To think a lot of children won't be going back to school?

[DearLiza]

Most people I know, with some exceptions, have been saying how much their primary-school aged children are enjoying being off. I gather they're doing a limited amount of academic work though. It got me thinking, if there is at least one SAHP in the household, maybe some people won't send their children back in when the time comes. What do you think?

My eldest in year 8 has had a seamless timetable delivered remotely by her independent school since the start of lockdown so she isn’t missing out academically. She misses her friends and the little independence she had. Middle girl in year 4 is so driven to learn and her maths has improved hugely at home without the fear of getting it wrong in front of her peers. My reception age girl just wants to watch My Little Pony all day and night and it’s a battle getting her to do anything. They are all going back the minute we get the green light.

@Annamaria14 Please stop saying ‘alot’ every time you say it, it makes it less believable that you were an actual teacher. I’m guessing you mean ‘ a lot’ as in ‘many’ not ‘allot’ as in ‘ apportion or allocate’ ?

@ForgettySpaghetti if correcting some one makes you feel better, I guess that is your thing. I never correct any of the many mistakes that I see on here, as I know that people are typing on their phones, and most people do not use perfect English on their phones.

Just looking quickly at this page (as I don't care about mistakes) @Notenoughchocolateomg is not using perfect English either. Are you going to correct her aswell?

@Annamaria14. Yep, things needed to change. It's just so sad people have had to die for things to change

@Notenoughchocolateomg the online gaming is another problem bubbling under the radar.

Everything is being pushed online, even our kids. There will be hundreds of thousands of them being parented by iPad and Xbox throughout the lockdown for multiple reasons.

Even the children who “hate” school and are seemingly “happier at home” (which is becoming a new MN mantra) get a lot more from school than just learning things. The benefits may be very subtle for some, but take away the framework of traditional schooling and we will have a whole generation of young people who are hidden behind controllers and devices and cannot function in the real world.

It makes it a lot less believable someone was a teacher because they used incorrect spelling on mumsnet?

Jeez. what an unnecessary dig.

I have home educated DD for 2 1/2 years. This period has confirmed I could not HE DS. He is hard work to get to do anything.

My 14yo DD is very self motivated and has said in an ideal world she would go back 15 hours a week for teaching, have lunch and then go and work at home for the other three or four hours ‘without all the annoying boys shouting in class’.

Reading comments from pps made me think that the school is definitely better than what's happening now.
Yes, the school can send resources for children to learn, gain the knowledge. But what about bouncing different ideas among many? I can't give that to my dc. Learning is not just about learning facts. You can do that at home, but getting inspired by other people's opinions is more important than just learning facts.

I think Annamaria14, is being perfect respectful and I agree with her

Also people that pull up others spelling, come as pathetic imo

Across

I agree Lardlizard, it's unkind and quite petty.

I’m so thinking of you, parents, having to look after and educate young ones at home While also working and cooking and co. Keep thinking how glad I am not dealing with it with my fighty boys. Now grown up and don’t fight. You guys deserve some of that clapping on thursdays.

Personally I'd love to be a sahm and I've always wanted to homeschool HOWEVER... now I don't. I still want to be sahm but not as a home schooler. Even though I am capable of teaching my son, I just don't have the patience that teachers have and he needs school for the social aspect as I'm a bit of a loner.

We home ed our 6 children and have loved it. The eldest was supposed to be sitting IGCSEs this year - but will have to sit them next year instead!

In one way it would be fab for more children to home ed but I do worry that if there is a sudden increase it will mean the enforcement of inspections and checks on children without evidence of wrongdoing.

I can’t remember who posted it but someone up thread mentioned compulsory medical checks for home ed children - really??

I am not a teacher , homeschooling does not come naturally to me .
I love how confident school made my dd and how much progress she was making with work as well as learning the ups and downs of friendship groups .
I could never take that away from her , school is a fantastic part of their lives (for most children ) and my dd misses it terribly

In one way it would be fab for more children to home ed
Why do you think that ?

According to recent Sutton Trust study, about 2/3rds of students in the UK are not accessing online lessons and outlines that the achievement gap is likely widening for more deprived students. Families without access to internet, devices, non-native English speakers etc will likely fall behind their peers. There aren't easy solutions, but it is a very difficult time for many families.

Judging by absolutely everyone i know at my children's school and every social media meme on the subject, I think it's more likely that there'll be scenes reminiscent of the Oxford Street Boxing Day sales of old, to get kids back through the school doors!
As an aside, I personal believe home education in the UK should be a lot more regulated, but that's just my humble opinion.

*personally !

It doesn't affect us now, but I hope if more children become H.ed it doesn't mean that it will become regulated.
The whole idea of H.ed is so that parents are free from rules and regulations, policies and procedures.

I think a lot of parents whose kids struggled with school for one reason or another have debated home schooling them but been afraid to take the risk and try it. I know I spent years agonising over whether to take my partially deaf son out of school and home educate him. He really struggled with the format of traditional school and would have been a good candidate for homeschooling in terms of his personality. We kept him in school, though, because he had a nice friendship group and I thought he needed that. But if I had had the chance to try out home schooling for a half term when he was in primary school I may or may not have sent him back afterwards.

He is sixteen now, and I think we are glad we muddled through. After begging to be homeschooled in primary school he was horrified at the idea when I mentioned it in secondary school. But we will never know and I will always wonder if this lockdown had happened when he was eight would we have carried on homeschooling him?

I know there are lots of kids who don't quite fit into the formal schooling boxes, whose parents must have had similar thoughts and who may decide home schooling is more successful than they thought.

YankeeinKingArthursCourt, I haven't read the study but surely not accessing online lessons is not always about ability to do so? We are a middle-class household with money for devices but we don't want our children constantly on them. Online education is not what I would call a well rounded education so my children will not be participating- they are not deprived.

@Devlesko what would be wrong if a register and an annual check that a form of education actually happens? That the parents are providing space, materials and some form of planning? And that a child makes some form of progress in reading, writing and maths? Yes, “curriculum” could be more flexible but a check that an education is actually provided should be on the record.

@Goldenbear DD’s secondary school provides all lesson materials electronically but only 1/3 actually requires the laptop to do them. The rest is done on paper and they have to be scanned in and returned or if that’s not possible typed in word and send by email, hardly different to her homework. I see a huge difference between working in word to watching YouTube and playing games.

We make sure DD takes regular breaks and is devise free after school.

I think especially in secondary working on a laptop is a lot more common and will be even more in the future.

reluctant

The LA can check if they believe an education isn't taking place.
It's usually an annual letter asking what resources you have been using, type of education, which subjects you have chosen etc.
Planning is usually done differently to schools, but usually exists in some form.
I spent a summer planning lessons, schemes of work, following the NC.
They lasted about a week and were practically useless, as my dd wasn't interested in following a curriculum, let alone the gov NC.
Obviously, much of the freedom would be gone under bureaucracy if we allowed gov to interfere with parents H.edding.