Busybird Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I have decided to take my youngest son out of his primary school and home school him for a year until he can go to secondary school. I am confident of my ability to provide him with a good education. Although I am not a teacher I am educated to post grad level and he is a bright, articulate and willing child. I will ensure that he continues with his 'out of school' activities to enable him to socialise. Does anyone else on here home educate? I would welcome any advise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 heas educationotherwise I home schooled my four although that was several years ago. The above are two good sites. Below, is excellent with lots of support and advice cambridgeexamboard Good Luck I thought it was very important that they kept close ties with their school friends so that they still felt part of the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 No experience myself...........I think Snowy has/does home ed with her boys Congratulations on having the confidence to make that decision I know it wouldn't have worked for us..I'm not organised/structured enough .....oh yes and the educated bit is a little lacking The only problem I've encountered with home ed is that the kiddies are not nearly so sociable as the traditionally educated kids which breaks my heart, watching a child sitting on the sidelines of a party because they just don't know how to interact even when asked to join in by the other kids is very hard Another one has sharing issues, not so much with material things, she expects her friend (my DD) to be with her not any other children when she's around & flounces off if DD stands her ground Your DS has siblings (these others haven't) and has had the experience of learning in a group and playing/sharing with others so I'm sure he'll be absolutely fine on this front. Good luck to you both Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poachedegg Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 No advice to offer - but just wanted to wish you and DS luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I thought about it with my two youngest, but they did go to school in the end (we live opposite a very, very good school), but i wouldn't hesitate to to homeschool if i thought it would help them. I did it with my oldest, through his GCSE years as he was very unhappy at school and had lost all his motivation. OK, we didn't do any GCSEs in the end, but he has just completed 2 years at college with distinctions, aims to do another 2 years then go to university to do a music degree. Excellent links from Patsylabrador, I got loads of information from those groups. The biggest revelation to me was that it is my responsibility to educate my child, not the states, and I have a lot more control over it than I thought. It certainly helped me to be less hung up on 'going through the system' and to look more at each individual child and assess what would be the best learning environment for them. Socialisation is important, but not necessarily by chucking them in with hundreds of other kids the same age for them to learn bad habits off! ES played rugby for a local club (team work), helped out at a local nursery one day a week voluntarily (mixing with a variety of ages!), had private drum lessons, and went to youth groups, as well as studying at home. And there are a lot of active home schooling groups where children can meet up to study and play together. Although the two youngest are at school, I don't hesitate to take them out of school for 'educational activities' if I think they will benefit more from time spent with me than at school. Our head teacher is very supportive, but i know some can be awkward if they think you are taking the mickey. Sorry for the essay but read about it, and go for it! I appreciate not everyone has the time, the inclination or the resources (you don't need an education yourself!) but if you do, it's great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I would welcome any advise Don't you mean advice? Let's hope you brush up on your spelling and grammar before home schooling! Seriously though, it sounds like a great idea if you have the time and commitment, I only wish I knew more about what's involved so that I could help. Do you know if you are able to get any help with funding for equipment like text books, stationary, IT equipment, educational trips etc? Do you have to keep records of things like the number of hours taught? Or show that you are teaching to the correct curriculum standard by undertaking exams? The main things I would be worried about are providing cover for days that you are unable to teach at home (even though the hours can be flexible) and perhaps more importantly the lack of social and play skills that would normally be developed outside of class times by mixing with other similar aged pupils. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 There is no funding unfortunately, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Joining a local homeschooling group would help as resources can be shared. Depending on the authority you live in and their policies, you may need to produce a statement of intent to homeschool just to reassure them that you are actually going to do something and not veg all day every day! Lots of Mums do a blog of their daily activities, for reference and as evidence as you can photograph their work and activities. I think you just have to show that what you are providing is geared to the age and ability of the child. You don't have to follow the national curriculum and you don't have to do any exams. If you look at how many hours a child in school actually spends 'sat down learning', it isn't very long. At home, you can spend as long on a subject as you want, as long as the child is interested. You can tailer your activities to the weather or to what is on locally. Even making lunch can become educational, incorporating domestic skills; hygiene; weighing and measuring; anatomy (meat); biology (salad). It's unlikely to matter if you have a day off as you are not constrained by starting at 9, finishing at 3, weekends or school holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybird Posted July 1, 2010 Author Share Posted July 1, 2010 Busybird wrote:I would welcome any advise Cluckingclucker wrote Don't you mean advice? Let's hope you brush up on your spelling and grammar before home schooling! There is no funding available and LA's differ in support offered. However, the internet offers a wealth of idea's and I am familiar with the Y6 curriculum having supported my other two children through that year. It helps that my son is already at the 'level expected' for the end of KS2. My sister is a teacher as are several friends so I feel I have access to help should I need it. I expect to have to buy some books, paper, stationary, science basics, art stuff and so on. I would also expect to be out and about more but that doesn't need to cost so much. He will continue with his sports (hockey and judo), cubs/scouts and, I would hope, will still play out with his local friends. However, the big draw of a home education - and I am only looking to do this for the next academic year - is a chance to reinvigorate my son's interest in learning and to bring him on rather than leave him to stagnate in a school that aims to hit SAT's targets rather than challenge pupils abilities. He doesn't need to follow a curriculum or to sit exams. He does need to be prepared for the move to secondary school. My other children are in Y7 and Y8 so I have a fair idea of the standards he needs to attain if he is to be seen as the able child that he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 perhaps more importantly the lack of social and play skills that would normally be developed outside of class times by mixing with other similar aged pupils. I can genuinely say that socialisation is not the main issue. People worry about that a lot. School is not the only place that children meet other people, and I mean other people not just other children. KIds can be shy and awkward in school as well as out of school. Home schooling doesn't preclude children from going on to doing tough, demanding jobs, or getting degrees or anything that school taught kids can do. Really. There's no point me giving specifics about home visits etc as they took their last exams in 2004 and things are bound to have changed since then. I wasn't a teacher either, you learn together which is rather nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I wasn't a teacher either, you learn together which is rather nice. That's something I had never considered as a benefit of home schooling....... Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 I can genuinely say that socialisation is not the main issue. Another important aspect of schools to think about on the socialisation side is bullying. I am a firm believer that being exposed to a little bit of verbal and physical bullying toughens you up in later life and prepares you for the big wide world. Of course I'm not talking about major extremes here like persistent nasty bullying etc - just a bit of playful banter from both sides. A lot of people nowadays are a bit namby pamby and as such they can't look after themselves when they face difficult situations, when a bit of experience at an early age would probably enable them to shrug these things off and give them some confidence. On the whole I personally think the benefits of being educated at a school outweigh the benefits of home schooling - there is no reason why you can't supplement normal schooling with a bit of occasional home schooling in an evening or weekend. But at the end of the day it is an individual parents choice on what to do with their child, there is no one size fits all solution so full time home schooling may work well for some people and there definitely are some benefits for it, we even carefully considered it as an option for our kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 It's nice reading your posts as HE is something I've been looking at a lot for my eldest who is being assessed for asd. There is no need to follow a curriculum, no testing and anyone can do it. I've not found the socialisation thing to be true, in fact some of the children I've come across are more confident across a wider range of social cirumstaces. You can get play banter from siblings or friends, it doesn't have to come from an academic environment. A lot of people are namby pamby these days but most of them went to school so it's not that side of things that has the impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsylabrador Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 A lot of people nowadays are a bit namby pamby and as such they can't look after themselves when they face difficult situations, when a bit of experience at an early age would probably enable them to shrug these things off and give them some confidence. I tried so hard not to respond, but it makes me chuckle every time I read this sentence. You see, my son was home schooled and is one of the lads in my avatar picture. I'm not sure what he would think of being considered namby pamby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 A lot of people nowadays are a bit namby pamby and as such they can't look after themselves when they face difficult situations, when a bit of experience at an early age would probably enable them to shrug these things off and give them some confidence. I tried so hard not to respond, but it makes me chuckle every time I read this sentence. You see, my son was home schooled and is one of the lads in my avatar picture. I'm not sure what he would think of being considered namby pamby. I agree Patsy - certainly the kids I've met have been very able to stand up for themselves. They are well able to stand their ground and put forward a rational argument without getting emotional or taking things personally. But you always get the exception to the rule, as you do with school educated kids. It's a good reminder to keep an open mind about these things and accept that there is more than one correct way through the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 lol I was home educated and really find it difficult that people brand home educated children and having problems socializing etc. As i'm sure whoopsie, fur and feathers and redfrock will testify i've come out of it more able to socialize than your average twenty year old because i've learnt that age doesn't matter. Equally i don't suffer from being namby pamby because i didn't go to school. I'm more capable of standing up for myself because i'm confident in who i am i haven't had to deal with the school politics and "your too fat" "your too thin" " you have to have your first kiss by such and such a time" These things don't build character they demoralize it at times when your most vulnerable. i walked into a sixth form situation having not been in school for 7 years for health reasons and i not only successfully made friends but became something of a mentor for the others because i had a greater experience of life and a wider knowledge base than simply the school curriculum. People get so hung up on the social stuff but doing the hockey, judo and scouts will give him more than enough time with other kids to learn social skills. Which putting it bluntly he will already have and a year isn't going to make that much difference. Giving him the chance to understand that learning isn't just something you have to do to not be told off but that it's fun and challenging is in my opinion more important You sound like you've got it all set up brilliantly. Good luck though i don't think you'll need it as you seem to have thought it all through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little cluckers Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Hi Busybird Just wondered how it's going? I'm seriously considering home schooling too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Gosh, I'd have loved home schooling. I was bullied terribly. I loved the work, but hated the school environment. Too regimented & the bullies got away with absolute murder. I had to move school which was better but much more advanced than my old school. I had to have tutoring to catch up! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
