Paul Weller’s youngest sons teach themselves to read

That’s education! Paul Weller’s youngest sons teach themselves to read after rocker and his wife decide on home-schooling

  • Paul Weller said his children John Paul, Bowie and Nova are taught from home
  • He said he and his wife teach them without a tutor in order to ‘escape system’ 
  • The 62-year-old rocker said he won’t push his children to follow in his footsteps

For most children, learning to read usually follows many hours of painstaking effort at infant school.

But not Paul Weller’s home-schooled youngest sons, who learned ‘naturally’, he says, and just picked up books at seven and ‘started reading’.

The 62-year-old rocker said twins John Paul and Bowie, nine – along with little sister Nova, three – are taught at home to escape the ‘system’. 

Paul Weller (L) and Hannah Andrews arrive at the Q Awards 2018. The pair homeschool their children without a tutor

The former Jam and Style Council frontman has previously told how he had embraced ‘unschooling’. (Pictured, Leah Weller, Paul Weller and Natt Weller)

The former Jam and Style Council frontman has previously told how he had embraced ‘unschooling’. (Pictured, Leah Weller, Paul Weller and Natt Weller)

Weller and his wife Hannah Andrews teach the youngsters themselves and don’t employ a tutor.

Weller, who has eight children, said: ‘My missus chose to do that. 

‘They weren’t formally taught to read or write, and about two years ago they just picked up a book and started reading. 

‘Not Charles Dickens, but they can read comics, some books. Seven seems to be an age where something connects.

‘Their vocabulary is amazing. They’re as bright as anything. The school system is just that – a system. 

‘I’m not knocking it… and I’m not knocking teachers. 

‘It depends whether you believe in that structure or not.’

Weller said he wouldn’t be pushing his children to follow in his footsteps, telling The Observer Magazine: ‘They don’t have to be little copies of me. 

‘You could just be a chippy. Or you could go and work in a shop. 

‘If that makes you happy, that’s great.’

The former Jam and Style Council frontman has previously told how he had embraced ‘unschooling’.