By Eric White

A MOTHER from Harlow has described how moving her child from traditional teaching to home education and schooling transformed his well-being.

Stacy Bain, 35, Reiki Energy Healer & Holistic Therapist, took the decision to move her 13-year-old son Jack (pictured together below) into home schooling in March after she felt the pressure and discipline of the academic system didn’t offer the right structure for her son.

Thousands more children who are being educated at home in the east of England, new figures show.

Miss Bain said: “He used to come home crying some days and he had been on occasions been asked to face the wall for long periods.

“Sometimes that would go on for hours and hours and you could see it wasn’t good for his well-being.

“Every situation is different but for him I just didn’t think it was right at all and I could see it was making him anxious.

“I definitely think the pressure of the system has a negative effect on some children and doesn’t allow them to express themselves.

“Children are our future so it so important we equip them with the right tools to go out into the world.

“Now he is happy every day and smiling because of the freedom of the system – it has been great for him and you can tell he is enjoying life more.”

It is often argued there are pros and cons to both systems as many families naturally have different views on the importance of education in comparison socialisation, and the link between them.

Miss Bain also said that although every child learns in different ways, she believes that for “creative thinkers, (like her son) home education was definitely the way forward.

“I think it allows children to have a structure where they can socialise and develop a passion for something they love.

“The other day he even asked to make home cooked meal for me.

“He just seems so much more of a free spirit, which is something I am a firm believer in.”

Miss Bain added it was a massive decision to move from traditional education, especially given the number of factors to consider such as sociability and financial implications.

Five years ago 3,489 youngsters were home educated across the eight counties in the east – now there are 5,400 representing a rise of 54%.

The government say steps are being taken to ensure the home schooling system is as “robust as it can be” to ensure youngsters are properly educated.