De-registering! When should I do it?

[Runnerbean]

I need to make the final step in HE and de-register my dd from school!

She breaks up in two weeks, should I do it now or wait until a couple of weeks before the new term?

(Maybe a little procrastination on my part! The summer holidays may give me an opportunity to see if I can really make it work.)

I'm having sleepless nights and minor panic attacks wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

Bump.

Anyone out there?

"The summer holidays may give me an opportunity to see if I can really make it work."

Sounds like you've kind of made your own mind up there I think.

(I know nothing about HE btw)

Do it now, Runnerbean! Once you've handed the letter in (keep a copy and get a receipt for it) you'll feel SO much better.

Remember that HE doesn't have to be for ever -your child can return to school at any time -the only problem may be if your chosen school hasn't a place available.

I've typed out the letter!
Tomorrow I will post it!

I've no doubts and I think I will be relieved whens it's done.

I've done it!
I told my daughters teacher today too and she thought it was fantastic and that my daughter was very lucky.

Being an older teacher she felt the fun had gone out of learning in schools and totally understood my reasons.
I was really surprised as I expected her to talk me out of it.
I'm still terrified though!!

Good Luck runnerbean, my neighbour home educates her children and they are all doing very well. they get to play out later then my children though because it's never a 'school night'in their house (oh, how wonderful to be able to wake up when your body clock tell you too)

Good Luck to you!

Maverick has the right idea, Runnerbean. Make sure you have a copy of your de-reg letter and get a reciept for it.

Depending on what kind of person you are - organized, semi-organized or wildly disorganized - one thing is very important. Now is the time to allocate a place for official paper related to all your dealings on home-ed. Whether this is a filing cabinet, a cardboard box or a designated piece of floor in the lounge - you will want to lay your hands on all of these pieces of paper easily.

Everything you send out should have a reciept. And you should keep all materials sent to you from the LEA and or any other busy-bodies.

I might also encourage you to visit the EO site, read through and begin to draft your "educational philosophy." That way when the LEA contacts you, you will be fore-warned and fore-armed. It will also make it easier to plan to provide the authorities with only the information they are required to have by law.

It depends. It depends on the LEA, on the specific inspector/ adviser, on the family, on the situation. Some families go along very happily without any involvement, some go along very happily cooperating with LEA, and some have more problems.

I don't think anyone knows how many ppl have difficulties - there are undoubtably families who don't ever make contact with the home education community in general.

Sue, It depends upon where you live. Some HE'ers live in happy co-existence with their LEA's. Others have nightmarish stories of LEA's demanding that forms be filled out (as inadequate and unrepresentative as the forms are), illegally threatening SAO's for failure to comply with proper form-filling, and downright nastiness.

A great source from discovering (geographically) where you are in this spectrum is by subscribing to the mailing list of [email protected]. Mike Fortune-Woods is an awesome! advocate! Knowledgeable and always one or two days click away from helping you with any problems - especially as it regards law concerning HE in U.K.

Subscribing to his print journal is also very illuminating...as it covers most of the political trends of the day as well as having good practical advice. I haven't regretted my subscription for one moment. It is available at:www.home-education.org.uk/journal.htm

And no - I've gotten no benefit for this plug. It's just that he has made my understanding of how HE works in the UK so quick, immediate and fantastic.

He was one of the only and few who welcomed me with open arms and a listening heart when I moved here - full of my Americanisms...read intolerably rude to the British. So, until he fails me - which I suspect is never - I will always advocate all of the serious work he does on our behalf.....especially making explicitly clear the political implications of a home visit, acquiescing to illegal demands and innappropriate intrusiveness that many LEA's try to perpetrate.

Finally, I was raised by a barrister/solicitor. Therefore, I need to know every nuance, every implication, every thing that covers my own A** As much as I used to resent it, paper trails have made great profits for me in my past. I advocate them for everyone. And in this great digital age, I advocate electronic trails as well.

Document. Document. Document. One day it could make a great difference.

As someone who lives in an area where some people have had difficulties with the LEA (including ourselves - with some rather strained letters passing backwards and forwards last year) I would say that although much can be made about 'diffculties' with the LEA and certainly there is plenty of misinformation out there in the press etc. about 'inspections' etc. really I would say that people shouldn't be too concerned over this sort of thing if they are genuinely interested in HE-ing their children. Rather I would advise a bit of reading and thinking about education and further a bit of patience, because HE is an organic process that can change over time as families change over time.

Oh and stand your ground :D