WWYD if you knew sum1 had claimed they were home eductaing their kids but failed to?

[igglepigglegotobed]

I know this woman quite well and she has claimed she has been home educating her daughter since she was 13. She is now 15 and due to sit her GCSE'S next year.

Anyway we had a conversation the other day in front of someone else and I asked what she was going to do come GCSE's in which the woman replied that her daughter would sit maths and english but would more than likely fail.

The other woman approached me afterwards to say she was thinking about reporting it and could she use my name.

Im not sure I want to get involved as it's none of my business but on the other hand I do think this woman is ruining her childs future.

Qualifications are helpful, but people do have the option to do them later in life if they find they need them. It's different if teens (or older!) are directionless and unmotivated, then there will be a massive uphill struggle, because they don't really want to do it.

But a reasonably bright, self-motivated person can always choose their own direction later and get the qualifications they need to do it.

If equine studies turns out not to be for her, there may be something related which she'd enjoy, or she may change direction completely.

Yes, and I would always encourage training at any age. However, it's so much easier to do when your young and don't have children/a mortgage/work to worry about.

Whoops - really tired tonight - you're not your

I think people get brainwashed into the "you-must-get-exams-to-be-successful" type of thinking, because of the way schools and league tables are nowadays.

I home educate my two girls. The eldest wants to go to dance school at 16. To that end, she emailed loads of places she might like to go to and asked what qualifications they wanted. You know what? The answers even shocked us! All but two said "we don't care two hoots what exams you have, we care how you dance. If you have all that time at home, dance, and dance, and dance."

Two (just two!) said they would like 5 GCSEs "but we don't care what grades". To that end, we are doing some GCSEs, just in case.

If this girls wants to work with horses, having been with horses 24/7 when her classmates are cooped up studying history will probably be a huge advantage.

Someone (head of a quite prestigious local private school) said to my daughter not long ago, "You can get GCSEs at any age, but you can only be a dancer now". GSCEs are not a once-only chance, to be done at 16 or not at all.

So I'd relax!

I went into dancing too in my younger days - of course dance/stage schools don't really care about your academic achievements! However, most college courses now (even the vocational ones ie hair, beauty etc) also want the students to work upto and pass exams to a certain level, usually level 2 (GCSE) in Key Skills ie Literacy, Maths & ICT. Without passing these key skill requirements which have been brought in due to employer demand, students cannot obtain the full qualification in their chosen field.

I actually think that's a little unfair as I think we all know people who are very competent at their job and have little hope of acheiving academically.

Unfortunately, the way things are going, qualifications are becoming more important and competition more fierce. Not the way I would like it but that's just the way it is.

I would stay well out of it! Don't get involved.