Caro Giles, a single mother of four, was forced to home-educate three of her daughters after they became so distressed by school that they made themselves ill. Her memoir, 'Unschooled', chronicles the family's struggle and critiques a system she says is failing many children.
Giles recalls harrowing moments: her daughter Emmie hiding in the footwell of the car to avoid school, another daughter pulling out her eyelashes in distress, and carrying her eldest, Matilda, out of the house because she was terrified to go outside. She attributes these behaviours primarily to the experience and prospect of school.
After Matilda endured two miserable years in primary school, Giles withdrew her, making her 'electively home-educated'. Ada, her second eldest, was mostly home-schooled until Giles's marriage ended in 2018, forcing a return to school so she could work. Emmie struggled on until 2022, when she stopped speaking at age 10. 'I feel horrid about my learning,' she typed into Giles's phone. Youngest Tess showed similar distress, leading Giles to remove her in early 2023.
Giles, a former teacher, argues the school system is not working for many children. Her daughters joined the 111,700 children in England who are home-educated—a number that has more than doubled in five years. 'It's been in no way a lifestyle choice,' she says. 'It has been me trying my best to listen to the individual needs of each child.'
Home-educating three daughters brought challenges: Tess needed outdoor energy release, while Emmie felt unsafe outside. Giles used board games, projects, and online worksheets. After years of struggle, she secured a personal budget from the local authority to fund Matilda's and Emmie's learning at home—a rare success, as only 2,305 children in England received such budgets in 2023.
