Homeschooling strikes me as a generally bad idea but the people who oppose it often seem weirdly pearl-clutchy about it considering that they tend to strenuously oppose pearl-clutching in other areas of life.
The problem is that home-schooling is often in practice nothing more than extension of complete parental control, even if entirely unintentional, which if you are an advocate of specific Rights of the Child, is uncomfortable. If the motivation is to essentially monitor and control a child's access to information, even if you have the best intention (say the child has serious educational or learning difficulties), that infringes upon children's rights. Children deserve to have an advocate for them, who isn't their legal parent or guardian. That has historically been provided by teachers, tutors (even home tutors) or through apprenticeships.
My understanding is that homeschooling generally can only really work well if tutors are involved, and I'd support a legal requirement to that effect.
That brings it more in line with 'one to one' education, which is no bad thing. My disabled brother in law is technically home schooled in the States but has tutors. I also have a number of friends who were home schooled simply to ensure they were not exposed to anything other than their parents religious belief system which is suffocating and an affront to children's rights. There is a law coming into effect in Scotland in which every child will be given a 'state advocate'; a health visitor, a teacher, a children's worker who will be a point of contact for families, but also monitor the child’s welfare and development in a hands off capacity. There is extreme opposition from religious and home schooling groups which makes appeals to the 'rights of the parent' which in effect is an appeal to parents having rights by diktat.
It is one of the saddest developments in the post-war west that we mistrust care givers and children advocates who are not immediate family. Extended families, friends and the community used to have an active social role in caring for children. Cutting out teachers is the next step for those who think parenting is an exclusive role.
