Norwich - new idea?

[privateanon]

Hi, first post and dipping my toe. I know some of this will be controversial, but please, if you disagree or feel shocked, please ignore and move on. Don't drown the feed with objections. I just want to reach out and connect with anyone out there who feels like me. In a world where our opinions and values are, for the moment, becoming ever more fractured, I am just having very real concerns about sending my children to mainstream school. But I think I have the right to act in their best interests as any other parent. I just don't see the value in putting them in an environment that everyday I'm going to have to explain, why Timmy does this, and they don't because of bla and ultimately my kids become the weird ones. So in short, as a core value, I believe in an organic whole foods plant-based lifestyle, and that the over industrialisation of all animal products are the root cause to most suffering in and of our world. Both to human health and our planet. However, I am NOT a vegan, I am a realist. I know the world we live in, so I am extremely competitive and like the finer things in life. You should not be surprised to find me in a 3 star Michelin restaurant ordering the best fillet steak money can buy. Many will not understand how I can reconcile these views, but there may be more like me out there and I want to try to connect with you. (OK, I know you want to try to understand, I think it's just like smoking, when I eat animal products it is a calculated risk which I am taking with my health, as an educated adult.) I think chemotherapy (as a first option) is absolute madness and borders on institutional murder. I think there are a lot more freedoms to be found in our 'democratic' society. I hate any mainstream cancer, heart disease, diabetes or osteoporosis charities - as they are nothing to do with the cause they masquerade behind. The problem is, they permeate into our society like their own cancer and I have no interest in wasting my breathe on a world that doesn't want someone like me highlighting uncomfortable truths. And I'm not going to be that mum like in 'About A Boy' with my children. I believe if you give a child education and logic, they will find their own way. I'm way too practical a person to shove my ideals down anybody's throats. Back to my goal - I don't want to pick my child up from school next to a parent who brings their children sweets at the end of a school day. (And I don't think sugar is bad!) Education should be fun, rewarding and exciting enough for them, or it's being done wrong. Private schools are definitely a better option for someone like me, but the fees are truly astronomical and elitist. And as you can see, I'd probably still disagree with too much, and then get really pissed about the money! What if... there were four or five other sets of parents in my area who feel the same and we club together for our own 'tuition fees', allowing our children to still properly socialise while receiving a curriculum and environment of truth (age appropriate of course) by hiring our own teacher/s. My husband and I work full time, and will need to cover care over the full day. Fascinated to see if anyone is on the same wavelength in Norwich/Norfolk. (Project to start in a few years time from now, did: 18/02/18).

[Saracen]

TBH I think you will find it very hard to find several other families who share exactly your values. You've given quite a long list here! I'm surprised you've even found a partner who matches up with you on all of those points; or are you not in total agreement with your dp? You'll probably find families who overlap with you on some issues but are poles apart on others.

Your idea doesn't seem financially viable either. Wouldn't the cost of hiring a teacher, shared between four or five families, be similar to the private school fees which you describe as astronomical?

[privateanon]

Hinduism means 1.2 billion people follow non-meat eating principles. 8 million western people subscribe to variants of vegetarianism and Veganism. I think meeting people who will understand my view is a growing likelihood rather than a declining one.
Paying an individual a £30k salary with world travel and potential lodging benefits divided by six comfortably well off families across three terms equals significantly less than a standard £5k per term fee per child demanded by leading private institutions. Especially if all families also don't agree with all of the values that current schools offer. And giving a teacher the flexibility to actually teach and not need to do all the awful paperwork and follow a stifling curriculum, could sound attractive to some.
As for my ability to find a loving and supporting husband that has an open mind, was not that hard. Any comments to belittle this post by questioning my credibility is exactly why I'm not interested in perpetuating the cycle of placing my children in an ignorant environment.
I'll say again, please if you don't agree with this post, find it offensive, shocking or controversial, please ignore it and move on by. We needn't have anything to say to each other. I am simply looking for any like minded individuals. It may take some time, but time and patience is something I have.

[Saracen]

I'm sorry. I think I must have misunderstood your post. It wasn't the veganism which I hadn't run across, but the combination of veganism and eating steak, as well as the combination of not wanting your child to see children eating sweets often but not objecting to sugar. I don't think I know anyone who objects to chemotherapy either, but perhaps that is also more widespread than I realise.

Anyway, obviously you are in a much better position than I am to know whether there are lots of kindred spirits with whom you might form a cooperative. I'm sorry if I've offended you. That wasn't my intention.

I'll just give you one pointer which you may already have considered: the setup which you envision may be classed as a "school", in which case it would be subject to greater restrictions than home education. Whether it is considered by the authorities to be a school would depend on such factors as how many unrelated children there are, whether any of them have special needs, and how many hours it meets. You might like to have a look at the rules on that.

Good luck! I hope you are able to come up with a plan which works for you.

[Kangar00]

Checking in as a fellow Norwich parent. I think you are well placed for this on Norfolk as it is one of the counties with the highest Home Ed in the UK. Have you joined the Norfolk Home Ed group? They do meet ups and you might find people keen there. If I wasn't happy teaching in a lovely school that my children attend then I would consider your idea.

Alternatively, have you considered somewhere like Dandelions - they are a nursery but your child can attend up to the age of 8 as a home schooler.

How old are your children? Would be nice to get in touch. I have a few Home ed friends and I think one would def be interested in your idea. Are you north or south city?

[Kangar00]

Also, OP you have very very similar views to me. Are you me!!

[Kangar00]

A teacher would be employed by the group though and would need NI and pension contributions paid. It would probably cause disagreements as one parent would probably have to be in charge of the employment side of thing. I think a home school group with 5 families where each of the 5 families covered one day would work better.

[Kangar00]

Out of interest have you looked around any private schools in Norwich? You might be surprised by what they offer and fun the learning it!

[Kangar00]

Me again! As a teacher, I often think that the home environment is much more influential on a child than school hence why my class of 17 are so different. Just trying to reassure you in case you go down the home ed route. I very nearly did.

[Kangar00]

And I know an amazing lady who has experience of teaching age 4-13 and might be up for the job.

[dancingthroughthedark]

Without wanting to cause a riot, have you visited the Steiner School?

[Kangar00]

I've heard that the Steiner school in Norwich is very poorly managed and run. Shame as has good principals. Think it is also better in the younger years than secondary .

[dancingthroughthedark]

That certainly hasn't been my personal experience of it, go and have a look rather than going on what you've heard. You might be surprised. Have a look at the success of the first year group to graduate at the end of senior school too they have all done exceptionally well.

[Kangar00]

Ok, sorry dancing... can you tell us a bit more? Are your children there?

[dancingthroughthedark]

Happy to answer any questions you might have. My child left last summer and is now at an RG University

[Kangar00]

Were there any universities that don't consider the Steiner very that you are aware of? I've heard that Oxbridge is quite narrow minded and won't consider anyone who doesn't donthe trad route? I don't really know where to start question wise!!? How is Steiner different to Montessori. I try to raise my child Montessori style at home.

[Kangar00]

We are so lucky in Norwich to have lots of alternative schooling solutions to bridge the gap between mainstream and homeschool

[catkind]

Pshhh, you don't get to decide what other people can post on MN. You are free to ignore them if you choose. I'm not even sure why you mention the cancer thing, it doesn't usually come up in primary education. Or you specifically want your children educated with other families who don't believe in modern medicine? Sounds rather closed minded than open minded to me.

Apart from that it sounds like you want a cheap private education with organic food. If that is possible to do I imagine you'd find loads of takers. Would what you are proposing effectively be itself a small private school? You'd have to check if registration and regulation was required legally. Would you have mixed ages? 4-5 families and how many kids? What about wraparound, catering etc? Sounds like a big job for one teacher. Agreeing on approach to religion would be another key thing to make sure you're all on he same page.

Have you noticed a particular sweet eating problem with your local primary schools though? My kids have been to a couple of normal state schools and never seen sweet eating in the playground or had any junk food pressure from kids beyond complaints about school pizza being too stodgy. Do take a look at the state options and not assume they're full of junk food scoffing oiks or whatever it is you're thinking. Worth looking at small village schools if there are any nearby too, if small and homely is what you're after.

[puffermunkin]

Agree with everything @catkind has said but I don't think op is coming back.

[falsepriest]

I hate any mainstream cancer, heart disease, diabetes or osteoporosis charities - as they are nothing to do with the cause they masquerade behind. The problem is, they permeate into our society like their own cancer and I have no interest in wasting my breathe on a world that doesn't want someone like me highlighting uncomfortable truths.

What the absolute fuck are you on about?

[privateanon]

Thank you for all of the advice, thoughts and views. Really good interesting stuff. I hope falsepriest watches a film called 'What The Health', it will help with your confusion. And for anyone who doesn't know what to do or where to go with any new found knowledge on these topics, there's a new campaign on the GoFundMe site called 'Natural Health 3.0' which will be fascinating to keep tabs on. Probably articulates things a lot better than I did. Anyway, always question things and do your own research. Ask google the 'difficult questions' like; vaccine damage court.