replicating private school education

[morethanpotatoprints]

I was wondering if anybody had tried this mainly in terms of subject and if it had worked.
As far as resources and subjects go I am finding that both dh and I along with dd seem to be favouring the same type of philosophy I gather they use at private schools.
For example, dh would like to go down the route of emphasis on English Grammar and old fashioned (best way to describe) approach, which tends to be in line with PS entrance exam preparation.
We have no intention of sending dd to Grammar/ private school but do like this approach.
Has anybody done this and what resources/teaching methods did you use.
I know this approach probably wouldn't be popular with many but we are quite old fashioned thinking.

Exotic.

I was trying to say the same really, although I'll admit reference to the nc and ISEB will be a bit of a crutch.

Its hard to write while dd is singing favourite things and climb every mountain arghhhhhh.

Helen, I'm debating whether to buy the answer books as it doesn't half push the cost up. Will I need these or should we manage without? I know they give advice for marking/ scheme but as we're not looking at Grammar school entry are they worth it?

Hi all new to home education decided to take my child out of junior school due to bullying by adult couldent resolve it so i have decded to home educate as with me he is safer. I am in the process of giving notice to the school, can anyone advise if i need to tell my local Authority and what do i tell the school if anything? my child is 11 and i am looking for ideas for where i can get resources, freebies etc any advice will be welcomed thanks ps i live in Dagenham essex anyone know of anyone forums this way or newham ilford thanks in advance

Morethanpotatoprints, I know this is really pedantic but I must ask... why do you write grammar with a capital 'g' each time you write it-I am intrigued!?

tina - will PM you, so as not to hijack morethan's thread!

morethan - I have bought the answer books for Galore Park History, Maths and English. I deliberated over whether to bother with English, as this is the subject I feel most comfortable with, but I decided that I could do with the guidance, as I am not familiar enough with modern exam questions to know if DS is giving the appropriate answers.

Toffeewhirl. I think I may need to invest in the answer books too. I suppose it will take the savings from not having to buy school uniform.

Letseatgrandma.

Capital letters are a problem for me along with many other things I should have learned at school. I didn't have a very good education tbh.
Its funny you should use the word pedantic this made me laugh.
I heard the word spoken many years ago and thought wow i'd sound so intelligent if I slipped this into conversation. A few weeks later dh asked if I knew what it meant and was I trying to be clever.
He has helped me a great deal over the years and I have worked hard to improve my skills.

I am not offended by you asking though.

I love the Well Trained Mind (WTM) forum and I get most ideas of my curricular ideas from there. The forum has moved and its no longer just about the classical curriculum but much more. America's homeschooling is much more advanced and you get many more rigorous home schoolers with some doing it for religious reasons.

There are some there who do 7+ hours a day with their kids but many more who just work average hours. In the UK I find most homeschooling material is geared more towards and autonomous approach. The WTM for me is a fantastic resources if you want a more structured education.

I would recommend reading her book and get an idea of where she is coming from and I borrowed it from our local library. We don't even follow a classical approach and don't do subjects like Greek or Latin but its still quite useful for other things. Her approach is geared towards literature and classics, wereas we are non of that and are more science-y but find the forum incredibly useful for ideas and suggestion. It also make me feel like I am not a loon as most UK forums and groups are geared towards a more autonomous approach.

We do use some Galore Parks books too and recommend getting the answer book. History we didn't like much, it was too UK centric for me. Just wanted a more broader perspective from ancient to modern times so we use something different.

Regarding English, Galore Park is certainly good but is only useful if you are good yourself with English. Its meant to be used by teachers in class so it doesn't offer ideas on "how to"....I hope I am making sense.

For that reason we now use an American curriculum with more how to on my part and after that we may come back to Galore Park.

The major downside is that it cost quite a bit in shipping ordering from the US. There is loads of material that you can download too like this www.currclick.com/ but that mean printing cost too.

There are also loads of online classes, haven't tried any but there is one we are interested in. I am sure it will be good fun with Yankees, they have their own way and culture of doing stuff but hey we live in a World Wide World, the earlier they get that the better.

I would second (or third/ fourth) Galore Park if you want to replicate a private education. Not really like the National Curriculum at all; far more traditional and thorough. I used their books with both of mine for a while, particularly with my elder daughter who came out of school at 12. Their English books are very good. Much better and more stretching than anything you'd get in a state school. I believe some private schools use them as textbooks.

Does anybody think I will be able to manage to teach at this level of English though, (Galore Park) I have seen some sample pages and it doesn't seem too bad, but I haven't tried to explain anything yet.
I am brushing up on grammar and I have dh to help but most of the responsibility will be mine as I can't always rely on him for time/being here. I think I could do with something that helped with "the how to" like Munashe mentioned.

Oh yes you can. Your DC is young, my DC is secondary school age so it get a little tricky. I would just recommend you get the answer book if you have any self doubts.

If you want a grammar programme, we use 'Writing with Ease' by Susan Wise Bauer (DD is 6). DD (and I) love this programme. As you progress through the workbooks (each is designed to last apx 1yr) they are designed to help with skills like drawing out the facts from a piece of written work and how to argue a point using facts/logic.

We got ours from Ichthus Resources. It is worth looking at SWB's website first to work out which level you might want to start your child at - or you could call Ichthus.
For other things, we will be using 'Classical Conversations' /Foundation curriculum from the States. It covers pretty much everything except English/Maths (art, history, geography, science, music) and we go to co-ops for other things.

Jumping into this discussion (I have had a MN break!)

I am not a fan of WTM (or any of their resources - we used Story of the World 1 which contains multiple historical errors) but I know many love it.

My ds (who is a bright 10yo) loves Winston Grammer (purchased from Conquest books) so you could consider that in a few years (your dd is too young atm)

Reading your posts I always think you have perfectly good grammar/sentances/spelling so I wouldnt worry too much (unlike many on MN)
Dont worry too much about your ability to teach her things and your own knowledge - put the right materials in her hands and she will be fine. My ds is an expert on many subjects I cant write more than a sentance about, yet somehow he has taught himself!

Have confidence :)

ThreadWatcher. Thank you. I am beginning to feel a bit more confident now. I will keep a reminder of your suggestion. I suppose many new to H.ed ask the question,"Am I good enough?"

I do wonder daily "am I good enough?"
Then I see my dc doing something amazing and think "It WILL be ok!"
:)

There is a course intended to run alongside Writing with Ease called First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, available from amazon and Ichthus Resources, which focuses much more on the grammar side of things. It's written by Jessie Wise (Susan Wise Bauer's mother).

It teaches grammar very thoroughly and explains things really well. It also includes narration, copywork, dictation and memory work, which were all important in an 'old-fashioned' education!

For some reason I have found myself pondering this thread today, I think it's because I'm not sure what you mean by replicating private school education. Private schools include Steiner, Montessori, Summerhill and all sorts of progressive schools as well as traditional prep and public schools. Do you mean 'provide a traditional and rigorous education'? Or do you mean 'pass exams early and do lots of extra-curricular activities' or do you mean 'learn Latin and Greek and grammar'? Because there are a couple of important aspects of a more traditional education you won't be able to replicate, including the competitiveness in sports and academics, and the peer group. Without these it does basically come down to curriculum - and you seem quite focused on grammar. Why is that? There was an interesting letter in the Guardian last week by Stephen Krashnian (?) who is an academic, criticising government policy in primary schools and specifically saying there is no evidence that teaching grammar at primary level leads to better grammar, nor that learning lists of spelling improves spelling, it's just the way things have been done and actually what improves these things is lots and lots of reading. I wonder why it is that you want to replicate private education? Would you still want to do it even if lots of it is not necessarily the best way to do things, it's just the way things have always been done? I am not trying to be critical, just musing.

Op,

On a different tack, if you want to track down books do try Abe books, an online service that brings together lists from different independent second Hans booksellers.

I have just bought French grammars for about 2 pounds each.

They are old fashioned and rigorous because my Ds, logical but dyslexic, cannot make head nor tale of his modern text books (too cluttered, no apparent system) and he and I have been in despair.

So as well as those recommended here, and I too think galore park is good, check out Abe and avoid spending a fortune.

Chocolatecrispies.

I'm not sure if you'll come back to this and sorry I missed your post.

I really like the idea of a more traditional approach and feel this may work for dd as it did for me. It is not really about private ed per se but have heard there is a similar approach taken to learning as we would like to do. I went to state school many many moons ago and didn't really learn much grammar as I feel they don't today.
I am dyslexic and pretty much certain dd is too, with similar problems to me.
She responds well to rote learning and I think if it works well why not. She has not responded well to phonics and I think a traditional approach here would be good too. I will teach what I can through rote but may include a twist here and there, maybe rap, rhyme etc.
I could say more if I could put it into words but struggling a bit here. The grammar is important to us as dh went to a really good grammar school and can write, read, to a good level and always has exactly the right word.

thewhistler.

I hadn't thought of the cluttered books until you mentioned it, but I see what you mean. Its early days for us yet but have noticed the clear sheets almost like worksheet type of books allow dd to achieve more, in terms of correct answers, and neatness. No hope for the spelling atm.
I will certainly look at the French books as she would like to learn both French and Italian. What have I let myself in for?