I'm a radical unschooler AMA

[OutOfControlSpirals]

I'm a radical unschooling mum, which basically means I've taken the principals of unschooling, where a child is free to learn what they want, when they want, and applied it to every aspect of our lives. So my children have the same freedoms that I do when it comes to eating/sleeping/learning etc.

we are an excellent school though, we take students from miles around, who have been turned down all over the place, we take the and they do very well with us.

Its an excellent school, but the drop out and failure rate means that it looks bad on paper, although everyone who comes to us gets another chance, they don't ll take it - many do though. Almost everyone goes on to University

glintandglide

Unschooling is about letting your children do what they like though, and that might include nothing educational.

I understand that this is the logical progression that many people make, but in good unschools it is not the case. The whole point of successful unschooling is the holistic philosophy- the whole family culture and worldview is designed to encourage curiosity, challenge and exploration. It is a very different mindset, they see education not as something forced, imposed or even given, but as something exciting that you take for yourself. Again, I don't unschool myself so this isn't me on a high horse or anything, just trying to reiterate that what makes the philosophy successful - in the cases I've seen - goes back further than just school pedagogy, all the way back to beliefs about human nature/life/family which of course spill into everyday practice, as they do for all of us.

@clairetree1 it is clear that you think highly of your school. But you really need to take responsibility as a school ( not personally!) for the high failure and drop out rate. It seems odd to blame it on the kids

But you really need to take responsibility as a school ( not personally!) for the high failure and drop out rate. It seems odd to blame it on the kids you haven't read anything I've said, have you, you are speaking from a position of total ignorance

I wonder what if Ofsted would make of it

School has a high failure and drop out rate. The school is perfect it can purely be attributed to the children. No room for improvement whatsoever

I wonder what if Ofsted would make of it

it doesn't perform well on any ofsted criteria.

However as I said it is a school that takes students into the sixth form that no one else will accept, and gives every single one of the another chance, however badly they have messed up before.

Many of the take up the chance, not all.

From what you have said I’m not surprised! I suspect a new head and cultural shift at some point will help

You say you take anyone no matter how badly they’ve messed up. But you turn down homeschooled kids?? Even if they have good gcse? But not enough or too long ago. Can you afford to be so fussy? I had assumed you were an independent from your first post

However as I said it is a school that takes students into the sixth form that no one else will accept, and gives every single one of the another chance, however badly they have messed up before.

Except multiple Home Ed students. They are utterly beyond saving

we try never to turn anyone away, we have a policy of trying to offer everyone a place, even though it might not be on the course of their first choice, or the level they want.

we can't always, of course, but almost everyone, including HE students will get an offer of a place on a level 1 or level 2 course, - of course, they don't always accept it.

We could do far better statistically if we were much fussier about who we accept, but that would go against the ethos of the school.

But Ofsted judgments and conclusions are often totally invalid, this is just one of many examples of why.

Earlier today you said you turn away most home educated students because you know you can’t help them...

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I think HE can be successful, and it can be unsuccessful. But I do think there needs to be regulation. At the moment there is none.

Is that different to schools though (despite regulation?)

Yes. Because schools are regulated and a school failing will have action to turn it around.
Also remember in secondary schools kids have a variety of teachers, so even in the worst school, not all will be bad. HE kids have no one except their parents guiding or directing their education. If they are bad at it, there is no one who will try and turn it round.

That is all very true @crunchymint. I am neither pro nor anti HE just the best education possible for every child

crunchymint

I think HE can be successful, and it can be unsuccessful. But I do think there needs to be regulation. At the moment there is none.

Agree. With the caveat that regulation should be 1. Evidence based, not pointless paperwork (though I do think a paperwork hurdle as a disincentive for those who might otherwise act on a whim has value), 2. Non discriminatory. Don't hold home schools to a higher regulations standard than institutional schools. 3. Respectful of parental authority especially the UN universal declaration of human rights articles 12 and 26.3 (and home school parents should be respectful of 26.2)

I disagree on principle with the prospect of regulation. It's parents who have the legal duty to cause their children to receive an education, at school or otherwise. Ofsted is there to let the parents know that the legal duty is indeed being discharged as advertised, and to let tax payers know that their money is being spent well in providing a free-at-point-of-delivery service.

If anyone has grounds for belief that parents are breaking the law and not causing their children to receive an education, then that is what courts are for.

Registration and monitoring is discriminatory. It removes the presumption of innocence about parents educating their children, where parents get to keep presumption of innocence in all other aspects of parenthood (e.g. feeding, clothing, housing children adequately, not abusing them). Once there's a national register of all pre-schoolers not in Ofsted registered childcare, with regular inspections of the children's development and welfare, and enforced nursery attendance for those who the state officials don't approve of, then we can talk about extending it into compulsory education age.

This has nothing to do with pre schoolers. And court is not a realistic way to deal with this.
There are plenty of adults who have been HE on the internet talking about educational neglect and worse. The focus should be on kids, not so called parents rights.

How do you propose that children who are being neglected or radicalised are identified. As presumably if these kids are HE they would mainly pass under the radar of as?

*SS

Arewehomeyet I have always found that HE who are against regulation don't really give a damn about those kids.

My marine biology loving daughter had an annual membership to the aquarium, is currently trying to grow algae in a petrie dish on the window sill, swims twice a week, enjoys watching documentaries, attends beach clean ups

Jobs in this fields are SO OVER SUBSCRIBED TO! The likelihood of her being able to get a job in this field is very unlikely. I hope you're making sure she learns other skills.

'When one of them was 4 they ate nothing but noodles for 6 months. Thier body thier choice.'

Horrified. How utterly irresponsible. A four year old is not capable of mal8ng a reasoned decision about nutrition and the long terms affects and consequences of deficiencies. It is your job to provide this as an adult you have the benefit of a matured mind capable of making decisions based facts and pro's and con's not just what you want. Your child is lucky to not have become ill.