;Crozier&Reay,2004;Crozier&Davies,2007)havefoundthatinterveningmaynotbeeffective.Thesestudieshavefoundthatthereisanincreasingmiscommunicationbetweenschoolsandparents.Thus,whiletheparentsareincreasinglyencouragedtocommunicatetheirconcernsandinvolvethemselvesinaschool(cf.Ranson,Martin&Vincent,2004),thereisadisconnectincommunicationthatleadsto,asArcher(2010)hasnoted,asituationinwhichparentsandteachersorprincipalsare“unabletocommunicateeffectivelywithoneanother,especiallyoverteachingandlearningissues”(p.459).

Thispapertakestheviewthatthedecisiontohomeeducateispartofatwo‐foldstrategy.Ontheonehand,itallowsmiddle‐classparentstoactivatetheirculturalcapital(cf.Lareau,2008)astheseparentswereabletoaccommodatetheirchildren’sinvidivualneeds.Secondly,thestrategyofhomeeducatingwaschosenbecauseitallowedtheseparentstomanageriskwhenproblemswiththeschool,orinsomecases,issueswithmiscommunicationarise.Itisachoicethatisoftenmadebyparentswhosechildrenhavespecialeducationalneeds(cf.Winstanley,2009;Knuth,2010)withwhichthemainstreamschoolingsystemisunabletocope.Theactivationofmiddle‐classculturalcapitalaswellasthemanagementofrisk,undertakenbythehomeeducatingfamily,isnotunlikethatofotherfamilieswhochooseprivateeducationintheUK(cf.Vincentetal.,2012a)orinAustralia(cf.English,2009).Whiletheparentsofthisstudywerelivingincloseproximitytoanumberofdifferentschoolchoices,theystillchosehomeeducationfortheirchildren.In

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twoofthecasesitwasaftermanyattemptstomanagetheirchildren’sspecialeducationalneedsinschoolshadledtomiscommunicationandfailure.Inthethirdcase,itwasafearaboutwhatschoolwoulddototheoldestchildwhohadbeenidentifiedbyhismotherastwiceexceptional.Thus,partofthestudyinvestigatesthenotionofrisk,andwhethertheseparentswerechoosinghomeeducation,asanyotherprivateeducationchoice,aspartofariskmanagementstrategy.

Methods:

Theresearchtookaqualitativeapproach,utilisingin‐depth,qualitativeinterviews.Thespecificinterviewtechniquewasflexiblystructuredinterviews.Thistypeofinterviewismoreakintoaconversationseeking“in‐depthunderstandingsabouttheexperiencesofindividuals”(Scott&Morrison,2006,p.134).Itallowsparticipantstoreflectanddescribetheirexperiencesin‐depth(Whyte,1982;Bogdan&Biklen,1992).Theresultingaccountisaco‐constructionofmeaningbetweentheparticipantandtheinterviewer(Gubrium&Holstein,1998;Scott&Morrison,2006;Fontana&Frey,2008).Theseinterviewsareopen‐endedbecausetheintervieweeisaskedtospeakbroadlyabouttheirperspectives(Scott&Morrison,2006;Yardley&Bishop,2008).

Therewereapproximately30questionsbuttheseweregroupedintofivecategories:

1. Theparents’experiencesofeducation.2. Thedemographicsofthechildren.

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3. Thechildren’sexperiencesofeducation(forexample,whethertheyhadevergonetoschool).

4. Thefamily’sexperiencesofhome‐education.5. Thefamily’splansforthefutureoftheirchildren’seducation.

Thequestionswerearrangedinthesefivecategoriesinordertoreflecttheexperiencesthechildrenmayhavehadatschool.Inaddition,thesequestionsreflectthepaper’sinterestin(a)thehomeeducationchoiceasaprivateeducationchoiceand(b)themanagementofrisksincaseswhereparentshadchosenaschoolfortheirchild/ren.Inparticular,thedescriptionofthefamily’sexperienceofeducation,andtheirplansforthefuture(whethertheywereinterestedincontinuingtheirchildreninhomeeducationorwhethertheywereinterestedinchoosingaschool)weredesignedtoaccesstheirchoiceprocessandascertainwhetheritwaspartofacontinuumofprivateeducation.Thequestionsthatfocusedontheparents’experiencesofeducation,andtheirchildren’sexperiencesofeducationwereendeavouringtoexaminewhethertheseparentssawhomeeducationasariskmanagementstrategy,inlinewithLareau(2008),Archer,2010andVincentetal.(2012a;2012b).Inaddition,thearrangementofquestionswasdesignedtoallowparentsflexibilityinresponses,toprovidemultipleavenuestodescribetheirhomeeducationjourneyandtoensuretheircomfortwiththeprocessatthebeginningoftheinterview.

Participants:

Threeparents’interviews,fromalargerpoolofteninterviewswithunschoolfamilies,willbeanalysedinthispaper.Theseparticipantsrespondedtoacalltoparticipateinalocalunschoolnewsletter.Theywerealllocatedinthecoastal

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regionofoneofAustralia’smostpopulousstates.Itisnotedthatthenamesusedinthispaperarepseudonymschosenbytheparticipants.Adecisionwastakentoallowtheparticipantstochoosetheirownpseudonymbecauseitreassuredtheparticipantsthatthedataweredeidentified.Itisnotedthatonlywomen’svoicesarerepresentedinthispaper.Theinterviewparticipantswereself‐identifiedandchosethetimeandlocationoftheirinterview.Asmostweremarried,stayathomemothers,theirhusbandswereworkingwhentheinterviewswereconducted.Allparticipantsweretertiaryeducated.

ThefirstoftheparentswasJoan.Joanwasamarried,stay‐at‐homemothertofourchildren,Aamon(10),Emily(8),Mason(4)andJade(3).Bothoftheolderchildrenwereregisteredwiththehome‐educationauthoritysectionofthestateeducationdepartment.Theyoungertwowerenotregisteredbecausetheywerenotofcompulsoryschoolage.Aamonwasbeingunschooledbecausehewasgiftedbutalsohadsomesensoryprocessingdisorders.Assuch,hecouldbeconsideredtobetwiceexceptional.

ThesecondparentwasJennifer.Jenniferwasamarried,stayathomemothertoadaughter,Violet(ageeight).Jenniferhadqualifiedasateacherandspenttwoyearsteachingoverseas.VioletwasJennifer’ssecondchild,thefirstandonlyofhercurrentmarriage.Jenniferhada16‐year‐oldsonnamedDamienwhowasstudyingataprestigiousuniversity.Hehadexperiencedanumberofproblemswithschools,hismotherdescribedhimastwiceexceptional,andhewasfinallyaskedtoleaveaschoolatwhichJenniferwasteaching.Atthispoint,shedecidedthatshetoowouldleavetheschoolandshebeganunschoolingherson.Violetwasalsounschooledafterherinitialdecisiontogotokindergarten.

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ThethirdparticipantwasKate.Katewasaqualifiedpodiatristandranabusypracticeaswellasunschoolinghertwochildren,SeanandAnna.Seanwasalsotwiceexceptional,havingbeenascertainedinpre‐school(nowknowninAustraliaasprep)ashavinganIQof130butalsohavingsomemarkersofaSensoryProcessingDisorder(SPD).Theteachershadnotmanagedtomeethisneedsand,inmuchthesametermsasJennifer,thefamilyhadtriedseveralschoolswithoutmuchsuccess.TheyhadaskedSeanandAnnaiftheywouldliketobehomeeducatedandbothhadsaidthattheywantedthat.

Threefamilies’storiesarereportedhere.TheuseofthesestoriesisnotmeanttosuggestthattheyarerepresentativeoftheexperiencesofallAustralianunschoolfamilies.NordoesitmeanthatallAustralianhomeeducatingfamilieswillhavesimilarexperiences.TheanalysisofdataismeanttoimplythattheexperiencesanalysedintheseaccountsareuniquetothesefamiliesandmaycontributetofurtherunderstandingofexperiencesofhomeeducationinAustralia.

Data:

Datawerecodedthematicallytoseeifthereweresimilaritiesbetweendifferentresponses(Robson,2011).Thethemesthatemergedfromthedataarereportedbelow.Allthreeparticipantsdiscussedprivateschoolsatsomepointintheinterview.Foreachofthethreeparents,thedatarevealedasensethatprivateeducationwouldnothavebeenabletomeettheirchildren’suniqueeducationalneedsand,inanycase,mayhavethrownupdifferentproblems.However,fortheseparents,homeeducationwasanotherprivateeducationchoice,andwasnolesslegitimatethanremovingachildfromastateschooltosendittoaprivate

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institution.Inwhatfollowsthethreethemesarediscussed.Itisnotedthatitalicsareusedtosignaladirectquote.

Themeone:wider,systemicproblemswithinstitutionalised

education

Allthreeoftheparticipantsstatedthattheyhadhadmajorproblemsthemselvesinschools.Whilethiswasoneofthereasonstheyhadchosenhomeeducation,itwasnotthemainreason.Infact,Kateexplicitlystatedthatshewascarefultokeepheropinionsonschoolawayfromherchildrenandsupposedshemayhavebeentoopositiveabouttheexperienceofschoolbecauseherchildreninuterowouldhavesensedhernegativeassociationswithschool.Eachoftheparticipantsnotedtheyhadsomepositiveexperiencesatschoolincludingfriendsandcertainsubjects.Forexample,JoanstatedIlikedmyfriends—TherewereacoupleofsubjectsIreallydidenjoy.

Whiletherewerepositivesabouttheexperience,allthreenotedthattherewasasystemofcontrolfromteacherstostudentsinschoolsthatwasproblematic.Thiscontrolwasbasedonfearandon,whatappearedtotheparticipantstobe,arbitrarilydistributedpunitivediscipline.Forexample,Joanstatedtherewasalotofdisrespectfromtheteacherstowardsstudentsandthestudentstowardseachother.Similarly,JenniferstatedthatshestronglyrememberedtheteachergettingreallycrosswithmebecauseIcouldn’tdosomething…Ijustremembertheanxiety,realanxiety.Similarly,Katenotedthatshewassuicidalbygrade7,duetoherfamily’sproblemscompoundedbyhernegativeexperiencesofschooling.

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Thesenegativeexperiencesofschoolwere,inthecaseofJenniferandKatewhohadsenttheirchildrentoschool,relivedintheirchildren.Forexample,Jennifer’sson,Damien,hadexperiencedproblemsrightfromthewordgo.Shestateditwasawful—Teachersdon’tunderstand.[Damien]wasjustabouttoleavehisprimarysoIthinkhewasaboutsix;seven…hewenttoanumberof

schoolstherebuthegotsuspendedfromeveryschoolthathewentto.Similarly,KatenotedthathersonSeanwasangryandwithdrawnafterschoolandwasfearfulofbeingspokentoharshlywhilealsobeingangry/scared/sadwhenanyotherchildwasspokentoharshly.Theexperiencesofthesetwochildren,DamienandSean,appearedtomirrortheanxiety,frustrationandsadnessthattheirmothershadexperiencedinschools.

ForJennifer’sandKate’sdaughters,forwhomschoolhadnotbeensodeeplytraumatic,therewerestillproblemswiththeauthoritarian(Kate)natureofthemainstreamschoolingsystemanditsconflictwiththehome.Kate’sdaughterAnna,whilecompliant,compliedoutoffearofbeingpublicallyshamedandwasresentfulthatshewaschargedwithsittingwiththenaughtyboysatthebackoftheclassroomtokeeptheminline.InViolet’s(Jennifer’sdaughter)case,theproblemwaswiththeregimentedtimetableofinstitutionalisededucation.Inkindergarten,Violethadexperiencedproblemsaroundregimentation.Sheresentedbeingtoldshehadtohaveanaptimeandshedidn’twanttohaveanaptimeandallthat.Inaddition,shewantedtohaveachanceatfreeplaywiththetoysshehadseenatthekindergarten’sfête.However,therealitywasshecouldn’tplaywiththetoysthatshewantedto.Asaresult,whiletheyhadnotexperienced

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thesametraumaastheirbrothersatschool,bothJennifer’sandKate’sdaughtershadbeenunhappyintheschoolenvironment.

WhilethenegativeexperiencesofKate’sandJennifer’schildrenwerenotthesameasthoseoftheirmothers,allfourchildrenhadexperiencedproblemswithbeingunderstood,listenedtoandrespectedinschools.KateandJenniferdescribedhowtheirownanxietiesaboutschools,theirownfeelingsofbeinginadequateanddisrespectedinschoolshadrepeatedintheirownchildrenandthisrestimulatedpowerfulfeelingsinthem.Itwasthissenseofbeingchallengedbyschools,asschoolstudentsthemselvesandasmothersofschooledstudents,thathadledtotheirdecisiontohomeeducate.InthecaseofJoan,whowasdifferentinthatherchildrenhadneverattendedaschool,heranxietiesforherchildren,theireducationandtheirparticularcircumstances,hadledtothedecisiontohomeeducate.

Thefindingthattheparents’anxietiesinfluencetheirchildren’sexperienceofschoolingreflectstheworkofBrantlinger(2003),Lareau(2008),Archer(2010)andVincentetal.(2012)onschoolchoice.Theseauthorsarguethatthereisagreatdealoffearandanxietyaroundschoolinganditleadstoparentsattemptingtomakestrategicdecisionsabouttheirchildren’seducation.AsBrantlinger(2003)found,parentsfeltaneedtobeevervigilantovertheschoolingprocessbecauseoffearsaboutfailureorpotentialfailure.Itwouldseemthat,forthethreefamilieswhoseexperienceisreportedhere,noamountof“engaginginahighlevelofsurveillanceandinterventionandtakingstepstochangeschoolswheredeemednecessary”(Archer,2010,p.454)worked.The

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strategyofsurveillanceandinterventionhadbeenunsuccessfulandhad,instead,ledtohomeeducationbeingchosen.

Themetwo:children’slackofcontroloverlearning

Allthreeparticipantsnotedthattheschoolsystem,publicorprivate,wasgovernedfromabove,andchildrenhavenocontrolovertheirday.Toillustrate,Katestated,theschoolsystemisonethatIseeofverycontrolling,[it]promotesobediencewithoutquestionandIthinkthat’snotagoodqualitythatweshouldbe

instillinginourchildren.Thus,evenifshehadbeensuccessfulinterveningonbehalfofherson,inlinewiththegoodmiddleclassparentsofArcher’s(2010)andVincentetal.’s(2012a;2012b)studies,problemswiththesystemwouldhaveremained.

Allthreenotedthattheattractionofunschoolingwasthatchildrencontrolledthecurriculum.Joanstatedwedon’tactuallygo“okay,timeformaths”.Wedon’teverdothat.Itjustdoesn’twork.Mathswillhappennaturallyeven

throughSesameStreetorwejustgo“ohthere’sthreecars–one,twoandthree”

anditjusthappensstartingwhenthey’relittle.Inmuchthesameterms,Katenotedthatit’salotmorenaturalandthey’renotrelyingonsomeoneelsetotellthemwhattolearn.Theyareempoweredbyjustlearningandenjoyinglearning.

Inheraccount,Jenniferstated,becauseshewasatrainedteacher,peopleassumedthattheschoolmodelofhomeeducationwastheoneshehadchosen.Rather,shehadtotallyeschewedthismodelforseveralreasons.Firstly,shestatedthatI’mverymuchchildledandwedowhatmykidswanttodosoIamverydifferenttoschool,becauseherexperiencewith45minutesofliteracyand45

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minutesofnumeracywasverynegative.Secondly,shethoughtthesystematlargethatmandated,notonlythetimechildrencouldspendonanytaskbutalsothecontentandcontextofthoseexperiences,wasnotconducivetolearning.Shebelievedinchildrenbeingfreetolearnand,hadfeltdisempoweredbythesysteminwhich,Ican’thelpthesechildren…asateacher,yourhandsaretiedwiththeminmainstreamschooling.Oneofherbiggestfrustrationswasthereissuchalotoftimewasting;suchalotofpaperworkthat’spointless.Idon’tbelieveinmeasuring

children.

However,asKate’shusbandnotedaftertheinterview,homeeducationwasnopanacea.Therewerestillproblemswithmeetingthecriteriaofeducationalauthoritiesthatsettherequirementsforfamilieswhoregisteredtolegallyhomeeducate.JoanstatedthattheirnaturallearningapproachhadbeenfineuntilAamonwasintheirYear3whenthedepartmentdecidedthatAamonwasnotatpeerlevel….theycancelledourregistration…andwehadtoapplyagainandshow

justcausethatweshouldbeabletohomeeducate.Thefamilywasintheprocessofreapplyingfortheirregistrationandshesaidthatbecauseofherstrategy,weticktheirboxesandtellthemwhattheywanttohearandwejustcontinueinour

ownlittleway,sheexpectedtobesuccessful.Thus,whileshewasnotionallygovernedbytherequirementsofschool,inthesensethattherewasabureaucratthatcomparedherson’slearningtothatofschooledstudents,shehadlearnedhowtoworkaroundtherequirementsinordertoensurethatherbeliefsaboutherson’seducationwererealised.

Theseparentsappeartobeengaginginensuringtheindividualisedneedsoftheirchildrenwereaccommodated.Forexample,whileJoanwasawareof

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departmentrequirements,andhadsufferedthepunitivemeasureofhavingtoreapplytothedepartmenttomaintainherregistration,shehad,toquotefromLareau(2008)[playedher]“cardswith…skill”,inspiteoftheway“thefieldencompassestherulesofthegameatanymoment”(p.84).Joan’sexperienceofhavingtoreapply,aswellasJennifer’sandKate’sexperienceintheschoolsystemwere,inlinewithArcher’s(2010)finding,dissatisfactionwiththeinflexibleteachingenvironmentfoundinschools.ThisfindingseemstoreflecttheworkofBall(2003)andLareau(2008)thatmiddleclassparentsareactiveininterveningwitheducationofficialstoensuretheindividualneedsoftheirchildrenaremet.InJoan’scase,sheappearedtobeusingtherequirementsofstategovernmentdepartmentsofeducationinnewandinnovativeways.

Themethree:thechildrenwerehappytoengageinclassestheychose

Thethreeparentswereallmembersofahomeschoolgroup.Inahomeschoolgroup,asJoanexplained,therewerespecialclasses,suchasdrama,speech,circus,musicandscienceandeventssuchasmarketdaysinwhichthechildrencouldbeinvolved.Whenaskedhowthechildrencopedwiththenotionof‘classwork’,Joanstated,They’rejustfine.There’snolike“Idon’twanttogorightnow–I’llgolater”.Ithinkthathappenedonceanditwaslike“honey,ifyoudon’tgonow

you’regoingtomissdrama”.Similarly,Katestatedthattheexperienceinmarketdays,whichwereorganisedbythechildren,werereallyempoweringfor[thechildren]andthey’re[left]feelinggoodaboutthemselves.

Assuch,thedatarevealedthatitwasnotafailureoftheirkidstobeabletodoclassesorcommittotasksthatwastheproblem.Thesechildrenwerenothomeeducatedbecauseofaninabilitytomeettherequirementstositinaclass

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andlearninaschooledmanner.Rather,itwasaboutparentspositioning“themselvesasassertivebutreasonableadvocatesfortheirchildren,andtheirchildrenasgoodandresponsiblelearners”(Vincentetal.,2012a,p.266).Thechildren’shomeeducationwasdrawnfromananxiousness(cf.Archer,2010)abouttheirchildren’sexperiencesandtreatmentinformaleducationand,anattempttomanagethatanxiety“througheducational‘strategising’”(Archer,2010,p.453).Accessingthehomeschoolgroupmarketactivitiesandclassesinscience,drama,circus,musicandspeechwereallpartoftheseparents’strategiestoensureadvantagefortheirchildrenwhileeschewingthedisadvantagestheyperceivedwithmainstreameducationwhilegettingthebestexperienceoflearning.

Comment:

Thefindingsofthisstudysuggestthat,forthethreeparentswhoseinterviewresponsesarereportedhere,homeeducationwasonacontinuumwithprivateschooling.Itwasonaprivateschoolcontinuuminthesensethatitwaschosenformanyofthesamereasonsasothermodesofprivateschoolarechosen.Forexample,asMoreton(2012)found,manyofthediscoursesconstructedintheaccountsofthethreefamiliesinthisstudy,mirrorthoseofparentswhochoseaprivateschoolfortheirchildren.Forexample,theparentswerechoosingtohomeeducatebecauseofadesiretomaintainapositivesocialmilieufortheirchildren,whichwascontrastedwiththesocialmilieuthatDamien,Sean,AnnaandViolethadexperiencedintheirschools.Inaddition,theparentswereattemptingtomanagethetransmissionofvalues,particularlypositivevaluesaroundlearning,throughtheirhomeeducationexperience.Finally,theseparents

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werealsoconcernedwiththeacquisitionofwiderlifeskillssuchasensuringtheindividualisedneedsoftheirchildrenwereaccommodated,whileofferingthemagencyovertheirlearningthatwouldbeunavailabletoschooledchildren.Thechildrenwereofferedachancetolearnwhattheywantedattheirownpaceandthiswaspartoftheparents’strategyforensuringthattheyacquiredthelifeskillsthatwerechildledanddeterminedbythechild’sinterests.

Inaddition,inlinewiththefindingsoftheVincentetal.(2012a;2012b)studies,thechoicetohomeeducateallowedtheparentstocontroltheirchildren’seducationalexperience,tomeettheirchildren’suniqueneedsandtoensurethattheirchildrenwereabletoavoidthenegativeexperiencestheythemselveshadencounteredatschool.Further,asCrozieretal.(cf.2004;2007),suggest,controlovertheirchildren’sexperienceofeducationisakeydiscoursewithinwhichmiddle‐classparentspositiontheireffortstosecureadvantagefortheirchildren.

ThesemothershadengagedinmuchthesamereflexiveworkthatwasdescribedbyArcher(2010)however;theoutcomehadbeendifferent.Ratherthanmoveschools,thesemothers’reflexivityhadledtothemworkbeyondtheschoolspace.Archer(2010)notesthatmiddleclassparentsmustnegotiatethedividebetweenhavingthestrengthto“challengeschoolswithconfidence”whilebeing“sensitivetothedangerofbeingnegativelystereotypedbyschools”(p.462).Theseparents,indecidingtohomeeducate,wereworkingoutsideofthesystemofprivate/publicmainstreamschools.Theywerenolongerconcernedaboutbeingnegativelystereotypedbyschools.InmuchthesametermsastheparentsintheVincentetal.(2012a;2012b),Archer(2012),Ball(2003)and

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English(2005;2009)studies,theseparentswereattemptingtosecureadvantagefortheirchildren.Itwasjustthat,asnotedintheinterviews,theadvantagewasfelttobestbesecuredbymovingbeyondmainstreameducation,evenataprivateschool.

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