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?

Have you decided against this move then?

I would not keep a child out of school because I was worried they weren't going to make friends. They're definitely not going to make friends at the kitchen table. And that generation have had more than enough social isolation.

Totally this - I regularly had an hours round trip school run in the morning when my kids were at different schools, it is nothing. They used to practise spelling and singing in the car etc.
Really mean to pull her out of last year at primary whatever she says.
Your new house will probably be delayed and then it wont even be a year more like 6 months?
Then everyone is a winner.

Move house and just drive her the 30 mins each way!

If it really is the perfect house, why not buy it and rent it out for a year and rent near your daughter's school while she finishes year 6... or if you can afford it your DN and DD1 stay in the new house and you rent with DD2 Mon to Thurs during term time?

You can’t leave her in front of a screen for 3 days whilst you work that’s not home schooling. Just send her to school. Why don’t you want her to go. Does she want to go to the new school for year 6? She’s not going to get any friends to go up to the school with if she’s kept at home.

Yes - this!

Get her in breakfast clubs and afterschool clubs. Or move her to a local school

I didn't realise it's only 30 minutes away - it's only for a year and you'll be in your dream house.

The pandemic taught me that I could never home school

I am very pro home education in the right circumstances, have one adult child who was home ed & one teen who is now home ed.

Oak Academy by itself is NOT going to be enough, so where is the majority of this education going to come from?
At that age, a child will need a lot of hands on time from an adult, so are you going to be doing that?

You cannot expect a child that age to buckle down & study in isolation for a year during the day while you get on with your work.

It doesn't seem like this is actually about the best interests of your child & their education.

Your child seems to be thriving in a school environment & has expressed no desire to be home ed.
To base this decision on your desire not to do a long drive seems all about you.

If you can't find the time to get your child to school, how are you going to get the time to educate them?

Who is going to educate them on the days you are at work?

Thanks to the many responses I've had I'm now absolutely sure I won't be homeschooling DD2, but for the purpose of tying up loose ends...

DD2 and I had done a rough calculation of the hours of learning she does at school - minus lunch/playtime/assemblies etc. she has approx. 3.5 hours of lessons a day, so I was initially thinking of using a mixture of Oak Academy (plus any other Home Ed resources?) from 9:00 until 12:30, my work is flexible so I would’ve been able to give her some time during my working day (similar to during lockdown) and catch up on my work in the evenings - although I hadn't really thought about it in that much detail. We would not leave DD2 on her own at home, ever.

The drive back and forth from the "new house" to the current primary school would be 30 minutes each way, totally 2 hours of driving each way - as many of you have pointed out, this isn't a lot at all, I think we've just been too spoilt as at the moment we only live a 2 minute walk away - so shamefully I baulked at the idea of driving 2 hours a day. I've told myself to suck it up!

To those that have mentioned that I shouldn't let my experience of Y6 put me off changing primary schools for DD2 now - I think it's also because there are currently a few really mean girls in her class and I don't want her to meet new mean girls (better the devil you know I suppose) But looking at it from a different angle, perhaps she might meet some really nice new friends in a new school.

For a school half an hour away, I'd try to got her there if I could. That's closer than my closest school! Arranging some local childcare might help if it is the timings of the pick ups that is making it difficult.

If it really absolutely isn't possible, then I'd try a local school.

While I have no problem with homeschooling when this is an active choice, I wouldn't homeschool a dc who is used to school and getting on well there for a single year.

I mean, if you have the time to home educate, surely you have the time to take her to her current school?

We had a terrible time trying to find a school for Ds for year 6.

Lots of schools saying they would take him if forced to but…..

I do agree with going into a new school for year 6 as it will give her a chance to make friends and have a network when going into year 7

Why would you do this for a year?!?

Get her enrolled in the local school, a year is a very, very long time.

You should either move her to a new school, or find a way to fit in the travel to keep her at her current school, or not move at all.

Don't do the home schooling thing, that sounds rubbish for her.

*While I have no problem with homeschooling when this is an active choice, I wouldn't homeschool a dc who is used to school and getting on well there for a single year.

I mean, if you have the time to home educate, surely you have the time to take her to her current school?*

Exactly this.

You should only homeschool when it's in the interest of the child.

Not for your own convenience.

God I missed it’s a thirty min drive.

im shocked anyone could be this selfish. And you’d give her some time during your working day. That’s big of you.

no one likes to be inconvenienced by their children do they op when you don’t need to bother and your house and time at home is more important to you . Canr be arsed with the school run,

Yup stick her in front of the computer. give her some time when you can spare it. Don’t do what’s best for her. Do what’s best for you.

poor girl

Go for the new school - it's a practice run at making new friends, ready for year 7. If she doesn't go to school, it's going to be harder for her to get to know other kids locally, which is worthwhile even if she's not going to the local secondary.

Her experience of year 6 might be wonderful. It might be so-so. If it's a complete disaster, there's nothing to stop you pulling her out halfway throughthe year.

i too missed that the current school is only 30 minutes drive away.

I did an hours driving just taking Dd to and from the tube station each day. A 30 minute drive is nothing.
DD had 2 tube trains and a bus or a 20 minute walk to get to her school each day from when she was 10 years old

I know it's not ideal but just do the drive. It's for just over 10 months with a lot of holidays and breaks. If you and DH split it, it's doable.

Work from a cafe/library local to the school 1-2 times a week and save petrol money. I currently drive 3 hours a day for similar reasons, and I have no one to share it with.

It's a lot and I hate it but my kids are much smaller and don't travel that well. It'll soon come to and end.

I would take a tour of local schools with your DD. You'll get a feel for the school, ask about the culture of the school and how they tackle bullying.

If she's bright they'll be glad to have her due to SATs

Some interesting posts on this thread by a PP who didn't move one of their kids in Y6 and then did move the other one. The one who moved school for Y6 and went up to Y7 with some friends had by far the easier time.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/4752990-best-least-worst-time-to-have-to-move-school

Where would she sit her 11plus and SATs if you pull her?

Sounds miserable for her OP. Where's the socialising and friends? It's miserable enough working from home alone I can't imagine how depressing it would be for a child.

I moved when DD was year 6. She settled in well at her new school which she attended from Christmas. She made new friends who went to the grammar school with her.

Send her to a new school for one year, there may well be other children there going to the same secondary as her. Being home schooled will be very isolating for her if you are working from home. I'm a secondary teacher and I cannot emphasise enough the mental health impacts of 'lockdown' style learning, where students just sat in front of oak academy style lessons, has had on children of that age. Not to mention the decline in socials skills and confidence.

We moved the same distance away when my son was in year 4. I drove him there and back every day, becuase I felt a new house and a new sibling (the reason for the move) was change enough for him. so it’s completely feasible that you can do that drive for 1 year.
he was also in year 5 and year 6 for the disruption of covid, and went from an assured very high pass of the 11+ (we were aiming for the best school in the area which is super selective) to at Easter before the 11+ which was October that year due to covid, me literally believing he might not even pass. And that was with me fully home schooling him through covid, I was not working and we spent a lot of time and effort doing work and 11+ papers etc. he was below a pass on every single mock paper he took at that Easter. So the damage that not being in school can do for these students is quite significant in my opinion. He did actually pass and he did pass enough to get into his chosen school, but it was not a given by any means and we were all pleasantly surprised by his score and I had really lowered his expectations because he had struggled so much with home schooling.
He also struggled a fair amount with the transition to secondary. I don’t think the friends is relevant, plenty start secondary without
knowing anyone, my son was one of them, however the work load in a grammar is intense and year 6 works a lot towards preparing them. My son missed out on a lot of that due to covid and it showed significantly.
I would keep her in her current school and drive her every day, it is doable. And it is necessary in my opinion.

We moved our son going into year 6 and he got on really well. It also meant he had twice the number of friends at his secondary school as he had friends from both primary schools. Realistically I think homeschooling when you work full time isn't feasible