] In general, I reckon Mrs Morland's is a very good approach: ensuring that the kids have the basics, and then letting them get on with it. I suspect that this may have been the approach of Mrs Austen.

...but, not knowing anything about what Mrs. Austen actually did or did not do, I have long suspected that Jane's education was influenced at home more by Rev. Austen because he tutored boys who went on to reputable colleges as well as his own sons (meaning he had to be somewhat a superior teacher). He also had a large library at hand. Just my wild guess, you understand. I say this because in my own experience, my grown daughters told me that while they were growing up they had read everything on my bookshelves, and I did not even catch them at it.

Linda who had to look up the definition of diffuse!