Roll call whose still here

[morethanpotatoprints]

Hello,

Just wondering who is still about and thought a roll call would be good.

Where do you live, Midnight, that you need to get permission? How frustrating.

New Zealand Toffee and yes very frustrating. It seems we live in the city with the "easiest" chance of getting exemptions but still daunting all the same. So many different opinions on the best way to get the exemption granted that it gets a bit confusing.

Some people say to keep your application basic. As in "don't use big words" make it easy for them to read.

Some people disagree with this and say to explain everything in as much detail as possible making sure to leave absolutely nothing out.

Others say that the MOE will always want you to answer additional questions regardless of how much detail you include, so be sure to purposely leave out some bits that they can then ask you to expand on.

I love living here, but this bit of our lives seemed much simpler in the UK.

That's awful, Midnight. I wouldn't take kindly to being judged in that way. I hope you get the right answer soon.

Thank you Toffee fortunately I don't have to do it until about 6 weeks before his 6th birthday (April) but time just seems to fly by at the moment so I knows it's going to come round quickly.

Plus we only have to do it once then we're all good until 18 (unless he goes into school at some point then the whole process starts again). We also get a grant every 6 months to help with the cost of supplies/materials etc which is nice but would be happy to do without if it meant just being able to HE without gaining permission.

Anyway, I spent this weekend making a "routine" board and some number match cards. We've decided to work our way through this for science as it looks quite interesting and fun.

Ah, well I do like the sound of the grant and wish we had that here in the UK. Could do with some money to help with the costs.

The science link looks good.

Can you get stats on how many were turned.down and why, MD? Bet it would.give you a clearer.set of guidelines.

Swooning at the idea of an grant.

Here miss ;)

Dd is 2.5 and I always planned to he. Although dd is not school age I so consider out he adventure under way. The way I see it is she has developed an exceptional vocabulary including primary and secondary colours, body parts, domestic/farm/wild animals. She know shapes abs numbers, can relate socially to other children, empathise, has basic concept of right and wrong etc etc. the list goes on and on.
All of these things she would be doing at pre-school/p1/p2
I am exceptionally proud if her development at this point, she gives me confidence that I don't generally feel. I look at how well she's doing and I just think well I must be doing something right
I already get asked when she is starting nursery A LOT!

I'm still here! We've been home educating for quite a while, mine are 10 and 11 years. We loves it.....totally no plans to go to school :)

Who's not whose

Thank you morethan :) I know what you mean that we are HEing proper already but it sometimes feels like I'm in a holding pattern because I see all of the exciting things people are doing with their older children and I can't wait to do similar with ds! But I try hard to remember it's good to have things to look forward to.

Like Herrena said above it's fantastic watching their development in these early years. Ds loves numbers and letters right now, and it's amazing to watch leaps in his understanding happening right in front of my eyes. He's just started to hear the letter sounds at the start and ends of words right now and is so proud of himself when he tells me suchandsuch starts with whatever! I would hate to have missed out on these moments...and there will be so many more such moments to share going forward!

Thank you cottage

I wasn't sure if it was right, it didn't look right tbh.

Ooh, quite a few of us here. Thank you for your kind words, Morethan and Toffee.

Quite shocked at Midnight needing permission to HE in NZ, I'd naively thought it was one of the easier countries attitude-wise.

I'm still here, disappeared on holiday for August but we're returning a week early to see if the school keep up their side and de reg....my other half is worrying customs will stop and ask why DD isn't in school because we return on Saturday! Ah well....busy few weeks/months ahead, hoping I don't get the rough end of the councils stick lol nice to see so many here though [waves]

The Scout Troop is here. Just home from vacation late last night and jumping into activities today. A lot (though not all!) of Small Boy's friends start "Big School" (Reception) on Thursday. We've been planning on keeping him out since he was weeks old so he's never been to school, nursery, etc.. He has his first swim class of the new term today (during "after school hours") and I have a GP appointment after so I am braced for an on-slaught of questions as school starting is a hot topic around here at the moment. SB tells people who ask him "I don't go to school! My home is my school!" so he's clearly not bothered by the questions (watching "Time For School" on CBeebies he regularly says "but we do that at home, Mommy" or "I can already do that, Mommy, so I don't have to go to school when my home is my school."). I am nervous and excited, all in one (kind of like kids starting Reception this week! ).

The Scout Troop is here. Just home from vacation late last night and jumping into activities today. A lot (though not all!) of Small Boy's friends start "Big School" (Reception) on Thursday. We've been planning on keeping him out since he was weeks old so he's never been to school, nursery, etc.. He has his first swim class of the new term today (during "after school hours") and I have a GP appointment after so I am braced for an on-slaught of questions as school starting is a hot topic around here at the moment. SB tells people who ask him "I don't go to school! My home is my school!" so he's clearly not bothered by the questions (watching "Time For School" on CBeebies he regularly says "but we do that at home, Mommy" or "I can already do that, Mommy, so I don't have to go to school when my home is my school."). I am nervous and excited, all in one (kind of like kids starting Reception this week! ).

Oh, it's quite easy once you've got the exemption certificate tyrannosaurus it's just the application to get it that's a bit daunting.

What's everyone up to today? My dc are in bed now and for the 2nd day of spring, it's been lovely. I've been feeling a bit crappy so chucked the boys out in the garden. They were doing some experiments with the rain water we collected in various pots over the past week so I guess it was sort of educational, even if it didn't look like it.

Also very impressed by how much they are learning from Octonauts.

What's everyone up to today?

Back to school for ds .

Nah, not the way you think. He's got an ace work experience/volunteering placement at a local special school, mentoring students working towards GCSEs in Maths, Science and English. Term started today so he's back at 'work'.

I've spent the afternoon talking to some relatively new home edders about exams, showing them the ropes. Ready for a cuppa now .

streaky

What a lovely thing to do for the new H.edders. do you liaise for your LA or just do it out of the goodness of your heart, or I suppose both

Glad your ds is doing well, it sounds as though he will get a lot out of his experience.

My LA's a bit crap morethan, and they know little more than the basics of HE - they certainly know big fat nowt about exams, that's for sure. I had to wade through the whole process on my own when ds started (including access arrangements - my LA hadn't even heard of JCQ ) and it's pretty complicated. It's not fair that folk have to struggle like that so if I can help point them in the right direction, I'm happy to do it.

Ds has had a fab day . He found out that one of the boys he was supporting last year got an A for Maths and B for science - he was only predicted to get Cs. The teacher has given him full credit for his efforts so he was beaming when he got home .

Also, one of the autistic boys has latched on to him and asked for his help with a personal matter, and ds has handled it brilliantly. It's an amazing opportunity for him - he's so lucky to have it [proud].

Still here in our 7th year of HE now. :)
I must put more effort into languages other than Latin! Can we sit Language GCSE? It would be ideal as a first 'exam' for DS.

I'm sort of here as I feel a bit of a fraud.

Dc (7 and 4) don't go to school but dh does all the actual hard work of teaching them.

I mess around at the margins doing whatever looks like fun and poking my nose into dh's business when I feel like it (I am a meddler).

I'm officially in charge of making sure they have contact with anyone outside the house, left to dh they would never see anyone at all. Does that count?