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?

30 mins each way would be my dream! I drive 45 mins to an hour in traffic to get my DS to college 4 days a week. I then have to drive back home and be back there to collect. Just like a school run but much further away than when he was in school. I do have to do this as he has needs which mean he can’t get his own way there at the moment. One day.

The travel time aside, if none of her current school mates will be feeding into the new secondary school you might want to move her to the one near the new house anyway Op. My friend moved her DD across the country ready for y6 and her dd has thrived.

FYI - I do 2 hours of school runs every day. We moved house 2 years ago and our children loved their school so much and I didn’t want to move them. I have another 4 and a half years of doing it until they will all be moved over to a local high school. It’s a nightmare and I resent it every day, but sometimes you have to do what is best for your children and not what is most convenient for yourself.

We home educate and have done for years

best decision we ever made and my child would be in year 6. It’s more social than ever and I just couldn’t recommend it enough!

Experienced Year 6 teacher. Your plan is madness. It's more common than you'd imagine for children to join in and throughout Y6. I've had one join in November- a shy and retiring child who nevertheless has already settled in and made a good group of friends, ready for secondary transition. Indeed I am thinking back fondly to new children who've arrived in my Year 6 classes and settled in brilliantly- in one case totally changing the social dynamic for the better. We do so much work in Year 6 that is so important for children's development: PSHE including puberty, secondary transition, meeting the police to talk about independent travel, and a lot of work on friendships etc- all things that you simply can't get on your own at home with someone who doesn't have the experience of working with this age group.

As a teacher I have worked at 4 schools, we have never ranked students as the top of the class, out of curiosity, what are they using to create this rank system? Do they also inform the bottom of the class?

We have several parents that pressure their children though, and just because she’s “top” of her primary class it doesn’t mean she’s there for all primary schools in the area, I would put some eggs in another basket so if it all goes wrong she doesn’t feel a failure.

I’m in the same dilema. But also my eldest went to grammar school and years later dropped
off and started working.
To be honest with you I don’t really understand the big thing around 11+ because every child
will pass onto the next level anyway. Apologies my ignorance, I am not form the UK.

In my experience of moving houses - many along the years- it have not affected my children. They let contact with the friends that they enjoyed and due to moving to a much area of the country the one left in school succeeded in making friends again and is a happy child.
Go for the house and everything else will accommodate around it :)

I am going through the same for my next move as well, so I understand that is tricky.
good luck !

Put her in a new school so she can make some friends before moving into secondary school. I think you are being quite selfish considering disrupting her Education to suit your lifestyle. She needs to attend a school to socialise and will benefit from a qualified teacher and other school activities. It will be very traumatic making the move to secondary with no familiar faces from primary.

My daughter moved schools for year 6, she had a fab transition year.

It won’t be traumatic 😂 My daughter who stayed in school for year 6 went to a different secondary school from the rest of the year and knew no one. She was absolutely fine!

I totally understand that people think it would be selfish and not in her interests if you weren’t going to do the home Ed ‘properly’ but it seems that people think you can’t make friends if you’re home educated 🤔 You definitely can! She could make new home Ed friends just as she could make new friends in a new primary.

A friend of mine was due to move into a new build last November and now hoped to have keys by end of this month so you may get another term at current school anyway!

Definitely the house. Home schooling in year 6 is totally up to you. If you can afford tuition or 11+ tuition then this is a really big plus in favour of the move.

I’d wait to move as it’s not urgent. I’ve got a couple of friends who use the online school, for different reasons and these are secondary aged kids and they enjoy them. But no I wouldn’t do it just for a nice house when plenty more will come along.

Personally, I would change schools. She will have a chance of making friends locally. If she doesn't do well in her 11+, she will have friends in her new secondary. If she does, she'll have friends locally.

this

its just selfish and unfair on your child. Socially she will be missing out on so much

I am not a fan of homeschooling from the social side. Every single kid ive met that is homeschooled you can spot them a mile off

My daughter started in year 6 and was fine, she also made friends who went up to secondary school with her, I would definitely not homeschool her.

Just to let everyone know. Home educating is not lonely! Not for us and the many families we know

30 mins each way isn’t a lot, Ive just moved this past weekend, I could see dd school from the kitchen window. However got offered a new build 30 mins away, I needed the house more than I needed to be close to the school, so far both dds are coping well with the commute as technically it’s only 30 mins each way for them and they are both special needs. It’s really not so bad, so if I was you, I’d go for the house and suck up the drive which will only be an hour each way for you, it flys by when you put on some tunes on the radio!! Make sure you go a coffee aswell! You’ll be fine!

3 days a week of oak academy doesn’t sound like home schooling. It sounds like lockdown learning, and bloody lonely and depressing.

I would try to get her into a school for the remainder of yr 6. Then she will be moving to secondary school with friends. However many schools resist taking in new year 6 children as they're coming up for sats.

You certainly can do all those things and more through home ed

Traumatic 😂 my son went to a secondary that is less than 0.5 miles away from the primary he went to and he didn’t know a single child going there. He’s fine. And I actually think it benefitted him that he could make new friends without being hindered by people he already knew, or feeling any obligation to existing friends.

you’re right, but the op isn’t actually suggesting home educating in any real way.

OP has already answered about her plans.

I've seen that you've decided not to homeschool, and so now you are deciding between keeping her at her old school or going to a new one.
I just wanted to mention that a lot of the Year 5 and 6 children in my school go home alone, getting a bus or tube. Is it absolutely necessary for your DD to get a lift both ways? Could she sometimes come home under her own steam?
Almost all year 7 children travel independently, she's not so far off that.

Really surprised that you say that about y6! It’s been the best year for my dc. Waaaay less hmk than y5/4 and no 11 plus to prep for! Every week just seems to have another fun type event on! Im not sure about the SATS..our school doesn’t partake, so maybe that helps.