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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think home schooling should be better monitored?

676 replies

Mollymoo78 · 09/09/2016 21:05

One of my FB friends from my toddler group days has announced on FB that she's home schooling her four year old. She was always very very attached to him and never had a moment away from him ie a night out. She breast fed him well into his fourth year and carried him in a sling when he got tired. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm genuinely wondering if her decision to home school has more to do with her being reluctant to let him go.

Her comments on FB are "well I have no precise plans as to what I'm going to do but they learn through play at this age anyway so it doesn't matter". I just felt quite uncomfortable reading that. It all sounds very vague. My dd has started school recently and loves it - the socialisation with her peers and older children, the physical activity, getting independence and rewards for her achievements. She's playing yes but she's also being taught to read and write. But what if this boy isn't given these things - who is going to be checking up on the education he's being given?

I don't mean to put a downer on homeschooling - I've no doubt it's the perfect option for those whose children don't gel with school but shouldn't you at least try school first? Am I wrong to question this in my mind?

OP posts:
GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 00:59

correction "how is it that school is the better option"

That's what I get for trying to multitask at this late hour.

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:01

IB yep. You've missed it. I'll not bother, as I'm rather reminded of the "there are none so blind..." line, and quite frankly I'm almost done sorting my paperwork and am going to bed in a few minutes.

MindSweeper · 10/09/2016 01:01

Having a GCSE C in English doesn't mean you're capable of teaching.

I wonder how many people would be happy with someone with no teaching qualifications at all, waltzing into a classroom and educating a class.

brasty · 10/09/2016 01:01

So if a parent is very poorly educated it is fine for them to HE, because the parents education in school obviously was not good enough?
That argument makes no sense at all.

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:02

Poorly educated?? In our illustrious school system!??! Shock

Perish the thought!

Hmm
brasty · 10/09/2016 01:03

If you have money and the motivation to pay for tutors, online courses or similar for subjects you can't teach as a parent, then fine. But some HE do not do that and instead talk about children learning through every day activities such as going to shops.

UnavailableBiscuit · 10/09/2016 01:04

A lot of people seem to be interchanging education with safeguarding... The LA are not there to safeguard, they are there to make sure you are providing an appropriate education (that doesn't have to be the same as a school education.) the minimum is a yearly report or EdPhil. The LA have no reason not to believe you when you tell them how you're educating your child. We are not assumed guilty of something just because we HE. Some LAs overstep their remit and can be quite pushy, it really depends on which area you live in.
Personally I do not have visits. I would happily welcome the LA into my home if I thought it would benefit either party. It doesn't. There's no information they can get from a visit that I cannot send them in an email. This is more efficient saving our time and theirs.

As for teaching your kids things that you don't know... Your facilitate a child's learning. I don't know anything about dinosaurs but somehow my 7 year old has a wealth of knowledge. And if they can't learn themselves and you really can't teach them then you find a way to get them what they need (be it tutors, study groups etc.)

There is more than one way to skin a cat...

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:06

So you're against the idea that the things we learn can be applied to every day living? To show children that the skills we learn are important as we will use them in our every day lives? That life skills themselves are important?

My son's school took them to the supermarket, the post office, church... was that a waste of time then? Shame on them!

nolongersurprised · 10/09/2016 01:06

gingerivy but are tutors with maths/physics degrees really just available to teach high school children this? Every day? It seems a big risk going into home ed and just hoping that there'll be another home edder with the right skill set. And what about science labs? I loved faffing about with Bunsen burners and the like at school, not sure how you'd recreate that at home.

Primary - no problem and I'd love it.
For secondary I think you'd need specialist teachers.

AlpacaLypse · 10/09/2016 01:07

AtiaoftheJulii (Splendid nn btw) both DP and I thought she was all set for Law up until eighteen months ago.

She can argue black is white for England... Especially if it's something she doesn't actually want to do!

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:07

Sorry, that last post was re brasty's comment But some HE do not do that and instead talk about children learning through every day activities such as going to shops.

UnavailableBiscuit · 10/09/2016 01:09

But some HE do not do that and "instead talk about children learning through every day activities such as going to shops"

Do you seriously not see any educational value in that? For young children? I doubt any parents of 15 year olds are taking their kids to the shop for a maths lesson. Maybe a life lesson though! Considering when I went to uni most of my well educated dorm friends did not know how to shop, cool or clean... It probably would have done them good.

I bet your child has played a role playing shop game before! Walking around the shop talking about the food, where it comes from, it's health benefits, how it's made... Weighing the veg, calculating the cost, counting the change. It all has educational value. Of course a school child could do this with their parents too. I don't think anyone solely educated their children via shopping trips.

MindSweeper · 10/09/2016 01:11

Children educated at home are four times more likely as young adults to be out of work, education or training than those who go to school.

Well done guys.

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:11

nolonger well, they're readily available in this house. Grin There are tutors, study groups, people sharing skills in home ed groups. I've seen various courses just in my area for science courses (including lab work), history, sewing, various sports, French, debate, IT, and numerous other subject matter in the last year. Some for a small fee, some free.

nolongersurprised · 10/09/2016 01:12

unavailablebiscuit one of my DC was obsessed with Space at 6. She knows all the moons of every planet, all about the dwarf planets, black holes, the lot. She will still need to be taught calculus.

JenLindleyShitMom · 10/09/2016 01:14

if school is now anything like it was ten years ago when I went to high school it's more people dicking about rather than the quality of education.

So half the country were dicking around for their entire education. Meaning the state school system (that's had a few years to perfect itself) had these people for 12 years and couldn't during those 12 years teach them how to sit and behave enough to learn where a vagina was or how to spell simple words? and that's the system we're calling preferable? Really?

UnavailableBiscuit · 10/09/2016 01:16

nolongersurprised
And I'm sure you could help her learn it given enough time and resources. Or you could outsource to somebody who could.

nolongersurprised · 10/09/2016 01:24

I'm not disputing that there are tutors and other home edders with a range of skills. I'm just questioning how specialised the resources are for bright kids, particularly in maths. I have tutored maths myself - I was perfectly good at it. I'm not in the UK so I can't give GCSE grades but I was second in my school. However, i have no intrinsic maths ability, I couldn't have done a pure maths degree. I could work calculus out but I'd be only teaching from the rules, rather than from genuine comprehension.

MindSweeper · 10/09/2016 01:25

JenLindleyShitMom

Clearly it's more complex than that, but it's funny out of all those people, you'd rather someone who has potentially no qualifications teach children than the educated lot who have proven their knowledge and expertise

And it's obviously showing, with what I posted prior. I cannot believe people are setting their children up to be 4 times less likely to be employed or in education.

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:31

I guess you need to keep in mind that not all children will be working at high level maths. For those that do, some parents will be perfectly able to teach high level maths. Some parents will be able to source an appropriate tutor or other person with the needed skills. Some may access some support from the local LA (as that is also available for HE'ers).

You say you're not disputing that the people with the necessary skills are out there, so I'm not quite sure why you're struggling with this.

MindSweeper · 10/09/2016 01:32

^Obtaining an accurate figure on home educated children is difficult. This is
because there is no legal obligation for parents to notify a LA of their
intentions to home educate (and, through which, children could be counted
via school rolls for example)^

Does anyone believe that this should be changed? I think there should be an obligation to notify LA of home education.

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:36

MindSweeper Piffle. I know a fair number of people that went through the school system that are now unemployed and not in further education. I think you're beating a dead horse on that argument. It's apples and oranges when you take into account that quite a few children that are home educated are HE because they could not cope with school or were failed by the school system due to their disabilities. Many of those children would not be employed or in further education at this point even had they remained in school.

JenLindleyShitMom · 10/09/2016 01:36

Clearly it's more complex than that,

It's actually bollocks. Your assertion, that is. The one that half the population can't spell simple words or locate the vagina.

you'd rather someone that has potentially no qualifications teach children than the educated lot who have proven their knowledge and expertise

Actually I'd rather the ones that had proven their knowledge and expertise were better supported by our government to actually teach, and to teach in smaller classes with more classroom support for those that needed it, better resources and less time spent box ticking and prepping children for yet more assessments. But it doesn't look like that's happening any time soon so I'm glad people have the choice to teach their children in alternative ways to the current state education system.

I cannot believe people are setting their children up to be 4 times less likely to be employed or in education

I raised an eyebrow at that assertion too. A link to that source would be great. Preferably one that defined what was meant by "young adult" and "in education".

GingerIvy · 10/09/2016 01:40

I think there should be an obligation to notify LA of home education.

Actually, if a child is withdrawn from school, the LA is notified. And even if a child never attends school, they are still not invisible by virtue of having been registered at birth, seen their HV/GP/dentist, just for a start.

All the needed laws are there. It's just that communication between agencies is dreadful, people are alarmist and getting overwrought over the wrong things, and sadly even if all children were required to be "registered" somewhere regarding education, there would still be children slipping through the cracks - and a lot of them would be attending school.

MindSweeper · 10/09/2016 01:48

ginger
And? Still remains the fact HE is four times more likely.

jen
I'd prefer that too. But we haven't got that. Until then we still have qualified people doing it, rather than people who have simply decided they have the capability to teach. It'd be interesting to see some of these HE lesson plans Hmm

The stat came from www.theguardian.com/education/2009/oct/13/home-education-badman-inquiry, of which I'm trying to find the original study of which it originates.