Going about home ed for beginners.

[Sugarkanekate]

Hi, ds (13) and I would love some shared knowledge about how to set up Home ed and what it entails please.

Dd, now 17 and in higher ed elsewhere absolutely detested school,but didn’t get bullied terribly as my ds is. Everyday is a battle for the poor lad and I feel it’s the kindest thing for him and to get him to engage in a different style of education.

I work part time and am half way through a degree that I do through the OU. I will do what is necessary to rejig timewise but interested to hear how others manage it all.

I have found a group locally on fb and hope this helps us too.

Thank you 😊

It's really up to you and your DS!

Some people follow a curriculum, for some or all subjects. Some are much more child-led. Some people work towards exams; some people don't.

With this age, it could be useful to spend time talking with your son about what he aspires to be doing in (say) 2 years, 5 years, 10 years. That will help you shape how you help him now. (e.g. if he wants to be working on a farm, then looking for that kind of work experience; getting an allotment to gain responsibility for a patch of land; volunteering at a city farm or community garden...)

It's not necessary to be trying to follow the national curriculum. That's aimed at the average child. your child is an individual, not the average :)

Thank you ommmward,

That is really good advice regarding asking him what he wants to do in increments. Ds is an individual who’s amazing talents have been overlooked throughout his school life and he has been put in an entirely inappropriate set which has caused him massive anxiety coupled with the bullying.

Do people get grants to cover for example, gcse fees, other qualifications or trips?

Has anyone partly school and partly Home educated?

There aren't any grants for home ed - it's all paid for by parents, though some colleges offer GCSE's for home educated teens. There is something called flexi-schooling, which is when children are home educated part time, but not many schools agree to this (it is at the discretion of the head).

In terms of how to start off, I agree with Ommmward, get his input, and see what he us interested in. Home ed does not need to look anything like school - you do not need to do 'sit down' work, or workbooks, or cover all of the same subjects. He may have one or two key interests that he focuses on for a while, and then that could change over time. I would see home ed as more similar to your OU course than to school - it is more self directed, and linked in with the child's interests.

It would perhaps help to meet up with some other parents of teens and get some different perspectives on how they are doing things. Are you in an area where there are many home educators?

I flexi school my 8 year old, it's working well for us. Apparently the secondary school nearby will also allow flexi schooling, so we will probably continue it when he's older.
I specifically chose a school which encourages flexi, I'm not sure it would work so well in a school where every other child was full time. What kind of area do you live in? I found that the tiny village schools which need more pupils are happy to have part timers. We have to travel a fair distance to get there, but it's worth it for the reduction in anxiety that ds has had.

Ooh thanks for the advice, this is marvellous. Flexi ed is something I will approach the secondary school about.

We live in a tiny village that has a small primary school that both my dc went to and the only school for our catchment area is 25minutes by car and has approximately 2,500 pupils. They divide the year groups up well but it is a very strict institutionalised school and a very bad fit for my son who needs positive encouragement and more personalised help.

I think he would benefit from perhaps moving to home ed af least until he is 14 and then we can look at studio schools and a more college like environment.

It’s all becoming a little clearer and I have looked at some GCSE options either way.

I think everyone approaches home ed differently so it's important to work out what your son's needs are and find a way that works for both of you. We started home ed when our daughter was 8 and it took us about 6 months before we found an approach that suited us.