Home education/schooling

[freckleonear]

I'm going to copy and paste this straight from my blog. Please have a quick read and considering sparing a few moments to write to a Lord asking them to consider an amendment. We don't have much time before this will become law. As well as home educators, it will also impact those who want to be stay-at-home parents until their children are school aged.

Tomorrow the House of Lords will meet for the report stage of the Welfare Reform Bill 2011. Over the last 11 months the bill has made plenty of news headlines, but there has been hardly any mention of the effect it will have on home educators.

The Bill will replace a range of existing means-tested benefits and tax credits, starting from 2013. In order to be eligible to receive the new Universal Tax Credit:
- If you are the responsible carer for a child under the age of one, you are not subject to any work-related requirements.
- If your child is aged between one or two, you will be subject to work-focused interview requirements only.
- If your child is aged three or four, you will be subject to work preparation requirements including work placements.
- Once your child is aged five, you must be available for and search for work.

(See sections 19-22 of the Welfare Reform Bill.)

Claimants who are lone parents with responsibility for a child between the ages of 5 and 12, or for an older child who has exceptional care needs, will be able to restrict their work search and availability to work which:
- fits with the hours their child is in school;
- provides reasonable time to take and collect their child from school;
- takes into account their child’s care needs, including whether child care is available and affordable, in particular during the child’s school holidays.

A couple with a child under 13 will be able to nominate one member of the couple who will be treated in the same way as a lone parent for conditionality purposes (i.e. who will be able to place limitations on their work availability and work search as above). Couples who choose not to nominate and who prefer to share child care and work responsibilities will be able to do so, as long at collectively the couple are looking for work at least equivalent to one person working full-time and one person working as many hours as a lone parent would be expected to. In addition, both members of the couple must continue to have reasonable prospects of finding work within this limitation.

(See Universal Credit Policy Briefing Note 12)

As far as I can tell, the main earner will be expected to work full time (35 hours) at minimum wage or above (currently £6.08 per hour, £212.80 per week). Once the youngest child is 5, the carer/lone parent will also be expected to work 20 hours at minimum wage or above. Once the youngest child is 13, the carer/lone parent will be expected to work 35 hours as well. Claimants should be engaged in work search for at least the number of hours they are expected to be available for work. Self employment will not count unless the claimant is earning equal to the minimum wage for the required number of hours. (I haven't managed to find official confirmation for some of those figures as the thresholds seem to have been changed several times.)

Many home educators already feel the pinch of surviving on one wage, so withdrawal of tax credits for those who are on a low income will be a big blow. Considering that we are saving the government the cost of education our children (it costs at least £9000 per year to put a child through state education) then surely it wouldn't be too much to ask for home educators to keep their tax credits! Low income families should not be forced to choose between home education or poverty, nor should the option of homeschooling be limited to high income families only. This Bill seems like a sneaky attempt to discourage home education after the huge opposition to the Badman Report.

What can we do?

As the Bill is already in the late stages of the House of Lords, there is little point in writing to MPs. However you can write to members of the House of Lords. The third day of the report stage is scheduled for tomorrow, after which it will move on to the third and final reading (at least three sitting days after the report stage). Unlike the Commons, amendments can be made at this stage, provided the issue has not been fully considered and voted on at an earlier stage. It will then be sent back to the House of Commons for consideration of amendments, after which it will become law. Please spare a few moments to email or write and encourage others to do so!

Contact a Lord
WriteToThem (allows you to email up to 6 Lords)

Further Information:
Progress of the Bill
Welfare Reform Bill
Universal Credit White Paper
Universal Credit briefing notes

 

[marley2580]

Have you shared this on the home-education.biz forum at all? There are some very knowledgable people on there, I'm surprised I haven't seen anything about it there yet.

 

[feeble]

Hello I would like to join you all!

Myself and Liam have decided we will be homeschooling jasper for many reasons

I plan to follow the curriculum as far as Maths, english and the sciences go but I hope to study different things for history, geography etc

I also hope to put a lot more emphasis on economics, politics and also personal study, so looking at hygiene, chemicals in products, how grow a veggie garden, how to run a household, tax etc etc etc

Anyways, for the moment I am just looking at what to do about nursery, I know jasper would enjoy nursery and I think it would be quite good for him, but I am painfully aware that it would be the 'start' of schooling and would place him 'on the books'

So... I am trying to decide wether to send him to nursery or find alternative things to do with him in the time he would usually be at nursery?

What have other people done?

Jasper is 19 months but I am thinking of sending him to nursery when he is 2 x

 

[marley2580]

I have chosen not to send my kids to nursery. It's been (and continues to be) a hard decision as I know they'd love it. But I think that the pressure that we would experience with all the kids bar mine moving onto school just outweighs the benefits. My kids currently attend 2 classes like dancing etc every week and I hope that gives them enough social interaction.

 

[feeble]

Well I would like them to start swimming lessons as young as possible, ballet or something would be good too

I have decided against nursery, I will instead go for a home ed group once or twice a week and other clubs for social interactions. There's also a mother/baby group I can attend

 

[Tacey]

I've been wavering in my decision about nursery. My MIL is a nursery teacher at a pre school, and took Alice in to play this half term when there were no children in. They made uncoloured play dough to use as pretend pancakes, cutting and sticking, Alice played with the water table and the home corner. She came back so full of it all. I thought though that although the activities available are great, what I have an issue with is all of the procedures and the constant assessment. If it was a simple matter of playing with other children, I'd send her in a shot, but it isn't. We're also going to do classes (as many as I can afford) and home ed groups, as well as having visitors and visiting others. It's hard though, as I know there is so much she'd enjoy.

 

[marley2580]

It is such a tough decision

 

[lynnikins]

Nathaniel has been at "nursery/preschool" under the goverment funding we will have to "withdraw" him from school or "de-register" by not actually completing enrolment since we put in his application in December for starting this September but I was assured that had we not put his name down for the local schools then the LA would have no register of him as although his current Nursery is on school grounds its independantly run and they dont share information on the kids with the school in any way as the school run their own Nursery classes for 3yrs+ where the Nursery Nathaniel is in starts at 2yrs old.

We will probably send EJ along for a year of Funded Nursery (providing the scheme is still running) as the benefits Nathaniel has gotten in the improvment in socialising with his own age and his language skills have come on leaps and bounds with being there, I was doing toddler group etc... prior to him starting nursery but it wasnt the same as what he has gained by being there 15 hrs a week.

 

[feeble]

Mmm I spoke to a homeschooling mama and she told me if you put in writing that you are making alternative arrangements when they invite you to preschool, your usually not flagged

 

[Gemie]

Hi
can I join please? I ds is coming up to leaving school this year (he's not in mainstrem due to an on going physical disability, he waas up until last year but it got too much) so there's no point taking him out now.
But we're seriously thinking of HE for Poppy. I'm researching my ass off at the min and love everything about it, so does dh. I mentioned it to my dad tonight and he seems keen about it too (I was expecting animosity so that was refreshing

I've read through this whole thread and have found it so insightful especially freckleonear's in put... I'm going to read your blog if you don't mind

I really think the age of 4 is too young to start school... although we will educate Poppy from well.... now really! you never stop learning from when you're born really do you!

Anyway... I'll be keeping up to date with this thread
Oh and if anyone is in the midlands, can you point me in the right direction of HE groups etc? xx

 

[freckleonear]

Hi feeble and Gemie, nice to have you on the thread! :wave:

We chose not to send A to preschool, I'm sure he would have enjoyed it but he also enjoys everything else we do. I wasn't happy about him being away from me at such a young age and personally I don't believe it offers any benefits that can't be had elsewhere. It can be tough going against the norm, when he was 2 we had so many questions about when he was going to start nursery but by the time he was 3 the questions lessened because most people presumed he already went (craziness!). He is now a confident, happy and sociable little boy, so I don't believe he's missed out on anything at all.

Gemie, there's a few yahoo groups based in the Midlands here, I'm sure they would be able to provide you with details about local groups.
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/emhe/
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/HE_WestMids/
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/HELM_home_ed/

There are also lists of regional groups here.
https://www.home-education.biz/support/activities/
https://www.education-otherwise.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=86

 

[Tacey]

Can I ask when established home edders started going to home ed. groups? Alice is only 2 and a half, so I feel that maybe we'd be jumping the gun to go now, but I'm fed up of all the nursery and pre school talk in usual playgroups. It would be nice to be with people who don't look at me as if I have two heads when they find out she's not going to school.

 

[feeble]

I'm looking now (jasper is 19months) and I am glad I am, most homeschooling groups seem to be incredibly hard to penetrate...

 

[freckleonear]

We started going just after Aaron turned 3. There are quite a few younger ones at our group, although most are siblings of older children. It depends on your local group really, most will welcome younger toddlers but I've heard of just a few that don't allow under 4s.

 

[Gemie]

You're a star freckleonear! Thank you, will take a look now

 

[mamaofthree]

Hi all!

I'm Rachel, I'm a trainee breastfeeding counsellor& I have four little ones under six who are currently at Steiner Kindy, but my eldest is reaching the upper age (we can't afford to put them through Steiner schooling permenantly, and don't really want to either) DS1 and DD were at a mainstream school until a year ago. I decided to put them in Steiner to let them have a bit of fun, find their place in the world, and learn through play&imagination. They only attend a few mornings a week. The little ones will continue until they reach 6/7 and then they too will be home educated. I was wondering if any others have a few little ones, and home thy manage to control the chaos (we have good&bad days at the mo) Also, my DS1 absolutely hates anything titled 'learning' I.e reading writing or maths from workbooks, so do any of you have tips on how to make this an enjoyable experience for us both? Finally, due to him leaving a mainstream school the LEA were informed, they seemed helpful but have heard horror stories. Are they likely to interfere?

Good to meet you all and read some of your stories( couldnt read them all lol, as only have a little time at desktop)

xxxxxx

 

[princessellie]

I am planning on homeschooling both of my kids using the Montessori method. I am yet to find anyone anywhere near me who doesnt just roll their eyes or look at me like im mad when i tell them im homeschooling lol x

 

[marley2580]

Lol. Trust me, it gets worse as they get older

 

[heyyady]

I have just sortof joined the homeschooling bunch-
We live in the states, an I was very unhappy with the public school where we live- so we have taken her out and put her in an on-line school- I am her "learning coach" and check her in and out of her classes, supervise, etc- but she is 15 and a 2nd year out of a 4 year high school= so a little different from what you ladies are doing- HOWEVER, hubby and I have discussed whether or not we want to do HS for the LOs when they reac school age- We haven't decided yet- as we were hoping for me to be able to go back to work once they are in school, an obviously that wouldn't work... But so far so good with the older daughter's transition- we've only been at it a week, but it's great! I really don't know why more parents don't choose this or other alternate methods- If anyone is in the states and has questions about on-line education, feel free to ask me- and I may pop in here from now and again gleaning ideas

 

[lynnikins]

my husband and I are umming and arrhing around our nearly 4 yr old due to start in September im doing workbooks with him ( following his lead ) and online educational games at the moment but currently with HE my 14 yr old sister in law then i struggle to have my 2 yr old and baby get enough of my time while my eldest is at nursery we were planning on not sending him to school but now debating it more we dont find out for nearly a month what local school hes got a place in. 2 of the schools we have applied for him at are great schools with a Christian ethos and small class sizes and good reports so i wouldnt be too unhappy to send him to either of them but the other 2 are much bigger busier state run schools