To find the homeschooling fad really braggy

Anytime anyone mentions 'building dens' as part of homeschooling I zone out.

I think there’s a growing number of parents who have concerns with schools, but whose choice is take it or leave it. They don’t want to or can’t homeschool, but have to hope that school in its current form is the best out of the two options.

True. I think it must be lovely not have to go to school and be bullied and picked on.
Bullying has serious repercussions and people have killed themselves over it.
Must be lovely to wake up early eryday and think that's not going to happen.
A kind of safer childhood. Nice not to have all that peer pressure to of what phone to have and trainers.
Yes I like that idea.
Also going on holiday when you want too without worrying about the holidays.

You realise schools choose to do it? No one is forcing them.

@SharptonguedwomanAmongst many reasons, because DH and I have worked in mainstream education settings, and experienced first hand how chronically underfunded and overcrowded it can be.

And lots of the other forest school parents work, I don’t because DC1 burned out of nursery and spent 3 years not being able to do anything without a parent. Being able to drop her off anywhere has been a very recent development and forest school is still too far for me to practically work really.

A lot of HE parents claim benefits because their children are disabled so that helps the finances too.

I agree and l think flexibschooling is a ridiculous idea- poor teachers having to accommodate this type of crap

There are drop off home ed groups around, usually only where there are a high number of HE families yea. My kids have started a forest school that is a preschool and HE setting, it’s a 30 min drive away but it’s helping me feel less insane and get just a little breathing room and be able to set stuff up better for them to learn at home. Where we lived before there were more HE kids about so a lot more local activities and drop off settings.

(and yes I have seen some about that have raised my eyebrows as being a little bit more… unofficial than I’m comfortable with, for what it’s worth my kids place is ofsted outstanding)

I guess most people wouldn’t unless it’s something they have ever considered or they have friends/family who home ed.

There are lots of schooled children who are abused as well.

Haven't you ever heard of shift work?

It's bizarre that some people on mumsnet really can't fathom that not everyone works 9-5 Monday to Friday.

People can work around each other. Home education doesn't have to happen within school hours. Parents are required to give their children a full time education. That doesn't mean keeping school hours. Education can happen at weekend, evenings, early morning chats with their child, a random walk at lunchtime can lead to all sorts of learning opportunities.

There are! Just looked up what’s near me. I had no idea.

Interested in why you made that choice, though.

I have just started home educating my four year old, it was always our intention to home educate our children. He attends a school based academy twice a week, with classes and structured lessons (as he would experience in a mainstream school), where he sees his friends. The other three days, we follow lesson plans that cover everything from phonics and reading, maths, history, handwriting, geography and religion. After Christmas, we intend to hire a French tutor for weekly lessons. He also enjoys cycling, horse riding and will soon be starting swimming.

Home educating may not be for everyone, but it works beautifully for our son.

Parents can work part time around each other or use childcare/settings when needed though?

There are lots of home ed settings - learning communities, farm schools, forest schools, home ed childminders. Of course there is childcare for over 5s?
Most towns have home educated children.
I live in a fairly small town and know of a home ed group for primary age children that runs 3 days a week, a club for 10-teens that runs 3 days a week, a farm school that runs all week with separate days for children 4+ and 12+ and a forest school that runs every morning, all within 20-30 minutes of me.
There are also lots of clubs, classes and meet ups - art, gymnastics, circus skills, maths class, coding, sports.

If you’re a single parent then that’s of course true (although some do find ways to make it work!) but if not then there are 2 parents so of course one can be working while the other is with the kids? Maybe one works Monday to Friday 8-5 and one works weekday evenings or one works shifts and the other flexible work round that or one works weekdays and one weekends?

if the benefit systems is used for people to potter around all day, then we have an even bigger problem

the point, if you can't keep up, is that while kids are at school being educated by their teacher, we can hold a job and earn a living. I don't believe in schools being used for childcare, but it would be ridiculous not to use these child-free hours.
Schools also offer after-school clubs.

If you prefer to spend these hours to school your child yourself, fine, but you physically can't hold a job at the same time.

Then driving them around to clubs/ sport clubs etc means you can't be at work either.

Thanks

I’m not opposed to the concept of home schooling / education but when I worked in Child abuse investigation you did find parents who abused their children often de-registered them from school as a way of preventing detection. For me I get a little imaginary bell that goes off when I hear about parents homeschooling. ( I’m certainly not saying all home schoolers are abusive ). I also had a pen pal who “unschooled” his four boys and lived in various European countries trying to escape various regulations about education. Unfortunately he had pretty strong views about COVID and Vaccinations and the government in general and as a police officer myself we did not make a pen pal match in heaven. He was very vocal about my child in school but as we only wrote letters he was very vocal on the slow slow 😂. We are no longer writing.

So depending on the area there are lots of options for home ed children to do 1 or 2 days in a group setting if they want (they have to be paid for although rates vary and some you can claim tax free childcare if they are ofsted registered I believe). Within 30-45mins of me there are 2 different farm settings (1 without parents from 5 and 1 from 6), a art/music based group which I think is year 1 without parents, a small ‘democratic learning’ group 1-3 days a week from year 1 without parents, a forest school setting not sure on ages and a STEM play based group from 5. All between 4-6hrs.
Also depending on child’s birthday for the first year they can stay in nursery/pre school with funding for part of the year- till the term after they are 5, my daughter will be doing this.
There are also I believe some childminders who take HE kids but I have never come across one.
On other home ed kids in the vicinity-
unless you are very rural that’s not likely to be a major issue if you drive and are happy to travel a bit. My area isn’t a particular home ed hotbed and as above lots of options and those are only the structured ‘drop off’ groups- loads of informal social groups too. Plus of course all the afterschool and weekend groups available to other kids

What are home ed settings? And does the rest not rely on having other Home Ed children in the vicinity? And how would childcare be available for a child over 5?
Sorry for all the questions, really interested in the practicalities.

Not if she has a DH with a low income and they claim universal credit, there is so so much they can get for free or for just £1 live London zoo or leisure centres or kew gardens etc if they’re in London - really easy to keep kids occupied and learning for free in london.