Would HE suit us as a family?

[LadyMaryofDownton]

I am beginning to consider HE as a possibility but I am unsure if it is really a suitable option. I'd like other peoples experiences and opinions to help me make an informed choice. Also I will really need to convince my DH who comes from a very conventional by the book family that it is possible.

We have 3 Dc's two are pre schoolers and one dd who is 10 now. The real reason I am considering this is because my daughter is about to change primary school for the third time now. This is due to the fact that my husbands job sometimes means a transfer is needed. We are in the process of looking at a new school for her & as she only has 1 1/2 years left am starting to think keeping her at home may solve a lot if issues. Also this is a very important time for her education & I am worried moving her again May effect her grades which are currently very good.

I am currently on maternity leave but considering becoming at Sham because if Childcare issues. If I was to stay at home I would have the time to HE & Childcare would no longer be an issue either.

Also we will be transferring to a very rural area so I am assuming we will be saving money on travel expenses/school dinners/after school clubs/school uniforms etc.

Does this view point sound realistic?
Would she find it difficult to return to school if need be later on?

Please don't be a sham a sahm is much better

I think you should maybe rethink saving money from travel, as your dc may want to keep activities going or start new ones.
I'm just thinking, having lived rurally for a long time, the dc social life depended on travelling and they were at school.
I'm not saying its a bad idea, but think you should consider friendships for them.

Oh sorry, OP.
We H.ed and our dd is 10, she loves it.

Have you sounded her out as to what she thinks?

Ah yes a sorry about that sahm is much better, silly phone.

She is in lots of clubs outside of school at the min so I would try & keep those on where possible for both social & personal reasons.

I havn't approached her yet about it but I so think she would prefers it, at least in the shirt term because she's getting picked on a lot at her current school.

Talked to DH last night briefly as he's going away now until he transferred next month. He really wasn't keen on the idea despite it sounding like the practical side would work. he's worried that she wouldn't get a good enough education or social interaction & that it's a bit strange.

I have a fairly good education but one majorly bad subject & he thinks it would be impossible for me to teach that as I don't even know it plus look after to toddlers.

Just not really sure about the idea now myself.

Hello again.

FWIW, I think you are wise not to speak to your dd about it yet as its a huge step when they have attended school.
However, she is obviously used to change due to the transfers you have already made, so I'm sure she would cope well with the transition to H.ed.
My dh was a bit when I first started to consider it as a viable option, and thought I'd gone a bit mad. I finally convinced him after doing several months of research and talking to other H.edders, including those on here.
We talked it over ourselves to begin with and once it was viable we mentioned it as a possibility to dd and suggested she take the next couple of months to think it through, ask questions etc. At the end of the school year, she asked if we would go ahead and we did.
I think if they are happy at school and there are no issues the decision needs to come from them, but I think you are wise not to approach her until you and dh are convinced its viable for you.
It was our dds first question about keeping her groups and friends but she is very social and couldn't have coped without.
If you read some of the threads archive on here there are some fantastic topics and info that people have shared.
I would also advise going a long to a local hH.ed group if you have one, even if you don't intend to spend much time there.

My son is year 5 and www.briteschool.co.uk is taking care of the NC requirements for me. Online school is a viable option for this age group and would possibly take care of your weak subject (you can do single subjects or the whole curriculum as you prefer). The fees are fairly reasonable considering the excellent quality of the tuition. It runs for 3 afternoons a week, so would give you time to pay attention to your little uns too.

I haven't yet decided whether he will continue in year 7 or go back into the school system, (depends on what the LA offers as he has SN's - they will have to at least match the quality of the education he currently gets.) He's had a very disrupted primary education due to late diagnosis and this is giving an opportunity he wouldn't have had otherwise to catch up academically. We'll also have an "extra" year due to no SATS meaning he can spend time learning, not just being taught to a narrow test.

If you do go down this route, don't forget to monitor your new LA's secondary application dates etc as you may not get sent info on open evenings, application deadlines and so on if your child is not in school.

What's available socially varies significantly depending on area - the education otherwise website is a good starting point to look for local groups. Most villages have scouts/guides or something along those lines for all kids, not just the schooled ones.

As someone who did quite well at school but is fairly hopeless in daily life I would say academic achievement isn't all it's cracked up to be Certainly not the be all and end all