Flexi schooling

[oneboy3girls]

Socially I can see advantages with flexible schooling .Academically,I think things may be repeated, things may get confused especially maths.the child may miss important information. Does anyone have any tales to tell ? Tia

[Mehitabel6]

I would think that flexi schooling is the worst for sociability. They are simply not there to forge real friendships- they are not there for much of the time that frienships are made and cemented.
They are bound to miss information - maths is everyday and follows on. If you go in on a Monday and it follows from Friday that you missed it will be confusing.
Why not concerntrate on school or HE and give it 100%?

[JubJubBirds]

I'm failing to see any benefits of flexi schooling tbh. I'm more than happy to be corrected, but I really can't think of any.

Educationally; neither you nor their teacher will be able to effectively build on their previous learning as you'll never really have a clear enough understanding of what your DC experiences and comprehends.

Socially; yes they'll spend time with other chn, but they won't form the same relationships as with their peers who they see every day.

If it's the social aspect you're concerned about I'm sure there will be a few home ed parents along soon so tell you how they overcome this issue.

[Nigglenaggle]

A couple of friends are looking at a purpose built flexi school, which hopefully should avoid some of those pitfalls. The downside is that of course it's private so you have to pay.

[Mehitabel6]

If everyone was flexi it would be better socially. It would be a bit of a nightmare of planning from the financial side.

[Saracen]

No direct experience. I knew a girl who was flexi-schooled from about ages 4-9. She found it fine academically.

Socially she said it was the worst of both worlds because she was conscious of what she was missing. The kids in her class would be talking about the funny thing that happened at school yesterday, but she hadn't been there so she felt left out. Likewise she had to sit by while her home ed friends planned museum trips or swimming on days when she was going to be at school and wouldn't be able to join them.

[EauRouge]

I have a friend that flexi-schools quite successfully but her DD only has one day a week out of school (very occasionally 2 days) so she doesn't miss much.

What social aspects do you think will be provided by school that are not by home education?

[Mehitabel6]

It would be better to concentrate on HE groups, Cubs, Brownies, dance classes, theatre groups, sports groups etc etc if it is socialisation you want.
Unless they are in school most of the time they will feel an outsider-however inclusive everyone is- they simply miss so much in the way of the things that gel a class together.
Same with HE groups-dance classes-better to be there all the time than a very occasional attender (unless everyone else is a very occasional attender)

[oneboy3girls]

I am not planning to flexible school.Eau I suppose socially ,there are children there 6 hours a day 40 odd weeks a year,to socialise with,to a point .I always think flexi schooling may all Bea bit of a muddle, that's why I am asking Thanks for replies.

[Mehitabel6]

Many attend a alternative setting 1-2 days a week, alongside children homeschooled for the rest of the week, it is just the same as looking forward to seeing a particular set of friends that you only see at eg brownies

I think it would be in that scenario, but it is very unusual and the majority of schools are not geared up to it. The usual case would be one child part time in a class who are there full time-missing out on all the things that make the class gel and then having to miss some HE activities because it was a school day.
You need a school like like this one who did it to stay open. It would be wonderful there-it is very unusual.

[oneboy3girls]

Cheers How interesting is that.

[MillionToOneChances]

I'm seriously looking into this at the moment. I think it would be perfect for my son because the whole reason I want to pull him out is to challenge him more (he's not learning much at the moment) so the fact he'd have to hustle to catch up would be a good thing.

As PP have said, though, it could be a major issue if they're not good at maths - my DS has already completed the primary curriculum in maths and is fed up of rehashing it, but if your DC missed a crucial building block it could cause them real difficulties as future maths circles back round and assumes an understanding that a flexischooled child might lack..

[Saracen]

Couldn't the parents very easily ensure their child doesn't get left behind in maths, Million? Just get hold of the curriculum the school is using and go along with it.

I would have thought this would be better then only doing maths at school, as the child will get plenty of one-to-one... and will have the time energy to take advantage of it, unlike many schoolchildren who may be fed up with sitting and working by the end of a day at school.