Unschooling: Do Children Need School? (Naomi Fisher)

As school attendance falls and concerns grow about children’s mental health and special educational needs, is it time to rethink what education should look like? Clinical psychologist, Naomi Fisher believes the problem may not lie with children struggling to attend school, but with a system that is failing to meet their needs. Specialising in trauma and neurodiversity, she has spent years working with children and families who struggle with mainstream education. She has also chosen to home educate her own children.

Drawing on her professional and personal experience, Naomi argues that rising levels of school avoidance should be seen as feedback about the education system, rather than a problem with children’s behaviour. She explains why she believes families should have far greater freedom over how their children learn, and what a more flexible education system could look like. Her radical thought is that while every child deserves an education, not every child needs to go to school.

Series Producer: Simon Tulett

Producers: Ivana Davidovic and Farhana Haider

Technical Producer: Jonny Hall

Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham

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