Home school last term of Year 6

[Yamin151]

Hi

My twin boys are both in Year 6 of a small primary school. Years 5 and 6 share a class and a teacher. Both boys have secondary places in grammar school which they are keen to attend.
In the meantime however, both are becoming increasingly fed up and bored with school. Their reports/parents evenings are excellent, behaviour is excellent, no problems with bullying or anything. It seems to be partly boredom, they are repeating a lot of work as they are in same class as Year 5, and also apparently silly things like not being allowed to play on field because of mud, not being able to run around the playground because of the little ones etc etc. In short, nothing serious.
However, when it was twin 1 we coaxed him through it as he is very intense anyway, but now, 2 months on, Twin 2 has become quite low and every morning I have to coax to school and I am seriously considering withdrawing them for the last term of Year 6. My reasons for this are not desperate withdrawal after a terrible experience, but based more on my feeling that they are learning very little, compared with year 5, they are going through the motions if you like, and I worry that whilst perfectly possible to leave them there, they might 'atrophy' in their learning and actually learn to dislike education!
Their homework doesn't stretch them. I don't feel they need MORE work, or extension work, but they could learn so much more with me. I would actually like to use the term to do 'otherwise' learning, i.e. a basis of the curriculum but based around what they want to do subject wise, and building it in. My questions are

1. How do I ensure that their next schools know that they will be attending and are only being homeschooled for one term?
2. They would miss SATS. I know this is more of a measure for the school than the children, but would it cause confusion, there being no 'stats' for my boys to pass on to next schools?
3. We are considering an indie for one of the boys, he's been offered a scholareship. Any special considerations for that, other than speaking to them? Do I even need to?
4. Any other input? Dh totally supportive.

Thank you

If your year 6 are anything like ours, they have been doing lots of revision etc for sats.
Sats is in May, very soon after they return. Personally I would allow them to sit sats, so they can see the result of all their work. Then after sats things are usually more fun. They seem to do lots of the fun stuff that has been on hold for the last few weeks. Lots of experiments, art, projects etc.

On top of that, they would miss out on all the end of term goodbyes, and the leaving parties etc which are an important part of this life stage as they move on up.

My ds (year 6) has worked really hard this year, but is bored and fed up of all the sats prep. He also has a grammar place, and to be honest, I would be happy for him to just have fun for the last part of this year.

Would it be worth talking to the teacher and asking what is on the plan for after sats and see what they say?

Thank you everyone. I haven't talked to the boys about this yet because I know they will jump at the chance (they have often asked) and don't want to give them hope if we don't do it.
As regards SATS, thanks, looks like I'll need to check with the schools themselves but as you say, most do their own assesment anyway.
As regard the 'fun' projects post SATS, I'm not getting the impression that they are doing a whole lot of SATS prep work, that hasn't been a complaint. But even if that is the case, the 'fun' stuff afterwards is not necessarily something to hang on for. Socially, the boys will continue to see those friends they want to.........art projects etc are only fun if they are in an area you want to do, so making a macrame lampshade is heaven for some but hell for others, and the amount of stress over the DT 'one size fits all' project was immense. There IS a school play, with big parts, and they will be sorry to miss that I am sure, but I honestly think they won't want to stay just because of that. But if they do, then great, they can stay.
Personally I really dislike the over wrought sentimentalising of each year 6 leaving 'do' and think the boys would be glad to miss it. However, I DO see your point and certainly we would need to see how they feel.
And with letting them 'relax', I can see that, I don't want to hot house them of course, but I do feel that as bright children with inquisitive minds, they don't find an easy ride to end of term relaxing, they find it stressful. I think homeschooling would be more appealing in its coverage of things that interest them, not a school room type set up.
They did a school residential back in September, which they enjoyed.

THanks so much for giving me food for thought

It seems a bit tough on the school to withdraw them before SATS so the input the school has had in them doing so well academically is not recognised.

Unless of course you loathe the school - in a smallish cohort, the loss of two apparently high achiever pre-SATS could bugger up their statistics nicely. If you have no beef with the school, it seems rather unfair.

You could withdraw them from end of May and still have a good couple of months of homeschooling.

Have you discussed how unhappy they are with the class teacher? It might at least give you some ideas that help you with your decision.

I think it sounds wonderful, a whole summer before they're too old to love their mummy best... Projects, outdoor exploring, museums without the crowds... I am perhaps over idealising!!

I would worry most about then settling into secondary school after a summer off. Also, you will be introducing the idea that school is optional if it's getting a bit boring. Given the state of the exam system, there's a good chance it won't be the last time in their education they are bored. How will you handle that?

I was going to make the same point as Endymion and ThreeTomatoes that it would be a shame for the school not to get the credit for successfully educating your boys. I know it's not all down to the school, and I know the system is far from perfect, but as a school governor I know how important it is that the school is recognised for its successes.

If the boys really aren't bothered about the end of year stuff, could you take them out at that point?

Hmmmm, good points all. Now I feel guilty. If taking them out buggers up the schools sats (does it? Would they not just not go into the statistics? The class is full of bright kids, 50% got into Grammar, so they are not only bright ones. I will say though that the brightness that makes them bored is because of what we have done at home, so I do take a lot of credit for their educational success, but I don't want to be mean to school as they have done loads.
I have mentioned to the teacher and am told that they are OK at school, and they are in as much as they are industrious, don't play up and get good marks. But that doesn't mean they are happy.
I am wondering now about taking them out in May. More time to tell the school and not miss the SATS. Not sure about the settling into secondary thing. They are very happy about those schools but it does worry me about them settling back in. We would certainly tell them right from the start that they ARE going back in, that they like their new schools, but they are school after all and boredom will come. Its not the exam that is making them like this, its the lack of anything new as years 5 and 6 share a class. But again, it needs to be dealt with............hmmmm, more thinking!
Thank you! Keep em coming!!

I don't think that they'd struggle to go back to school after a sabbatical from middle of May - it sounds like a lovely idea.

Re the stats - here's an idea of how it might work

If a cohort of 12 at the moment:

3 expected to be 4c or below
9 expected to be 4b or above (includes a couple of level 6 results and a smattering of level 5's)

Broadly - 25% not meeting age expectations, 75% at or surpassing age expectations.

If a cohort of 10 (once your bright twins have gone)
The 3 that were previously expected to be below age expectations are still there. There are now 7 at or surpassing age related expectations.

So 30% below and 70% above.

It looks like a small difference, but it may represent a big drop on last year, depending upon that cohort. Your twins might have been in the small group of possible level 6's which looks 'good' statistically.

It might be enough of a drop to trigger raised eyebrows (Pah - ofsted). Of course, the stats I've put above are purely random numbers of children and levels - just illustrative of a point. While the school would have the opportunity to explain the percentages and the reason for any drop to official types, they wouldn't have that opportunity on the raw league tables.

The impact of children not sitting the tests is magnified hugely in a small cohort where it might have been more readily absorbed in a cohort of 60 or 90.

DISCLAIMER- personally I would do away with aspects of the SATS testing, don't fundamentally agree with the concept. But it is what it is and schools have got to jump through hoops to always look like they're improving, making progress. Used to be a governor, and so my perspective is simply that I know how much this matters to the school. Hence me asking whether you had a beef with the school

If I wasn't scared that dd would never talk to me again if she missed out on the stuff planned for June/July I'd do it myself - sounds blissful to me. I think my year 3 ds would be most put out though!

After SATS my son's final few weeks of year six were the best memories of his primary schooling.

Leavers concert, farewell party, school residential trip, art projects, science week, lots of fun and games and team building, trips to secondary school for 'languages day' and sporting events. Their year 6 teacher made them feel grown up and special and ready to tackle the world.

I would never have considered taking that away from him.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the statistics for Ofsted. The school would have the chance to argue the case eg if x and y had done sats our results would be z. Anyway, you have to make the best decision for your children.

The situation you describe for your sons shows the disadvantages of a small school. Any chance your budget could stretch to some travelling? Then you really could sell it as a making the most type affair, rather than school is boring so we'll let you off. Oooo imagine a caravan somewhere doing language home ed

I don't go for the argument that you owe it to the school to keep your sons there so they can sit SATs and the school can get the credit it deserves for having educated them well.

Does the school not also get credit for the fact that each of the boys has gone through a period of being so switched-off from education that he was very reluctant to go to school, and aren't learning much now?

Surely keeping them in school so they can sit tests would allow the tail to wag the dog. Why, ultimately, do they go to school? Why are the teachers there? Why do SATs exist? All of this is in place so that your boys can learn, so they can get a good education to prepare them for their future lives. They are not there in order to sit some tests so the school can look good. If they are not learning at school then they don't belong there.

The argument reminds me of something a teacher once said to me in the street: that it was selfish of me to home educate because it would put teachers out of a job. As if children should go to school for the purpose of providing teachers with jobs, rather than for the purpose of being educated!

...and anyway, I thought small schools didn't have to publish their SATs results; is that not true? and that their results are not considered an important performance indicator for the very reason which previous posters have mentioned: that the arrival or departure of just a couple of children could dramatically affect the statistics and that would be unfair on the school?

Our school has lots of great stuff after sats, but none of it falls into the overemotional or the 'leavers' ball' type thing.
Our leavers party is a BBQ on the school field.
The kids do love it.
The year 6 also do a play, which s normally great, very funny, gives them all a chance to have a bit of fun.

I love the idea of an extended summer before secondary school, but I would not take mine out of the end of year 6.

Why not let the boys decide whether any planned end-of-year fun at school is worth staying in school for? They may not both make the same choice, but that is OK.

There were various fun things which I can remember from school, but in most cases I would not have chosen to go into school for them, even if I could have been allowed to skip all the other normal school days. One of the reasons why special events at school stand out in children's minds is that they are a refreshing change, a contrast to the usual school tedium. Some kids certainly love sports day for its own sake. But some kids love sports day simply because it beats sitting at a desk all day. In such a case they might prefer to do something of their own choosing instead.

I am SO GLAD I came here to talk to you guys. You have been so very helpful and made some really useful points. Clearly I focus on what 'suits' my preference, BUT, I definitely do consider both sides, and I am swinging around a lot. I know that the boys will jump at the chance, I jsut know it, although we would clearly give them the chance to say no and thats fine. There is a leavers play and thats sad to miss, but that is all. They already did the residential. I must admit to feeling guilty about the SATS thing, and I have considered leaving them there until after that, as its only 2 weeks after easter hols return. However, you then question whether they mightn't just as well then stay the other three weeks, and it become less about home ed and more about an extended holiday. I feel it has beauty because its such a short, limited period, but its just about enough to do some meaningful (but FUN) home ed. Leaving after SATS seems to erode that, in my mind.
Regarding secondary, both have grammar places, but for reasons not to go into here, one of them may go to local indie where he has a scholarship. I need to be sure that the grammar doesn't assume we are out of that place and home ed for secondary too - I guess I just have to get it in writing. We have a right to keep the accepted place don't we?
I have a lot of fear about this, but also a lot of excitement. I must admit I worry about the 'stop school whenever we get bored' thing, but having said that they can be told I couldn't do secondary (I know I can, lots do, but they don't need to know that), and that might even feed into it being a parental choice rather than a response to their boredom, that we feel its the last chance. Also, we are off for two weeks to Florida to stay with a family who home school 5 kids, so lots of help there and again, could be used as inspiration for the idea, rather than responding to boredom.
School will be p*ed off with me, but I don't know any of them personally do I, and wouldn't see them again???? I hate conflict, but as has been really nicely pointed out, they can explain a fall in averages, they will still be higher vs last year, and next year, knowing the classes as I do. Also, keeping them at school for SATS is not benefiting my children, they DO or SHOULD take some responsibility for this school dislike. As for next school I checked, the grammar doesn't stream at all until Y9 and the indie does their own.
I think the Year 5/6 shared thing really has an impact, and whilst lower in school the smallness was a real benefit, when they get to Y6 the bright ones have nowhere to go, intellectually or in terms of doing new stuff with new teacher, whereas when sharing Y3/4 the bright ones could come up and do work with Y5s.
You've all made some really good points, but especial thanks to Saracen, Endymion and Parliamo, for all your reassurance and advice, but also to everyone else for making me think and taking all things into consideration.

Hello OP.

If you want to H.ed until secondary there seems no point in continuing more than necessary.
I'm surprised more people don't do this to avoid SATS let alone any other reason.
As long as you know its the right thing its nothing to do with anyone else. Maybe school will be pissed off but it will be for them, not the best interests of your dc.
Good luck.

Bit late to this thread but I'm doing exactly that, OP. I took DS out of Y6 in February. I was worried about him getting used to the idea of staying at home but then he pointed out that he'd be staying at home for 6 weeks before secondary school starts anyway!