Britain: Parents favour home education

Nearly a third of parents want to teach their offspring at home instead of school "at some point in their lives", according to a survey published today. The nationwide poll of 1,200 adults, either expecting children this year or with children under five, found 61% did not trust Britain's education system and 31% would try home schooling.

The survey also found that 72% expected their children to work or live abroad at some point in their lives.

While 84% of parents wanted their offspring to move out permanently from the family home between 19 and 25-years-old, 83% worried that they would not be able to afford their first home independently.

The research, commissioned by Vauxhall Motors to mark its centenary year in 2003, discovered that 94% of parents planned to teach their children about caring for the environment and 41% planned to bring up their child within a religion.

It also found 34% of parents worried about drugs, 26% about increased crime, 17% about the cost of living and 12% about poor education.

Some 21% of parents wanted their sons to pursue careers in law and finance and 18% wanted them to pursue IT and science and engineering. They want their daughters to take up law and finance (22%), medicine (18%), IT (13%) and science and engineering (11%).

Public service sector work was the desired career for just 8% of parents.

Traditional trades like plumbing and building were listed by only 5% for sons and 1% for daughters, and a job in the media was favoured by 3% of boys' parents and 9% of girls'.

Xigasho: The Guardian, UK