Mumsnet Talk

Has anyone ever taken a child out of a school, HE'd for a term or so with the child on the waiting list for their own place, then sent them back when the place comes back up?

We are very oversubscribed round here, but surely by now every child that wants it has a reception place.

I'm kind of just chucking ideas about in my head atm, sorry if it seems vague...

My neighbour did exactly this and I might be heading in this direction myself.
The danger of course is that either you love it and never go back with all the implications for your career, finances etc or that it doesn't work but your space has been taken in the meantime.

I may be doing this with a private school who will have us back if I get my cheque book out so not such a risk but still feels quite daunting.
We are going to use tutors and travel a lot, plus all the usual after school sporting and social activities.

According to the info I get from local authorities, a lot of children are only home educated a short time for one reason or another, one of the reasons given is children not allocated place at desired school.

I'm doing a survey on home ed numbers at the moment so having a lot of dialogue with Councils about it edyourself.org/articles/FOIhomeednumbers2011.php

In the first secondary school I worked at one boy was taken out of school for a term every year. His dad was a professional cricket player so they spent the spring/summer here, and winter in warmer climates where he was home ed. The school unofficially kept his place open I believe, but he was officially on a waiting list.

But if they are on the waiting list for their own place, wont they be offered it, and when you refuse it, be taken off the list? Or offered to person below? Dont think that its a sound plan tbh.

Sorry, reading Coconutty's answer made me realise I hadn't looked at the question properly.

You can home educate for as much or as little time as you want. The tricky thing would be to slot back in to the same school. Not sure whether you'd reveal your plan for what might loosely be called a gap term to the school or whether you'd say you were "just going to try home education for a bit but would be devastated if it meant you could never come back" or what.

Really, it is wanting to try it, although I do worry about needing the school in the future - it is a lovely school, but I'm making contingency plans. I've always said I would HE, even if only a term, if she wasn't liking school or if circumstances needed it.

Might be worth speaking to the school about their waiting lists. Esp if your DC is in a higher year. Often (not always!) schools have more openings in say, Y5 and Y6, than in Y1. But the devil is in the detail, of course, so ask the school.

Sorry do you want to try home ed with a place saved for you at school x or home ed whist waiting o move to school y?

If you are waiting for. Place at school y then fine - its a common scenario and is alleged to but you up the waiting list because " they " don't want you out of the school system.

If you just want a " gap term" with every intention of returning to the same school iirc they shouldn't hod the place for you unless there is literally no one waiting for for it - and then the local authority can place a child in that space at any time. On another forum a family travelled for a year and had to go back on the ( fortunately small) waiting list for places.

Just my opinion but taking a child out of school for term with the intention of them returning to the same school/ class is pointless and very disruptive socially and academically. They'll miss topics that won't be repeated etc.

Intending to home educate but wanting a " fall back" is a different mindset - good luck o you but don't assume you'll be abe to lit them back into their I'd school.