to homeschool for a year just for a new house

[SenoritaFajita]

We’ve fallen for a new build which ticks almost all our boxes, and will be ready to move into this summer. We’d look to live here for at least the next 15 years.

The house is close to the office for both DH and I (we alternate wfh days) and also to DD1’s school.

However… DD2 will be starting Y6 in September and it wouldn’t be feasible for us to drive from the new house to her current school (total 2 hours driving back and forth each day).

As long as her 11+ results are as predicted, DD2 should be going to the same secondary school as DD1.

I don’t want her to start a new school in Y6 so I’m considering pulling her out of school altogether and homeschooling for the final year. Realistically this would mean Oak Academy for the 3 days I’m working, then I have 2 days off where we could do more “fun” and interactive learning.

She herself has said she wouldn’t mind missing out on her residential, final year performance and prom… but will she regret this? WWYD?

How can you work from home and homeschool at the same time? Sounds impossible and also pretty sure your employer wouldn't approve.

Suck up the drive (or could she get a bus?) and keep her at school for the year.

We moved half a term into year 6. The year 6 DC coped fine, and although it sounds like awful timing it was actually good. His new class knew each other well (too well), same as he was stuck in some slightly unhealthy friendships in his old school, so a bit of fresh blood from both perspectives was good. He then knew people going into year 7.

Regarding school work, it was so similar, as I think all schools do basically the same thing (even though on paper school 2 was better) that it didn’t impact him at all. Only thing was the DC did a couple of topics they’d already done (eg the solar system) and missed a couple out.

He said it took 2 weeks to settle into school after the long covid lockdown, but 2 days to settle into his new school.

I’d only ever home school if it was to the benefit of the child.

@SenoritaFajita I'm going to go against the grain here as we did something similar. We actually pulled ds out of school before we moved (June of year 4) because he was unhappy. We finally moved house in the November of his year 5 and I thought about moving him to a local school. But we knew he was going to try for grammar like his sister, and to be honest the local comps weren't great, so we probably wouldn't have sent him to one if he'd not got into the grammar. So there wasn't a massive benefit to him going to a local primary , as it was unlikely anyone else in his class, other than maybe 1 or 2, would be going on to one of the grammars, as they're superselective round here.

I think what people are also missing is that year 6 is really tedious (our daughter was never home schooled) - loads and loads of SATS practice and only a tiny bit of fun at the end of the year. We spent the end of year 5 prepping ds for his 11 plus, but other than that, he had a much more relaxed year 5 and 6 than he would have done at school, did lots of trips (with parents and with the home ed community - there's huge amounts of stuff organised round here) and probably spent half an hour to an hour on 'school work' each day. He coped with year 7 in grammar school fine. He didn't know anyone else going and he had a long journey on the bus, but he adapted easily. I think he was more confident socially than his peers who'd just been at primary, as he was used to meeting people.

Y6 is the year that they all are getting ready for high school. Even with this support from the school, my DS struggled initially to adapt to high school because it is so different from primary. And it gave him chance to say goodbye properly to his friends (he was going to a different high school to most of them). I know it's a long old way but I would still take her.

Why miss out on the house of your dreams, for the sake of a bit of extra driving? If you work from home, it's just like adding an hour's commute each way to your day, which is what many thousands of people routinely do. Presumably DD1 can get themself to school, being Secondary age, so you only need to drive DD2. I wouldn't homeschool for a year, no way, and I understand why you don't want to move schools. But I would definitely drive DD2 to their own school, once the move is finalised. And I my experience of new builds is anything to go by, it won't actually be completed on schedule, so you may well not need to do the drive for that long anyway.

@SenoritaFajita bear in mind that people on mumsnet are generally very conservative and like to do things 'the right way'. There's a lot of scepticism about home ed and people do think you can only really learn in a school. It's not true! You'd be amazed at how much time is wasted in school (and this is something my ds still moans about in year 12!). There are also loads of great resources, you don't need to use Oak Academy. Mystery Science was great - lots of really interesting videos and experiments to try. Conquer Maths was also very good and clear and we also used Khan Academy for Maths, as it's free. The home ed days at our local science museum (Think Tank in Birmingham) were brilliant and the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford also did some interesting days, like a hands on archaelogy day.

As a result of a house move, my niece started a new school at the end of year 5 (a couple of weeks before the end of term) and was there for year 6. She was very happy there. No harm in starting a new school at that point.

I would start her in the new school. We moved at the end of Y4 and my dd literally had like 5 new best friends after about a week. It was such a smooth transition and she was really happy in her new school. I would feel sad to think of her having missed out on those friendships and the fun she's had.

Let her try the new school. You can always move to online school if it doesn't work out.

For different reasons, I did Y6 at a different primary than I'd been at for the rest of my school life. It had no real impact on who I hung out with at secondary school (as far as I recall), but I had a blast at the new school, and still value the friends and memories I made that year.

Half an hour there half an hour back is nothing!

I thought you meant it took 2 hours to get there!

That's a normal drive to a hill ime.

This is one of the most bonkers ideas I've ever heard on mn.

OP how much time have your spent watching Oak Academy lessons?

We tried in lockdown and both DCs lost interest very quickly indeed. to be fair SOME of the lessons were good but some were delivered in a monosyllabic tone and were the most mundane things I've ever had the misfortune to sit though. Even I lost the will to live on the subject of the Norman Conquest and my degree is in History. Also don't forget Oak Academy may deliver lessons but to the best of my knowledge offer no feed back on what work is done

A whole year with no local friends, no academic feedback, no group work,, not a lot of social interaction, a lot of rather boring screen time and a looming 11+ exam.. I'd see that as a recipe for a mental health breakdown.

Please either find her a school or look into what real home education consists of and do it properly

Surely it would be better for her to go to a local primary for the rest of the year? That way she will have some friends going into secondary school.

Also if both DDs start a new primary school together they will at least have each other.

Put her in school for Year 6. If she doesn’t get the grade needed for 11+, you’ll need to look at local secondary schools. It’s great that she’s very able, but she’s pretty much going to be home learning on her own, whilst you work, so won’t have professional input. Unless you’re going to have her tutored as well.

Your experience probably won’t be her experience and she’ll make friends, some of whom will go to the same secondary.

I am very confused - is your DD1 not at this school at the moment? Are you driving her 2hrs there every day?

Awful idea.

Move your daughter to a different school to finish Year 6 if you can't be arsed travelling - but given you WFH at times, I'd say you're being incredibly mean to your daughter. I would let her stay at her existing school.

I drive 2 hrs a day doing the school run. So what. It's not for ever and the kids need it.

There are 3 DC that have joined my DS's Y6 class this year - all seem to be doing great.

Have you actually gone to see the local primary schools near your dream house and spoken to the head teachers?

I would have thought it would be good to meet other local DC.

I understand that you had a shit time when you moved in Y6 but that doesn't mean that your DD will

I changed schools in year 6. If it helps I have excellent grades, a first class BA and a masters. didn’t go to grammar school. I think staying in a school is better than home schooling when you haven’t done that before

I'd move primary schools. If it doesn't work out you could then home school

Hmm...
I have conflicting thoughts. Home education can be amazing, some Home Ed provisions aren't fit for purpose. There would definitely be worse provisions than this. I feel this is sort of somewhere in the 'ok'/somewhere between the 2. And at this point, children who have been Home educated from the start or at least a few years would be moving into more independent learning / given assignments. And you are there the other 2 days. I think it depends on the child ad to how this would work, and I suppose it is only a year.
I'm not familiar with Oak Academy, so no idea how good the resources are. Probably best combine it with some CGP books for good measure?
Could you afford an online school? I feel like this would be best with the circumstances. Does she attend any clubs? Could you take her to a home ed meet once a week?

DD2 is currently one of the top if not the top student in her year group which is why she "should" pass the 11+, although I understand that there can never be any guarantees

I know quite a few people who have been disappointed when their academically very able child struggles on the day due to some variable or other. I’m sure other more knowledgable posters can correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the pass mark for 11+ and a place at grammar school based upon how the whole cohort in a given year does, rather than being top of a particular class? You are not competing against the child sitting next to you but against (among others) the tutored and the prep schooled AND tutored? That’s how tricky it is in Kent where I am. A year out from classroom teaching and the social side at that age would be pretty catastrophic I’d have thought? Better to be in a new school than at home. I think you’ve decided against it in a later post which is probably wise!

I think my main concern would be that you can't be bothered to drive her half an hour each way, that isn't very far.
I'm not sure that is the best reason to home educate.

I don't think that's strictly true (there are an awful lot of people on MN who home ed themselves, for example).

I think most people realise that home educating can work very well. But equally that expecting your 10 year old child to self learn for 3 days a week on their own, is not an example of it working well.

How would personally feel if she doesn't do well at the end of the year/in the 11+? Would you blame yourself?
I moved primary schools twice and it did really disrupt me and my education so I do understand you not wanting to start her somewhere else just for one year.
When you say it's an hour's drive, is it half an hour there, half an hour back? If so could you afford you pay a cab for her half the week and share the other picks and drops with Dh?

think what people are also missing is that year 6 is really tedious

Possibly another reason DD1 did well with move as we moved to wales away from all the SATs preparation in Y6.