DS begging to be HEed!

[turdass]

DS1 is pleading with me to be Home Edded. He is 5 and in reception. He is not very happy there due to the academic side of things. Ds is very bookish and an excellent reader. he is also very into science. Recently he did a BBC key stage 3 physics revision quiz online and I was shocked to see he got most of the questions right (as all his physics knowledge is self taught from his books). I know he would be ideal for home education and he is not hugely happy at school.

My problems are that I really need to return to work in two years' time. I am a SAHM but we have got into debt in this period as we could never really afford for me to give up work but I did it anyway. DS2 is only 17 months and basically I will have him in the nursery and return to work when he just turns 4.

If I take DS1 out of his school, he may not get back in in a couple of years. Our closest primary is very rough and he was lucky to get into the one he did.

What do other people do? Does such a thing as home educating childcare exist?

It seems a shame for DS1 to be unhappy at school when he needn't be and that we should all feel that school is more than free childcare (which is kind of how we are all seeing it in this family).

Forgot to say that the reason he is unhappy is because they spend a lot of time in class doing phonics/counting etc and he could do all this when he was 3. Have spoken to the teacher countless times and it has achieved very little. I feel that he is only getting an appropriate education outside of school from us although I do think the social side has been good for him.

could you flexi-school till you go back to work. In a year or two the academic side of things at school ,ay have picked up to a level he is more comfortable with?

Am thinking about flexi-schooling ZZZenAgain. I'm not sure the school will agree, though. We had considered getting an ed-psych report done privately re his IQ and learning style to back up our case but DH was HORRIFIED to be told that the test plus report (6 hours work) would be over 1k! So that was the end of that!

That's a lot turdass - get a few other quotes. Our quote was £495 for the ed psych consultation and report.

What's important is to do what is right for your family now, rather than what you know is wrong for your family now just in case it will be hard from that position to do what is right in 2 years' time.

Take him out of school if he wants it.

Put him straight back on the waiting list. If and when a place comes up, revisit whether the time is right now.

And find ways of making money around HE. shift work? work from home?

And yes, there are HE friendly childminders.

hth

"Does such a thing as home educating childcare exist?"

Yes, there are HE friendly childminders. They are usually either already HEing their own children or just open-minded.

Also, I'm a nanny wont be sending DS to school in September. I'm considering advertising as an HE Nanny/Tutor type role when I'm no longer required by my current family.

Hi
I work, although only part-time and we have a nanny type person who has the children when I'm at work and takes them to home ed group or whatever activities they have on, or just hangs out at our home with them. I know people who work pretty much full time and have childcare for their home ed children. We just advertised for someone and found someone who was reasonably sympathetic to home ed. It's tricky because it's a big chunk of what I earn, but apart from that it works pretty well.

Thanks for the info - you have all given me food for thought. Much thanks.