To not send dc back to school after holidays

[fernTaylo]

Basically the school is too far, I don’t drive, public transport is stressful, busy and takes far far too long
No places at any schools nearer
The dc are tired , im terribly stressed and feel that home education would be better all round as we wouldn’t be travelling for a large part of the day, less stress etc
Socialising can be done at other activities they go to
I’m 99% decision made already as am just so tired

In your circumstances, your kids are better off at school where someone else has the stress of providing those opportunities for them.

I understand your stress but I know mums who walk 30 mins to get to school. Maybe you want to home school and are looking for a reason?

She doesn't want to home school, she wants to run away (due to the enormous, incredible stress/anxiety she is experienced which is undiagnosed and completely untreated and for which she has no coping mechanisms whatsoever) from her anxiety issues and has selected HE as the 'solution'.

She cannot and has not responded to any post to listen to what has been said when it is abundantly clear that she desperately needs to sort her MH issues out not only for her children but for herself. Switching to HE will not stop her feeling 'overwhelmed' (pretty much everywhere other than at home) or 'like an empty shell'.

Also saying kids can easily return to school if it does not work out is not true. The OP already has her kids in a school a bit away because more local schools are over subscribed. So the OP could easily find her kids being given places at different schools if they returned, making for very difficult travel journeys for any parent.

I also don't agree that HE and school should be put as equally valid choices. As concepts yes. But there are parents who are totally unsuitable to HE. So one of the factors that has been happening in recent years is chaotic families who struggle with day-to-day living, saying they are HE to avoid fines for their kids truanting. There is a BIG difference between parents deciding to HE because it is the best thing for their children, and deciding to HE for the benefit of the parents.

@MaisyPops: "She said herself early on that she has to get DP to take the children on a weekend because she finds it overwhelming.
Pointing out home educating when by your own admission you feel overwhelmed having the kids around on a weekend and your DP takes them out isnt a good option is not people having anti-home ed prejudice."

No, that is not what the OP said. She said
"Antidepressants have never worked I just feel I’m easily overwhelmed but not in general only really on public transport at busy times
That’s why at the weekends the children’s dad takes them out it’s not that I hand over to him as I don’t its just for anything travel related"

Being unable to drive or to use buses easily is a challenge when HEing. As I said, I think it's unclear whether that would be a deal-breaker for home ed. Some people manage in such circumstances. Some don't.

But when people have anxiety, stopping doing whatever causes anxiety does not make that anxiety go away, it just transfers on to something else. As many have already said, it would be easy for the OP to avoid going outside at all.

She said:
The dc go to museums etc a lot anyway but their dad takes them at weekends as I struggle
He would probably take time off work I assume if there was a trip planned if we were he educating

If someone is struggling and would be relying on someone else to take time off work to do trips then home ed is probably not going to be a positive choice. If someone is overwhelmed and finding things tough, then home education isn't going to be some sort of solution.
The adults can't use home education as a way of meeting their needs over their children's. The repeated theme is how home education benefits the OP.

Home education can be brilliant, but if it's the right choice for OP's family then it comes after dealing with the issues she is currently experiencing.

What will the OP do when she feels too overwhelmed to go to the group? What about when she feels too overwhelmed to manage outings? What will happen if far from resolving her issues, her world shrinks and then her children's do by default? At the moment it's a poorly thought out idea by someone who is well intentioned but struggling and I don't see how creating a more demanding situation is going to make it better (it seems to me to be analogous to people having a baby to make their marriage stronger).

I can also add that when we home educated, trips weren't a once a term thing, but more a once or twice a month thing - at least. We went all over the place!

Agreed. We live in an unusual location in terms of access to trips, but even locally there were things happening week in week out. Tbh that's a massive part of home ed for me, I'd have felt very uncomfortable if the kids' experiences rarely extended beyond home and a group walking distance from said home.

In most towns and cities, home ed groups might be in walking distance and the op may need to use the bus. However taking the bus even 2 or 3 times a week is vastly different, to the 8 buses the op currently takes. 2 there 2 back in the morning then 2 there and 2 back in the evening. To have to take 8 buses when you are anxious about them would be pushing most people to the limit.