A DAD has come under fire after revealing he doesn’t educate his son at home despite pulling him out of school aged 13.
The father, only known as TikToker @cowdreyfamily, insisted that despite receiving no education, his teenage son has ”learnt more” by being a tradie and interacting with others.
The dad, who insisted that he’s got nothing ”against people who want to be at school or mainstream educated”, has had several meetings with the local authorities.
”He’s not schooled at all now, so I’ve completely pulled him out,” the parent said in a recent video.
”I’ve had meetings with the council to say, ‘Is he home-educated, blah, blah?’
”No – just nothing.”
The father went on: ”He’s learnt more in the last couple of months being self-employed, people interaction, confidence.”
Now, out of school, the teen son spends his days ”trading” and doing ”gardening” jobs, such as ”sweeping and bits like that”.
While the father did once work a regular ”9-5”, he admitted he wouldn’t want to go back to ”being under a boss”.
”I couldn’t listen to the pressures and all of that s**t,” said that TikToker, claiming both of them were ”happy” with the decision.
”Out with the old, in with the new.”
The father, who home-educated his son for a year until the age of 14, said he didn’t believe school was the right approach for his child – at least, ”at this point”.
The TikToker claimed in the comments that the teenager is ”a joint owner” of his business and ”gets a percentage” of the profit.
”In 10 years my son will be able to run his own business, would of [have] learnt communication with strangers, learnt money handling and so much more. No concerns here,” he said.
A third parents now considering homeschooling
Almost a third of British parents are considering homeschooling their child, with disruptive behaviour, growing class sizes, and inadequate provision for students with special educational needs among the top concerns about the current education system.
A poll of 2,000 British parents revealed over half (55 percent) of parents with school-aged children believe the school environment today is challenging for youngsters.
In fact, a similar number (53 percent) claim their child’s school doesn’t cater for their mental health needs, according to the research from online homeschooling provider, Wolsey Hall Oxford.
Worryingly, a further four in ten (38 percent) said their child has felt unsafe at school, while over a quarter (26 percent) said their state school does not have adequate facilities for pupils with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).
The study also revealed that more than half of parents (55 percent) believe teaching methods in today’s schools are outdated, citing the expectation for students to sit still and write for long periods, along with a strong focus on memorisation and formal assessments, as old fashioned.
As a result, a staggering third (30 percent) have either pulled their children out of school or are seriously considering it – with bullying (43 percent), mental health concerns (34 percent), and very little one-to-one attention (29 percent) among the top concerns.
Classroom disruption (28 percent) and large class sizes (26 percent) are other reasons for considering opting out of the mainstream system.
Three quarters of parents (75 percent) say schools are failing to prepare children for real life, with 70 percent believing that the education system should teach youngsters real-life subjects like money management, as well as life skills like communication (56 percent), problem solving (54 percent) and mental health awareness (52 percent).
Three quarters (76 percent) would like to see schools offering more flexibility on where and when education is provided, with more than a half (56 percent) seeing value in their child being taught at a time that best suits them, rather than following a fixed timetable.
And two thirds (62 percent) say they would consider homeschooling if they knew it was going to give their child the best start in life, with 83 percent believing that changes in working patterns have enabled parents to fit education around working remotely.
Gavin McLean, Principal at Wolsey Hall Oxford, said: “These findings reflect a clear shift in how the parents of today’s school children view the education system, with concerns over behaviour, class sizes, and inadequate provision for students with special educational needs failing to be addressed.
“At Wolsey Hall Oxford, we believe learning should be flexible, supportive, and should prepare children for life – not just for exams. As more parents recognise that remote and flexible working patterns make homeschooling a realistic and appealing alternative to the classroom, it’s clear that families are seeking learning that adapts to their lives – not the other way around.
“As the world’s longest-established homeschooling provider, and the only online school where families have complete freedom over what, how, where and when their child learns – with no live lessons or set timetables – we’re uniquely placed to support parents to overcome these challenges, offering a truly personalised, world-class education that prioritises wellbeing and nurtures a lifelong love for learning at every stage. ”
Social media divide
Uploaded just two days ago, the clip has already taken the internet by storm, amassing close to 257k views – and a mixed bag of reactions.
One concerned viewer said: ”Sorry but you’re ruining his life, these skills he’s learnt mean absolutely nothing to employers without basic qualifications.”
Another chimed in: ”What if age 30 he wants a career change and has no way of retraining because he needs GCSEs?”
”It’s so cruel to disadvantage kids like this,” a third shared their brutal opinion.
Meanwhile, someone else hit back at the trolls, writing: ”Mate ignore all these comments their [they’re] mostly kids, haven’t got a clue what they’re talking about.
”You do you buddy if you and your family are happy that’s what matters!”
”Half of the stuff the kids are learning now won’t even be needed in the next ten years!” a social media user was convinced.
”The impact of technology and AI is already apparent, the jobs they are working towards won’t even exist.”
