Where do you start?

[CharlotteSimmons]

Hi all
We are moving back to the UK this summer after 4 years in the US. My DCs (8,nearly 6 and 3) are at fabulous schools and pre-schools here which I absolutely love. However, I am struggling to find school places in the UK. We need to be commutable to London and everywhere we are looking at is over-subscribed. I think I am going to have to have my children at home with me for a while and maybe a year or more which I am finding very daunting for many reasons including stopping working (which I do freelance, part-time). My DCs love school, are super-social but argue with each other, can anyone offer me any advice on how to get started looking into this?

Sorry no advice as I don't Home Ed, but have been thinking about it for a while. Hope someone comes along soon to give you some advice.

You could start with look at the legal rights and responsibilities in the 2007 Guidelines for Local Authorities here

Also Ed Yourself is invaluable for all aspects of HE.

And this part of Mumsnet is very helpful too, especially for local specifics.

you might think of the primary purpose of a period of home ed as being to help your children build a functioning relationship. I would be reading"siblings without rivalry" and "how to talk so kids will listen" and regard them learning how to resolve their conflicts (not you) as the real opportunity here. In every home educated family I know, the children develop really lovely relationships, because they have time and energy to devote to each other.

For other things - there's a dicussion thread lower down this page or maybe on the next one full of books and websites about home ed. That'll give you enough reading to get on with :-)