to ask if you would consider home education?

[SundayBea]

Have read a lot of articles recently on how the numbers in home education have 'exploded' and it's on the rise by 80% a year apparently. I know of three families I think quite highly of, two of whom are ex-teachers whose children have never been to school and their children seem to be having an exceptional upbringing and education with so many fantastic experiences and opportunities. Also know of two other families who have withdrawn their children from school because of problems with their respective schools and I'm less certain of how successful it is going to be for them. Also know of several colleagues and DH's cousin who have DC under 5 who are debating not registering them when the time comes. Is this a big thing now or is it just coincidence I know of so many families like this? I was just wondering what the general consensus was.. when I mentioned socialisation one of my ex-teacher friends showed me the Facebook group she is in for her local home education community and I was amazed at the plethora of groups, classes, meet ups and outings with hundreds of members.. just for her local county! Have been debating with DP what to do about schooling at private school is unfortunately out of the question on our current salaries.. I'm now feeling like I've discovered a whole new option I hadn't considered? Sorry if this is rambling, only getting a 5 minute lunch break today!

Yes. If mainstream school didn't suit DD it wasn't going the right way, I'd homeschool in a heartbeat.

God, no. I love my job. My daughter loves the social aspect of school and is a complete teacher-pleaser, and I really doubt we could replicate that dynamic at home.

Only as a temporary measure if there were issues with bullying/changing school. DS is an only child and gets a lot out of school socially. I also work while he is at school and couldn't afford not to.

No, unless there was illness (mental or physical) or severe bullying, or if we moved and couldn'tfind a schoolplace for a while. I am a qualified teacher, so probably could, but I wouldn't.

Friends homeschool their 5 year old. She's far better socialised than our DD (at school). Homeschooling doesn't mean staying inside the home!

Yes, absolutely. I would in a heartbeat if I didn't have to work. Also my DD adores school (my son not so much!) so I wouldn't take her out now. I wish I had from the start.

No, I'm too lazy and stupid.

I home schooled my DSD for six months due to bullying issues at school. Was doing well, it was hard work though. Then she went back to live with her mother for a while who sent her BACK to a school she'd been bullied at. The problem wasn't as big but I was mortified to find the education authority actually approved it. Some LEAs are simply ridiculous

Yup. We are shuffling work around in an effort to be able to this yr. We would be pulling DD out sometime in Yr1 hopefully, and DS wouldn't start.

All going according to plan of course.

Fuck me no. Not in a million years. Neither they nor I would survive such a thing.

My nephew was home-educated until he was fifteen, when he expressed a wish to go to school. He went on to get a Masters' Degree and do very well for himself.

I personally needed the break from being a mother that school offers, but what can people do when schools are not up to the job?

Yes, DS1 has Aspergers. If mainstream school begans to have an impact upon his mental health we will remove him. He is doing well in a very good primary school but we worry about secondary. We've discussed this and decided if he is struggling, or starts being bullied them we won't force him. He is very intelligent and we live in an area with an excellent home school network.

Yes definitely would consider it. Not for dd who starts high school this time unless she was having serious problems, but ds who is due to start primary and struggles with new people. It took him a year to settle into nursery and I do fear that school will just be too much. He's happy and confident at home though. See how it goes in September.

I considered it only to dismiss it, for two main reasons:

a) DH and I both needed to work
b) the DC take instruction far better from other people than from us (I mean instruction loosely, not a facsimile of classroom teaching, say for example working on a car with their grandfather is quite different from with their father)

I considered it when DD was little, but when we went to look around the local primary school it was love at first sight and I knew that it was the right place for her. I'm glad she's at school now because I have health problems that mean I am very tired a lot of the time and she would miss out on a lot because of my lack of energy.

Only if there were specific issues that weren't able to be addressed in mainstream school. I'd be much more likely to pay for a specialist private school/home tutor than do it myself (assuming money is no object in this theoretical scenario).

Yes I was wondering about my job too but I have the option to go part time and apparently it's very common to juggle home education and part time work with a combination of partner/grandparents/home ed childminders/other home ed parents/home ed classes. Obviously not everyone has these options, mine and DH's parents do not live locally to us for example. sourpickledqueen that made me laugh out loud

If there was no decent school about I would do it under duress! I don't think it would be beneficial for any of us tbh...

I've always wondered how GCSE/A level results compare to those who were not home schooled.

Does anyone know?

No
I can't imagine how I would find the time to prep stuff to then spend the following day educating them.
It would be all consuming and DD2 would suffer massively as a result.
And I think that for a fairly standard child, DS benefits from learning to bumble along with a variety of characters - both pupils and teachers.
But I understand that there are situations where others might make a different decision.

It's quite common in the part of the country where my parents live. There is a home ed group that uses the village hall a few times a week in their small village.

Out of interest, you say you can't afford private education on your current salary but as you or your DP would have to give up work presumably surely that would cost as much or more?

Yes PurpleDaisies one of the families I know supplement the older DC education with weekly sessions with a private tutor**

DS is autistic, currently he is in a very supportive school which is brilliant. If I had any doubts about the school I would do it without hesitation.

I read one mother talking about how both she and her DH worked full time, and left work at home for her home schooled teenage DC to do. I did boggle at that.
We have to work financially, so not possible to home school.

See, I just can't imagine that working PT around home-schooling, whilst the child is shuttled between 'partner/grandparents/home ed childminders/other home ed parents/home ed classes.' could possibly be very good for any of the people involved.

Unless, of course, there's bullying, etc - real extenuating circumstances.