Parent, UK

My daughter was extremely anxious and unhappy when she was at school. She went from being happy, chatty, active and sociable before starting school to being anxious, angry and completely uninterested in anything. My daughter started having panic attacks, sensory issues and meltdowns. She stopped eating most foods that she had previously enjoyed and had stomach problems.

My daughter did not learn anything in school. She would be there all day feeling miserable and when she got home it was clear that she had not understood anything that she had been taught during the day. I had to work with her in the evenings to help her to keep up and not feel humiliated in class. My daughter completely lost any interest in learning and she would not even let me read a story to her (something that she had always loved).

My daughter was able to go down to part time hours in reception which worked to some extent but was expected to go full time in year 1. At this point her mental and physical health really took a downturn.

We decided to home educate her and have never looked back. Within a few weeks she was starting to be healthy and happy again. She became actively engaged in her education often choosing what she wanted to learn about. I would often find her drawing a picture or playing a game about something we would be learning about and she started telling family and friends about little things that she had learned.

The education that she has at home is bespoke and suited to her needs. She has more opportunities than she ever did in mainstream education and is able to really get stuck into different topics, take on art projects, go on trips, and spend plenty of time active and outdoors. We love books and have made a beautiful collection over the years from all of the different things that she has wanted to learn about.

My daughter has gone from crisis point in school to thriving as a home educated child.

It is hard to say. The education system has become very rigid and the curriculum is very narrow. There is not the space for children to learn at their own pace or to explore a diversity of topics anymore. The emphasis on synthetic phonics means that the purpose of reading and books for pleasure and knowledge has been lost and it is all very mechanistic. Schools push for conformity and difference is often stigmatised.

Children need to play and learn best holistically. The current system does not allow this particularly as teachers are under pressure. I think more energy needs to go into protecting children's physical and mental health. This would also provide a better foundation for children to learn.