I home educate - my DS has never been to school - AMA

[OvertheUnicornRainbow]

My DS is almost 13, always been home-educated and is thriving. Ask me anything

@wigeon - some days he goes to classes or groups. Sometimes he is at a friends house, sometimes we study at home. He does after school activities too and the usual sleepovers, camps etc. He does a lot of independent reading/studying. He also goes on a lot of educational trips/workshops/lectures. He covers English, Maths, Science and some other things he is interested in. We were much less strutcured when he was younger - didn't follow the NC. Now he wants to study GCSEs we are.

Show them what you do and how well you do it.

God no. Why bring hassle to your doorstep when there is no legal obligation to. If they want to access to home educated children they need to entirely change their game, bring on non judgemental suitably qualified people who aren't judgemental and who are actually supportive of home ed.

Why bring hassle to your doorstep when there is no legal obligation to

And that's the issue. Unregulated, unchecked and unmonitored. It's absolutely shocking that in a world where people are literally dying to get an education, people in a country where a great education is available for free are turning it away.

@zonkin - how often does a class go on a trip?

@Hercwasonaroll - firstly there are plenty of ways they can interact with the Hone-ed community outside of intrusive visits. As I said they cause issues rather than support - who would willingly inflict that on their DC? Secondly the EWO officer is (or should be) aware of the tiny percentage of families they see (and of course why) and should be aware they can't generalise from that.

@Shineynew is getting a bit of an unfair pasting here.

Why would someone with more experience of home educators attract such vitriol from
HE people?

How do you know that most home education doesn't work out as well as you are hoping yours will? If I was confident that I was successfully HE I certainly wouldn't refuse a visit.

Suffice to say I'm not swayed towards it, even for quieter museum visits midweek!

I feel a little bit ignored OP....any chance you could update on which subjects you teach, how you prepare for them, how long it takes you, which subjects are taught in classes/by tutors/ by your DH?

where a great education is available for free are turning it away

Not all education is great sadly.

I agree that a really good, expert, well-informed advice / regulation system for HE would be of benefit. It would support and validate the (many) who HE conscientiously and well (and perhaps be able to suggest ways of filling any gaps). It would also be able to challenge the (fewer) examples of genuinely poor HE practice that harm children and also unfairly sully the good name of all HE by association. Furthermore, it would be able to collect the data and examples so desperately needed to challenge the schools who fail to provide adequately for children with SEN or other needs whose parents then feel they have no option other than HE, an situation which is a scandal.

However, it would be very difficult to set up such a body - it could not be wholly and blindly 'supportive of home ed', because there would need to be some occasions on which the HE provided as unsatisfactory, and that of itself might cause doors to be barred to it, as they are at present.

We do historical reenactment as a family as a result my son has had access to bits of castles that the general public can't usually access. But we've also seen stuff when we weren't reenacting because I've asked do you have.... Can we see the ..... Or because chatting staff or even them hearing us talk has lead to them saying ohh we've got one of those or have you ever seen a..... My friend's son told museum staff that they has a piece of armour on up side down when he was four (his dad makes armour) the staff then took the family for a tour of the not on display medieval artifacts and asked them questions about stuff that had been hidden away for years. The family got to handle original artifacts and the museum got to ask the opinion of an experienced armourer on what some unknown (to them) items were.

@kindkylie - I'm glad your choice has worked out for you. I must admit my DD loves plays and being in the choir too! My DS used to be in a choir for a few years. He has never chosen to do drama, though. We are lucky to have a large home-ed community so he has had all those opportunities. As already discussed my DD's class does not contain a diverse group but perhaps she will experience it at secondary. The home-ed community is extremely diverse, though - so my DS has had so much more experience of all walks of life than my DD.

Intrusive visits

Part of the issue is that HE is viewed as some secret club and is totally unregulated. You HE well and care about your child. You are HEing for the benefit of your child. So many people aren't.

You are in the perfect position to show a visitor what you do, how well your child is doing. Yet you refuse.

Why would they cause issues if everything you are doing is going well? They can't force your child into school.

OvertheRauinbow,

You are clearly lucky in where you live. In more isolated rural communities, particularly for families without transport, do you think there is a risk that HE children do become isolated? When I HEd, I was (luckily) able to drive the 20 miles to the nearest HE group - but that option would not be available to everyone.

it could not be wholly and blindly 'supportive of home ed', because there would need to be some occasions on which the HE provided as unsatisfactory

No of course not, but starting off with the premise that home ed is not good is not going to create a good working relationship. You start with the premise that the education provided is effective unless you then have genuine cause to think it isn't.

The home-ed community is extremely diverse, though - so my DS has had so much more experience of all walks of life than my DD

Does he only mix within the HE community then? And does your DD not mix with his HE friends? I'm struggling to imagine a family set up where the two children are so segregated

(FWIW, I actively requested a visit when I was HEing. I think this must have put me a very long way down the priority list, as nobody accepted the invitation .... !)

Who did you request it from?

Why would they cause issues if everything you are doing is going well?

Maybe if they start off with the attitude, as the educational welfare officer has demonstrated here, that good education can only be delivered in schools.

@buckeejit - they attract such vitriol because of their ignorance that they provide no support but often cause problems for the family that disrupts their DC's education. We know because we are part of the home-ed community and we know the EWO will only come across a very small set of home-educators. You would accept a visit if you knew it would have a negative effect on your child? Why would you do that to your child?

@OvertheUnicornRainbow

Seriously, your new argument is that even with all my qualifications and experience that I know nothing about home Ed and should go on a training course?

It is exactly this that is proving my point. Parents who believe that they are the experts above and beyond years of experience, training and professionalism.

I know I can’t convince you otherwise, I’m not going to try, I just feel it’s important on these threads that parents who are considering HE look at it from all angles. I’m not a mean person looking to upset people, I have just seen too many kids lives negatively impacted by parent’s decisions.

TheTwilight, I think, however, that (as HE communities are quite small and often close-knit) as soon as anyone within a community did experience a visit from the 'perfect, ideal HE inspecting body' and the judgment / outcome was (however justifiably) negative, all doors would close. The only way of avoiding this would be to make inspection / visits mandatory, which would be rejected on principle.

@Booboostwo - I've already answered all that!

X post, though the cross posts did exactly prove my point!

shiney. No one knows anything but the expert HEs. No matter how many years you have under your belt, how many teaching qualifications etc etc. Of course, to HEs you need no qualifications, knowledge or experience at all but you will still be able to do a better job than any school can. It's a strange world where you can be insulted because you went to school but I've watched several HEs do that on this thread. Crazy.

how often does a class go on a trip?
Our primary has probably three "big" trips (i.e we are ask to pay of we can) per year, three local free or very little cost (i.e. mini bus cost only) trips and an average of one in class visit per half term so six trips six in school special visitors so about one per month.

as soon as anyone within a community did experience a visit from the 'perfect, ideal HE inspecting body' and the judgment / outcome was (however justifiably) negative

Not necessarily. If other people had a positive experience then that would certainly be considered too. We are capable generally of reading between the lines.