About to deregister DS - scared and excited.

[moovy]

Name changed in case we are identified.

Hello - I am a single parent of a 6 yr old DS.
We have had problems with his small village primary school for over a year now. They are failing to meet his needs academically (he is on the G and T register but that doesn't seem to mean very much.)
He is very bored and very lonely.

The school are failing him both academically and pastorally. To make matters worse they have now decided that anyone who wants their children to get the most out of school are somehow causing them "emotional abuse" by setting "ridiculous expectations"!
I have no idea what this means and neither do many other parents.

Anyway it is the last straw for us and so we are taking the plunge and Home Educating, which is something I have considered for a long time. It will be wonderful to have time for him to pursue his interests without the constant pressure of school limiting what he wants to do.

Do you think I need to give him time to de-school? I was thinking of taking him away for a short holiday to break the pattern of school hours.

Wow! Have no experience of this myself but really admire all you home educators and wish you and DS all the best, moovy.

Sorry can't give advice but applaud your decision.
How can any school say that parents have unrealistic expectations. Any teacher in any school should be ashamed of themselves if they feel parents should accept a basic education and settle for what they get.

All the best ??

Yes, deschool. But no need for heroic holidays away. Just treat it as if every day is a Saturday (God, I love my life )

remember the rule of thumb is a month for every year in an institutional setting. During that time, just watch him engaging with the world around - you may well find that there is no need for you to impose much if anything by the way of structure/ curriculum/ formal learning on top of what he is doing off his own bat.

ommmward at your smug home educating bastard.
Same here, constantly pinching ourselves that it can be so good.

OP

I don't blame you one bit, it is awful that the school aren't prepared to meet your ds needs. Good luck to you.

I removed my DS, now Year 4, during the Easter break (for similar reasons to yourself). He had been at an independent school which had 3 weeks off: we spent the first two as if it was normal holiday and the third - when the state schools returned - as our "trial" week. We then just went straight into a routine and haven't looked back. It is AMAZING to see what he's achieved since then and so rewarding to know that he is engaged and enthusiastic again. Most afternoons are free for other activities and my only regret is that we wasted so much time and £££ at school!

Every child and every family is different so you will know best what is right for your son.

Good luck to you both, Moovy.

Thank you so much everyone - it is wonderful to hear from people who have taken the plunge and are so positive about their experiences.

I just know in my heart that this is the right thing to do for him.

moovy

If you have any specific questions or just fancy a chat there are some very friendly and knowledgeable experienced H.ed parents on here.
I am the former, having only completed 1 year.

I'm finish now that DS16 has gone into FE (his choice). I really think it's best to do what suits your child best. So far neither DS or myself has any regrets. I can't believe a one-term experiment turned into an 8 year adventure. We have so many happy memories even though there were challenging times (cyber harassment in secondary years). I'm just happy for DS.

That's meant to say finished. Very tired too it seems. Good luck.