The way parents choose to educate their children is changing. As elective home education (EHE) is on the rise, with an estimated 126,000 children in the UK home schooled in 2025, the question is no longer whether traditional education is working, but how it can be adapted to accommodate the changing socioeconomic needs of both parents and children.
My experience at a worldschooling hub provided useful insights into the future of learning.
The Rise of Worldschooling
Worldschooling is a flexible educational approach where families use travel and real-world experiences as their children’s primary classroom, integrating global exploration with learning, usually through homeschooling. I recently volunteered as a facilitator at a world schooling hub in Bansko, Bulgaria. Having grown up in the traditional school system, this approach was completely new to me and made me wonder whether worldschooling is a beneficial or detrimental development. Could traditional schools learn something useful from this approach, or would they struggle to replicate its principles and methods?
A typical day at my worldschooling hub would begin with an active social exercise that families could do together. Here in Bansko, that often meant going skiing. Then, after lunch, the kids would engage in fun but educational activities such as arts and crafts, cooking, or theatre. These sessions were completely optional, and children could come and go as they pleased. There were also organised adventure or cultural trips for families. Since everyone lived in the same hotel complex, families could easily socialise outside of structured activities. For some children, online tutoring sessions were a normal part of the day.
The Ups and Downs of Worldschooling
World schooling arguably offers many benefits for children. World-schooled kids get to explore new environments, have fun, and make memories with their family and friends without the rigour and boredom typically associated with a school classroom. However, one cited criticism of homeschooling is that home-schooled children lack social skills. My experience at Bansko suggests otherwise. World-schooled children are always meeting new people and developing real-life skills. Many of these children have additional educational needs that have not been met in traditional school environments. For such children, worldschooling offers an opportunity to avoid toxic settings that hinder rather than enhance their learning journey.
Though worldschooling can be fun and rewarding, many argue that being outside the traditional school system is detrimental to children’s development in the long term. I cannot pretend that I didn’t notice that many of the kids in the hub struggled with rules and basic discipline. Whilst many of the children were notably confident, well-spoken, polite, and intelligent for their age, others demonstrated striking gaps in their education.
The success of worldschooling ultimately rests with the parents. When worldschooling is combined with a systematic and balanced homeschooling approach, children will normally do well. However, this requires hands-on parenting and the funds to sustain online or in-person lessons. There is also the worry that world-schooled children may lack a stable home environment. After all, a large aspect of learning depends on the child having the focus and time to concentrate on their studies. But if they’re constantly on the move, studying can quickly take a backseat and become a sporadic rather than stable feature in their lives.
The Verdict
Worldschooling is both an expensive and high-commitment lifestyle choice that most families simply cannot afford. Undoubtedly, it offers a unique setting for learning that some children thrive in, whilst others struggle to engage with. But despite some of the obstacles, there are aspects of worldschooling that can benefit traditional classroom models.
It has become a well-known fact that sitting behind a desk all day and cramming for exams does not always mean children learn anything useful beyond the curriculum, and even that is usually not guaranteed. When it comes to real-life skills, such as problem-solving, working together, or even something as simple as converting money, interacting with other cultures, meeting people from different walks of life and navigating unfamiliar places, worldschooling can help children to develop and perform at their best in different social environments.
Of course, qualifications are still important to pave a young person’s future. But social skills are equally crucial when it comes to succeeding in life. In view of this, the school curriculum should prioritise life skills and practical activities alongside academics to ensure children receive a comprehensive education that is applicable in real-life.
The acquired independence and freedom of a world-schooled child is arguably an advantage. And, while the importance of discipline cannot be overlooked, I believe that children who are given enough freedom to explore and to feel the sense of responsibility that comes with being treated like an adult have a better chance of surviving the real world. Little things like not having to ask permission to go to the bathroom or take your jacket off, or being able to have a bite of your snack without having a teacher snap at you, may all seem unconventional in a traditional classroom. But in real life, that’s just a part of being an adult.
DISCLAIMER: The articles on our website are not endorsed by, or the opinions of Shout Out UK (SOUK), but exclusively the views of the author.
