Home schooling

[cosmicgirlxxx]

I gather you mean ofsted reports. In that case I wouldn't make a decision this big based purely on that. I'm sure a teacher can comment here but any teacher will tell you just how skewed and flawed they are.

 

[sophxx]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

my lo will kindergarden at a steiner school where we already go now. hell have lots of oppertuintes with after school activites to make friends he certqinly wint miss out.

 

[cosmicgirlxxx]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

Not saying home schooled children don't make friends btw before I get pounced on

Some home edders would actually be happy to send their kids to the first year or two of primary, some do send their kids to nursery. The problem is that once the kids are in the system it's pretty bloody hard to get them out again.

So you have to decide there and then? That's a shame. I thought you could take kids out at any juncture (albeit with lots of approval etc)

 

[marley2580]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

Not saying home schooled children don't make friends btw before I get pounced on

Some home edders would actually be happy to send their kids to the first year or two of primary, some do send their kids to nursery. The problem is that once the kids are in the system it's pretty bloody hard to get them out again.

So you have to decide there and then? That's a shame. I thought you could take kids out at any juncture (albeit with lots of approval etc)

You can choose to take them out but LAs and schools often put a great deal of barriers in the way. It can be a total minefield at times - I know of some families that have lost or been threatened with losing their children due to trying to home educate. Also, when a child has been at school for any length of time they often need a period of 'unschooling' or 'deschooling' to get them into the mentality needed for home ed, this often looks like they're doing and learning nothing, so it can lead to problems with an unsympathetic LA etc.

 

[cosmicgirlxxx]

Homeschooling is not an option for me, I enjoyed school, it was the best time of my life but I also work full time and am the main breadwinner so school it is. I would however love to take my children travelling for three months, show them the world. I believe seeing and experiencing beats text books any day. We have travelled quite a lot but I'd love the freedom of taking them for longer than the 6 week school hols.

 

[cosmicgirlxxx]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

Not saying home schooled children don't make friends btw before I get pounced on

Some home edders would actually be happy to send their kids to the first year or two of primary, some do send their kids to nursery. The problem is that once the kids are in the system it's pretty bloody hard to get them out again.

So you have to decide there and then? That's a shame. I thought you could take kids out at any juncture (albeit with lots of approval etc)

You can choose to take them out but LAs and schools often put a great deal of barriers in the way. It can be a total minefield at times - I know of some families that have lost or been threatened with losing their children due to trying to home educate. Also, when a child has been at school for any length of time they often need a period of 'unschooling' or 'deschooling' to get them into the mentality needed for home ed, this often looks like they're doing and learning nothing, so it can lead to problems with an unsympathetic LA etc.

That is awful

 

[sophxx]

I gather you mean ofsted reports. In that case I wouldn't make a decision this big based purely on that. I'm sure a teacher can comment here but any teacher will tell you just how skewed and flawed they are.

my mum was a ofsted insepector so i know how they work to be hinest i dont think anyone can comment unless they teach at those schools which no one does on here the schools are very under subscribed and are not some wbere my child will attend and im sure you wouldnt only last week arm respinse was called for fire arms and fireworks being set of in school so like i say for us state schools are a no go in other areas it maybe different and i might have changed my mind but because of hiw our svhool choice system works they give you a school nearest on where the crow flys even though we live in a nice posh area we are unfortunatley given very rough schools which i could never let my son attend. i also would want a good acheiving school in grades not a under acheiving school which ours are. we live nr one of the worst town for poverty in the country and i want my child to have the best chance at acheiving the best he possably can

 

[feeble]

I agree Marley, i would love for Jasper to enjoy a few days a week at nursery, but it would be the start of him being 'in' the system. I will be looking into alternative/steiner schools for him.

I will be looking more closely at my preferences regarding school when i have to (which isnt for a few years) and when i am sure which schools we are going to be using.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

wow I suppose if you are unfortunate to live in a rough area then I can see your reasons. Lucky the school here is very well known for being outstanding. I would feel different if the school was crappy.

 

[vaniilla]

call me a snob but I don't Want my child mixing with rough children with no manners who fight swear ect. I also don't want my child to ho to school where there is slit of racism which in the town we live unfortunately there is.

wow! What a sweeping statement. My children have manners and certainly do not fight and swear!
You think that there is no fighting and swearing in a private school??? Erm...ok then.
My friend is a dr, he went to a private school, he is also of mixed race. He was racially bullied and hit at his private school.
Money does not necessarily buy manners.

this I can agree with, while I do prefer private to state (mostly because of facilities & class size, and not wanting to stress over catchment areas) I can honestly say there are some really horrible people at public/private school, I went to an expensive all girls school and two co-ed and I got racist comments and some bullying at all 3, especially the one in Knightsbridge, the bullies used to follow me home, take pictures and pass them around and their parents thought they were too above it to do anything. There were also kids there that would fight and smoke where the school cameras couldn't see them, It's very rare to find a school where nothing bad happens. Money is definitely not manners or kindness for that matter.

all parent's want what's best for their child and there is nothing wrong with this, we all have our morals, ideals and lifestyles and we try to do what we feel will be in our child's best interest so I think we should all keep that in mind.

 

[feeble]

If i were paying to send my child to a school in order for it to get bullied and picked on i would be furious! Another reason to consider homeschooling as an option :thumbsup:

 

[Dragonfly]

My dad happens to be the governor of a special school. He has gotten them horse riding, music therapy the lot. And they love it there, My sister has autism and goes to school every day she loves it so much. No bullying there as everyone there is cared for,they have carers with them to some of them. They get a lot of privileges. Its a pity all schools where not like that though, Its a great help to the parents and pupils with special needs.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

we cant shelter kids from bullying forever, bullying goes on everywhere, even in work. I dont think people should be bullied at all but schools are hot on it now. My kids know how to handle the situation if it did arise and that they can take into adult life.

 

[sophxx]

I'm
Not saying it does but you don't live where the schools are that my lo would attend you also don't go to the public schools I can only comment on the class o have seen the chideen I know and the experiences I and other people have and stick by that as that is my experience. Your children might have manners but the children at the schools nr us don't and are rough. There is some nice church schools we won't get in so I can't comment on them. The Public school we like all tge children are very pooled know how to behave and that is the type of children I'd want my lo to attend school with

call me a snob but I don't Want my child mixing with rough children with no manners who fight swear ect. I also don't want my child to ho to school where there is slit of racism which in the town we live unfortunately there is.

wow! What a sweeping statement. My children have manners and certainly do not fight and swear!
You think that there is no fighting and swearing in a private school??? Erm...ok then.
My friend is a dr, he went to a private school, he is also of mixed race. He was racially bullied and hit at his private school.
Money does not necessarily buy manners.

this I can agree with, while I do prefer private to state (mostly because of facilities & class size, and not wanting to stress over catchment areas) I can honestly say there are some really horrible people at public/private school, I went to an expensive all girls school and two co-ed and I got racist comments and some bullying at all 3, especially the one in Knightsbridge, the bullies used to follow me home, take pictures and pass them around and their parents thought they were too above it to do anything. There were also kids there that would fight and smoke where the school cameras couldn't see them, It's very rare to find a school where nothing bad happens. Money is definitely not manners or kindness for that matter.

all parent's want what's best for their child and there is nothing wrong with this, we all have our morals, ideals and lifestyles and we try to do what we feel will be in our child's best interest so I think we should all keep that in mind.

 

[summer rain]

And I don't think reading about it should be enough to form a decision either. Every school is so so different and you can't possibly know if it is good or bad without taking your child there/going there yourself could you?
Also, are home schooled children going to nursery or is that a no no too?

A bit patronising! No my children have never been to school; however OH and I both have nieces, nephews and younger cousins in mainstream school some of whom we have been responsible for taking to and from school, speaking to the teachers on their behalf and so on-and yes this does include the schools nearest to us. So no I didn't make the decision to home educate based on 'reading stuff', secondhand reports, or my own experiences in school. Another reason we home educate is due to religious reasons; it really isn't so easy now to take your children out of certain classes in school as it used to be, nor would we want our children to feel 'excluded' or 'different' because they are missing certain classes in school, nor would we want the school staff or children to feel awkward about it either. As for nursery there is an expectation that your children will go on to attend that primary school and once put into nursery, it can mean having to 'officially' withdraw your child from the school system so this is why we didnt put our kids in nursery-but some home educating families I know do put their kids in the nursery class then withdraw them once that ends xx

 

[summer rain]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

Not saying home schooled children don't make friends btw before I get pounced on

Some home edders would actually be happy to send their kids to the first year or two of primary, some do send their kids to nursery. The problem is that once the kids are in the system it's pretty bloody hard to get them out again.

So you have to decide there and then? That's a shame. I thought you could take kids out at any juncture (albeit with lots of approval etc)

You can choose to take them out but LAs and schools often put a great deal of barriers in the way. It can be a total minefield at times - I know of some families that have lost or been threatened with losing their children due to trying to home educate. Also, when a child has been at school for any length of time they often need a period of 'unschooling' or 'deschooling' to get them into the mentality needed for home ed, this often looks like they're doing and learning nothing, so it can lead to problems with an unsympathetic LA etc.

I've come across the same; particularly in this local authority area and one of the neighbouring ones. Someone in OHs immediate family wanted to homeschool their son as he had to change schools 3 times in one year due to bullying (personally I believe schools dealing with bullying is getting worse, not better) and instead of punishing the perpetrators their son was labelled an attention seeker and trouble maker, the LEA kept threatening the family with court and social services getting involved so the parents got extremely scared and put him into yet another school, which he has never settled in xx

 

[sophxx]

we cant shelter kids from bullying forever, bullying goes on everywhere, even in work. I dont think people should be bullied at all but schools are hot on it now. My kids know how to handle the situation if it did arise and that they can take into adult life.

It does go on every where but I don't want my child to be exposed to it from such a young age as not all schools are good at dealing with situation and as a parent you don't always know it's happeneing. It does happen at work but as a duly they can choose weather it's a situation they want to be in or weather they want to have there own business that's there choice but at a young age they don't have a choice and they don't always know how to vocalise what is going on. X

 

[summer rain]

Your missing my point. My point is that we have a perfectly accessible school system, definitely not the worst in the world and people should use it. Thats what I mean. I didn't mean other peoples choices annoy me, I didnt mean it like that I just cant understand why if a child is capable then why should they need to stay at home.

I dont want to take my child out of school. I dont think it would benefit him or I. Sometimes in life we have to make choices and learn independence. I dont think it would be good for either of us if he was home schooled. It really would be a LAST resort and I mean Last.

The fact my children are perfectly capable is one of the reasons I do home educate-I do know from close family etc that in state schools there is little opportunity for children to excel and shoot far ahead in work in comparison to their classmates because the teacher has to have all the class at a similar level, my eldest has always been at least 1-2 years ahead in Maths in comparison to the aims set by the national curriculum for his age group, in reading he finished the entire reading scheme by the age of 5, but in a mainstream school they wouldn't allow him to have read 5 reading books in a day and would have dragged out learning to read for him which would have made him bored. He has been reading books designed for 10+ year olds for a while. My second eldest though is shy and needs teaching in a different way, and needs a lot more patience and one-to-one to help him to progress, so I worry he would fall behind in a mainstream school. xx

 

[RachA]

It's interesting to read this. A few of you have said that one of the reasons you want to or would home school is because of how you found school personally. I didn't have a very positive primary education. Whilst i wasn't bullied per say i would say that other children weren't treating me as they should of. Also i was dropped down a class stream because i was holding back another child who had a better chance of getting to the local grammar school. She didn't get there and i wasn't given the chance to be able to get there because i being dropped down a class.
Despite how i felt my primary schooling went i still wouldn't consider homeschooling as it's not something i feel at all equipped to do.

Daniel attends a local church school, he's been there since Sept 2011. While the class sizes are big - 30 - i believe from having been to the school and having spoken to various parents and teachers at the school that the teachers do a great job. My son is an individual and is treated as such.
We are fortunate that all the schools in my catchment area are very good schools. Although we did move to where we live in order to be a good choice of schools.


Maybe my view on homeschooling is somewhat biased but i do know quite a few people who have been home schooled that have no education at all and academically are worse off than people i know that went to very rough school etc.
I also don't think that you can blame schools 100% for the fact that we are turning out children who can't read and write properly. Some of the blame has to be placed with the parents. A school can teach your child to read but if the family home as no books how do you get the child to progress. They can teach you to write but if when they get home all they do is play on a computer how are they going to get better etc.

 

[RachA]

I wonder the same. It would be nice for the child to go to reception class, make friends, see what they think maybe.

Not saying home schooled children don't make friends btw before I get pounced on

Some home edders would actually be happy to send their kids to the first year or two of primary, some do send their kids to nursery. The problem is that once the kids are in the system it's pretty bloody hard to get them out again.

So you have to decide there and then? That's a shame. I thought you could take kids out at any juncture (albeit with lots of approval etc)

You can choose to take them out but LAs and schools often put a great deal of barriers in the way. It can be a total minefield at times - I know of some families that have lost or been threatened with losing their children due to trying to home educate. Also, when a child has been at school for any length of time they often need a period of 'unschooling' or 'deschooling' to get them into the mentality needed for home ed, this often looks like they're doing and learning nothing, so it can lead to problems with an unsympathetic LA etc.

I've come across the same; particularly in this local authority area and one of the neighbouring ones. Someone in OHs immediate family wanted to homeschool their son as he had to change schools 3 times in one year due to bullying (personally I believe schools dealing with bullying is getting worse, not better) and instead of punishing the perpetrators their son was labelled an attention seeker and trouble maker, the LEA kept threatening the family with court and social services getting involved so the parents got extremely scared and put him into yet another school, which he has never settled in xx

I think you have to look at the whole situation behind that. If the child is taken out and school and the parents aren't actually trying to school their children then the LA has to intervene.