to think home education is looking more appealing

[Gisla]

I wish I was brave enough to take my children out of formal education. I feel I'm working my way towards it.

The system appears to be in a mess; teachers are unhappy, ridiculous confusing tests for 6 year olds and now forcing academy status on schools, talk of extending the school day and abolishing QTS.

Aibu to want to shout "will nobody think of the children?"

[NK346f2849X127d8bca260]

I home educated my son for a year, he went back at start of Y9.
I am considering doing the same with my daughter who is in year 7 and struggling with the pressure of secondary school. She was diagnosed with PTSD two years ago and school are not that supportive with her anxiety.

[MsJamieFraser]

No

[witsender]

We took our 5 yr old out of yr 1 about a month ago, couldn't be happier with our decision...even more so now.

[happy2bhomely]

I took my 8 and 6 yr old out of school to HE at Christmas. I just couldn't face any more. The system just doesn't work. I'm not sure it ever has. My ds was being held back and my dd was being rushed through before she had a chance to even think! 12 Weeks ago she felt like a failure, now she is a happy enthusiastic little girl.

We are loving it and the kids are learning more than they ever did at school, and they are enjoying it. Even better our evenings are not a mad rush to get homework done when they are already exhausted. All 'table' work is complete by 11 and then we just let them do what they want.

I've got 2 older children already at secondary, but they don't want to leave.

[Liara]

My dc have never been to school but we always thought one day they would. I must say though, that when I read about all that is going on I do shudder at the thought of sending them.

It's going to be HE for us for the duration I'm starting to think.

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

In the last fortnight, I've come across two separate Indian families who are moving back to India purely to educate their children there rather than in England.

[G1raffe]

I've always toyed with the idea. My 6 year old loves school though and is learning more than I'd teach her. They pack so much in! She really is a sponge though and theres many others in the class that if she was more.like them it would be easier.

My little one is due to start reception in September and it's hard
She adores preschool and it's brought her on in leaps and bounds and given her something I couldn't. However she is less school shaped than her sister. If I'd had her first I'd probably have HE. I dont want to only He one though and have to be back by 3 for school runs...

[ravenAK]

I wouldn't feel able to cover the science/maths/computing. I'd also worry about the social aspect - there's quite a lot of home ed in my extended family & it's not always had good results.

Having said that, I have more sympathy than I would ever have imagined with your wish to dump the current UK system.

(I'm teaching in an international school abroad after many years of loyal service to the UK system - my dc are doing very well there. Heartbreaking to see the UK fall apart like this).

[G1raffe]

I'd not be worried about the social side - the home ed people I'm friends with here are out most days and get possibly more interaction than sat at desks at.school. That's very much down to the parents though.

I'd certainly be more anxious about secondary though. I loved learning in the class environment (and preferred my actual uni degree to my ou one for that reason) and from people who were subject specialists. I realise that depends on the school though.

[G1raffe]

(I was a teacher too raven and sewn your posts on the teacher threads it sounds like its really worked our for you. :) I couldn't return to teaching in schools at the moment but we also can't leave the country either!)

[GingerIvy]

We home ed. Socialisation isn't a problem - our children go to clubs throughout the week with other home ed children as well as clubs with a mix of home ed and children that attend school.

Our children are progressing well and really enjoy it. Best decision ever.

[stitchglitched]

I pulled DS (7) out a year ago, his school experience was terrible. Best decision we ever made.

[ObiWanCannoli]

I took my little ones out of school. I have 4 dc, my middle two boys have hfa and school was horrendous we had tried a town school it was awful and then a small village school which was marginally better.

My eldest dd 9 broke down in tears last week about how badly the boys were treated by pupils and staff, I was shocked by what she told me and she said she only now feels she can talk about it. She even refuses to see other girls who I assumed were her friends, she says that is not how it works and she was not really friends with them.

We see other home ed families and dd now has 3 friends who she sees often and refers to them as friends and she is so happy and coming on great. When I took her out of school in October she couldn't do her times tables, knew no geography, had a limited knowledge of history and her spelling and grammar was poor. She is now able to do her times tables, her spelling and grammar is great and she's honestly flying and I'm so proud of her. We are excitedly doing about Shakespeare on her insistence, she chooses what she learns and I try to weave it into the curriculum.

My two boys are happy and confident and yes we still have sleep issues and the odd aggressive outburst when there are misunderstandings but they are so few compared to when they were in school. My younger one knows his letters, his speech is improved and he's starting to read, he can count and knows his numbers. The other little guy is more confident with reading, maths and spelling. They are both investigating things that interest them and again I'm weaving this into a curriculum.

My youngest who is 3 is never going to school, he's learning with everyone else, he's counting and recognising letters and sounds. I now have happy confident kids. I never planned to home ed but it's been the best thing for our family. I can't believe how defeated and crushed school had left them.

I wish school was a good place for my dc this wasn't this wasn't our plan but it's brilliant.

[Batladyandrose]

How many children do you have Gisla? I did it for a while and found it very tough. In the end I found a school that seems to navigate all of the negative and still create a happy environment. The children have come on in leaps and bounds.

[TimeToMuskUp]

DS1 is 10 and has Aspergers. At infant school he thrived (I work in the school he attended) and I was thrilled with the support and kindness he was shown each day; nothing was too much for the staff, they took him in their stride and never made him feel left-out or different.

His Junior school experience has been very different; he moved up in Y3 and had a hideous year with a teacher who disputed his Aspergers and insisted he was simply naughty. She eventually had a breakdown mid-way through the year and his replacement teacher was better. As he's getting older, his differences are more noticeable and more of a challenge. I'd like to believe that mainstream school is the way forward for him but am gradually becoming more interested in HE.

DS2 is loving Reception at DS1's previous school and is achieving brilliantly. If DS1 HE's I can't imagine DS2 would be content to attend school. It's not a decision I'd take lightly, and I've no doubt that it would still be incredibly hard work trying to work subjects in (and I'd absolutely consider using tutors for the subjects I'm not so strong in) but I think long-term it will be our best option.

[ghostyslovesheep]

teacher are still teaching though - all 3 of mine are thriving in their ordinary school staffed by nice teachers

[witsender]

It is what they are teaching I'm concerned about though...they are messing around with levels and content so much within the curriculum that it is rapidly becoming unrecognisable.

[G1raffe]

My older one still loves school though. And yes she knows what an extended noun phrase or whatever mad stuff they have to teach but it's jam packed 5 hours and they learn so much else in that time. Her writing and reading group have been learning all about Africa so their comprehension work has been really interesting and some great discussions as well as covering some.curriculum I'd rather they didn't have to.

[Fratelli]

I would consider it but I've no idea how people afford it! I just don't know how we would manage on one wage.

[NamedNick]

NCed

Just resigned from my senior teaching post to HE my 3. They're having a blast doing all the things I used to love teaching in primary, we are very into sewing monsters and making stories right now.

So many families are doing it here we have a social meet everyday, choosing activities from dance, to gym, to social clubs to more formal teaching or just playing with other kids in the Park. Local leisure centres etc are catering to HE more and more, even the LA's drama centre offers a HE group.

My ds spends most days begging to visit the library and free reading. The most non engaged learner I'd seen only months before.

It's turned out to be pretty mainstream after all the angst we went through wobbling over it!

[NamedNick]

We down sized to do it, lucky we could. Still a fraction of independent school fees for a tailored education.

[witsender]

We share it between us. Dh works 2 days a week out of the home and the rest of the time from home. I work 8-2 3 days a week. There is one day that we can't cover between us and eldest goes to a childminder to cover my hours. Best of both worlds for all of us tbh, we don't have much spare cash but we have lots of time togetger.

[G1raffe]

I'm not sure we'd afford all the club's and activities I'd want to put in place. If we had a higher and more secure income...