Totally disillusioned with the education system. Home schooling?

[Dontbestupidagain]

I have four dc. One is at secondary, one due to start secondary in September and two at primary. I volunteer significantly at DC primary school (approx 10 hrs per week).

I have watched what used to be a lovely village primary turn into something completely different.
This is a product of our education system. Stress on the teachers has created a lot of long term sickness and resulted in the loss of some truly exceptional people. The curriculum is so weighted to literacy and maths there is no real room for exploration. We are not teaching them to love learning. We still have some great teachers but I have watched their teaching fit the requirements, it has been a subtle change but there it is there.
The school has no money at all. The HT says no to everything. I know she hates this but she has no choice and it is demoralising for staff.

Ultimately though I know our school is not unique. That schools everywhere are facing this. I am therefore considering withdrawing my small two and home schooling them. However, I'm also worried about the implications of this. Has anyone withdrawn their kids for a similar reason? How did it work out? Are you happy to homeschool?
It is such a massive decision. I don't want to rush into anything.

I hate to say this but I think I'm in agreement. I have no perspective on the curriculum but I know first hand that schools don't have enough money and it is obvious there won't be any more forthcoming. I'm seriously entertaining the idea of taking my kids out of state and putting them into private.

You need to do what's best for your own family. If you have the option to home school you're lucky as most don't. Most of the HE families I know do it due to special needs.

I think the children should be consulted though. School isn't just about learning. Do they love their schools?

Do it, it’s fab!
Search Facebook for ‘Home education * (your local town/county)’ to find groups. They’re usually closed but will let you join if you’re considering HE. It’s good to get a feel of what’s available in your area.

I’ve HE 4. The 2 oldest are at university now and one has her own business. They came out of school at the end of years 1 and 3 and were HE up to GCSE level.
Two DSs aged 11 and 13 are still educated at home.

All home edders wobble at times... are we doing enough...are we doing too much...oh no I’ve booked activities every day and there’s no time for housework or ...we really must stop playing Minecraft and eat occasionally.... but it all balances out.

Don’t expect family and friends to be delighted though. They may see it as a criticism of their choices.
My mum says she fretted terribly about it when we started though she had the sense not to say anything.
She’s now very enthusiastic about the whole idea having seen it work so beautifully.

I felt just as you are OP. I HE my 3 DC not for SN reasons and although HE is a brilliant option for a lot of SN DC, all the HE families we mix with (ever increasing numbers!) are not SN. They have all gone down the HE route for the reasons you state. My DD was at a wonderful village primary school that was consistently of OFSTED outstanding. This was 13 years ago and I now HE all of mine. Everytime I read something on here about the state of the education system and the stress and pressure both the kids and the teachers are under, I literally breath a sigh of relief we HE! It's amazing.

That's really positive to read velvetbee. I'm not brave enough for secondary but I think I could manage primary. I am definitely prepared for negativity - I know that my family will not be supportive. I haven't broached this with DH yet either and he will be resistant as well. I need to do more research and be ready for that conversation ( it may be something that ultimately I don't think will work for us) but he is someone who is willing to listen so if I think it is right then we will be able to discuss it.
One DC is happy at school, the other isn't. He is quite anxious, not very academic and shys away from attention. One of my concerns about moving him to a different, bigger school (ours is tiny) is that he will be allowed to shrink into the shadows. He doesn't demand any attention (no behaviour problems and gets by) and will get lost in a crowd.
I am meeting an old friend for coffee soon who also home eds so I'm hoping she will be able to tell me more.

Could you apply for scholarships at a private international school? The IB system would probably suit your kids a lot better than the English one.

I absolutely sympathise with your feelings about the education system. It's just not working is it? HE has been on my mind since my DC started school.
However, personally I don't think that there's anything that comes close to the social aspect of schooling available for HE children. Of course,there are groups and social occassions and so on, but nothing like the consistant social independence of school. I live in an area where many children are HE (because of disenchantment with the education system), and there are support networks. But when (if) children do choose to enter the education system (secondary, college or uni), then it becomes a struggle.
Watching the thread though, to see if there are any alternative social scenarios I haven't thought about

Also, some initially think they won't be able to home-educate at secondary - but plenty discover they can:

he-exams.wikia.com/wiki/HE_Exams_Wiki

Bear in mind that if you remove your children from the lovely little village school you used to love so much it will lose yet more money, and other children will feel that impact too.

You sound slightly precious. Every school is having to make unpleasant decisions. I’d rather schools spent what little they had on core subjects. It’s not ideal, but it’s what they’ve got to do.

Art, music, ‘exploration’ are all things perfectly within the scope of most parents to facilitate, even if it’s museum/gallery trips at the weekend and a bit of radio 3 for some different music.

Bear in mind that if you remove your children from the lovely little village school you used to love so much it will lose yet more money, and other children will feel that impact too

I am well aware of this but the school is right on the brink of financial viability. Just because it is viable it also doesn't necessarily mean it is right to keep going. Closing a school however is a very difficult task and has wider ramifications. I also know that if our school is in this situation other village schools in the locality are also in the same position. We live rurally but the nearest town schools are already at capacity. Small schools are being squeezed so hard but no thought has been made as to where to educate those children should we lose the village schools.
You sound slightly precious. Every school is having to make unpleasant decisions. I’d rather schools spent what little they had on core subjects. It’s not ideal, but it’s what they’ve got to do.
I am not sure why it is precious to want my kids to have a balanced and enriching education. Schools have to do this because of shit policy making. They have to learn complex grammar rules and fractions from year 2. They're six years old. We should be instilling a love of learning, a desire to find out about the world as well as maths and literacy skills. We shouldn't be teaching them to pass a test at age 11. Progress measures are becoming more relevant recently but progress in what? A very narrowly defined set of parameters. We no longer value skills such as empathy, creativity, kindness. It's all about academic achievement. Some kids just aren't suited to that but at age 11 we're there telling them that they don't meet expectations if they don't fit that mould What kind of message is that?

I am not sure why it is precious to want my kids to have a balanced and enriching education. Schools have to do this because of shit policy making. They have to learn complex grammar rules and fractions from year 2. They're six years old. We should be instilling a love of learning, a desire to find out about the world as well as maths and literacy skills. We shouldn't be teaching them to pass a test at age 11. Progress measures are becoming more relevant recently but progress in what? A very narrowly defined set of parameters. We no longer value skills such as empathy, creativity, kindness. It's all about academic achievement. Some kids just aren't suited to that but at age 11 we're there telling them that they don't meet expectations if they don't fit that mould What kind of message is that?

Most Home Educators made the choice to HE for the very reasons you've outlined here. They are completely disenchanted with the modern education system. People feel their children are just pawns in the system that is more concerned with numbers and churning out mind numb robots that have lost all sense of creativity and love of learning. They've taken a stand for the good of their children and God forbid, put their needs above the school's bank account. IMO HE can easily be far healthier and more natural than any school could ever offer. Think in terms of socialising (whether it's just part of relaxed meet-ups/educational groups or sporting groups) with groups of children and adults of all ages (not simply grouped by age as in school), both sexes, different abilities and ethnic backgrounds. It really is quite magical sometimes to watch mixed groups of children in a HE setting. No-one should ever argue that HE is perfect for every child just as no-one should ever dismiss HE as the absolute way forward for many children regardless of their age or ability. You cannot force a square peg into a round hole.

I home edded one of my kids (additional needs) for a while. It was awful. Our relationship was fraught, my other kids were pissed off that they had to go to school. Hated it.

I have no advice on home schooling but this is exactly why I left teaching. It makes me so angry. Best of luck!

I started home educating my eldest in September.

Mainly because she had developed serious anxiety about school. She's super bright, was bored stiff and found school noisy, distracting, shouty, didn't understand the (often ridiculous) rules put in place by teachers, hated sharing tables with other children who wouldn't concentrate and get on with their work etc etc...

It wasn't a decision we took lightly. And initially I hoped we could get her back into the school system at some point. But now, I can't imaging ever sending her back.

She is happy, expressive, interested, curious, energetic. All the things that had been beaten out of her by having to fit into the school system.

I still send my youngest to school, because he attends a special school that caters perfectly for his disabilities. If he didn't have such specific needs that are so well catered for, I'd take him out too.

The school system is broken. If it's not working for your family, I can highly recommend exploring home education.

Look up Home Education UK facebook group. Full of excellent advice.

I have thought about HE both for the reasons above, and because I'm really not enthusiastic about having my DC in a system that breaks teachers.
So many I know are now working part-time just to keep their real working hours to most people's "full time" and thus be able to have a life and family time.
But the fact is my DD1 is just not the HE sort and could not be persuaded to learn anything by me and DH unless she chooses. I hear of a different child at parents evening than we get at home.

Schools have been told this week that for a 6/7 year old child to reach 'greater depth' they need to be able to read 'Goblet of Fire' fluently and explain all it's nuances.

I don't blame you from wanting to withdraw them from this nonsense.

I HE 6 children between 3 and 14 years old.

I would join your local HE group on Facebook and I also love watching American homeschool videos on YouTube for inspiration

There are loads of types of homeschooling we use a mix of bought in curriculum (math u see and handwriting without tears) and unit studies and Waldorf style blocks from earthschooling.com

I don’t think home ed is for everybody BUT we love it and if you feel like this and your kids agree then it’s worth a go!

I home ed my older children(my younger one is only a toddler). They have never been to school or nursery.

I love it. I love that my children can learn at their own pace and that they have a big input into their own learning.
Today we have gone through all the physical paper work they have done this year ready to store away and I couldn’t believe how much we have covered and how much they have learnt over the last 12 months.

There is so much out there for home edders now, I’m my area you can be out every day doing various activities:sports:arts etc if you wish and of course there are clubs and sports for all children in the evenings and weekends.

I pulled my DD out of school last year, year 8, her final year of middle school.

I won't claim it has been easy, but it has certainly been the right decision. Her school mates were in the middle of choosing their options, so they could enter high school and hit the ground running in working towards their GCSEs. We have found an online programme for maths and English, that sticks to the curriculum. It also records learning well. We do biology based on my fairly recent A level biology work as we both enjoy that. We do sewing, she has made herself a dress. She has improved in cooking and can cook a meal for my fussy family totally unsupervised now.

We plan on her going to a 14-16 unit next year. This will be part time, 2 days a week in year 10 and 2.5 days a week in year 11. She will be able to do maths, English and biology GCSEs there.

HE is right for her, but school is right for my DS and he remains there.

There are other options, such as iGCSEs, sitting GCSEs in exams centres.... I don't know much about these though.

I do know, that even if we totally mess up, which I am trying hard not to, there are options in higher education that would mean it would not be too much of a disaster. For me it is the lesser risk than leaving her in school to be badly bullied would have been. She would ave been destroyed mentally by now, if I had done, and that is not even considering what it was doing to me.

Thecway I see it is that it has basically always like this. Schooling has never been perfect and it absolutely is one size fits all.
Some children do however enjoy the grammar and maths critisized earlier and some schools have an ethos that is still good.

Small schools are financially draining and do not have capability to do it all.

I am not disagreeing with you at all and I do appreciate the school my children are at but I also think about home Ed from time to time in the context of what we want our children to grow up to be. Academic is good, some of the behaviours and over reliance on screens that other children seem to have, less so.

Basically you muddle along really don't you

How do you feel about becoming a teacher/educator? I know there are lots of resources- have you explored them? Can you mange the whole thing financially, probably for a some years?

My kids have moved primary school. The difference in how they are schooled, with the same curriculum has been surprising. My eldest found year 6 (at their old primary) soul destroying. They were really focussed on SATS and I was prepared for more of the same with my middle son. He’s in year 6 at the new school and has definitely been finding it more enjoyable than my eldest. The old school had problems with long term sick/poor retention of staff, but there current school has staff that have been there over 20 years and doesn’t have the same retention problem.

Home Ed is a big decision...it might be worthwhile looking at other schools first...

Do it!!! And also I'd really recommend the freedom to learn forum which is coming up next year. Really interesting.

I completely resonate with everything you have said and I am also a teacher.

I think that HE is right for some children. I seriously considered it for dd1 however she would not have it, even before she started reception! She is a strong-willed, very able and social child and loves school. I see all the characteristics in her school that you describe in yours but she enjoys it and would not be happy if I decided to HE. So her happiness comes first. If that was to change in the future I would HE without doubt.

Based on what you have said, you may well consider it for your child who is not thriving in school and then maybe in the future include your other child if you feel that it is working really well and they would benefit. But I don’t think that pulling happy children out of school and away from their friends is ideal. Better to try to avoid any extra work outside of school and focus on all of the parts of education that are sadly lacking in the curriculum. Ie. outdoor pursuits and pursuing their own interests without interference or question etc etc.

There are some excellent courses you can sign up for, that are specifically designed for home educators (and the companies were founded by home educators). The ones with the best reviews are:

• HomeMadeEducation
• DreamingSpires homelearning
• EchoEducation
• SouthwestScience School

Hope you find what you need!