Temporary home schooling advice required!

[Teacher18]

Hi we’re relocating abroad in a few weeks and despite our efforts, our eldest son, who is going to be in Year 6, has not yet got a school place (it’s one in one out) but we are praying that one comes up by January.

In the interim, I am planning to teach him at home and keep him line with his peers. After some research, I think a proper timetabled day with structured resources would suit us best I am getting confused with the various sites.

Can anyone recommend the best sites for lessons and resources?

Also, I would be very grateful for any general advice, dos and donts, recommendations for websites, forums etc from anyone who has used home schooling just as a temporary measure for their KS2 child. More specifically, I am looking for guidance on how ensure the lessons are effective and that my son is learning so he can hit the ground running when he gets a place.

Should I also be contacting the school for details on what the Year 6s are covering next term so those are then the topics he studies, or does it not really matter?

Thanks in advance-pretty much in the dark about how to approach those 4 months in a way that is going to be meaningful and successful for my son!

I would consider asking on a local facebook group to see if there are any UK qualified teachers without jobs who might like a couple of hours of tutoring.

I wouldn't worry too much about topics - your son will have covered different things in the previous years too, so I dont think that's essential.

Remember that when it is 1-1, you will not need to fill a full 9-3.30 day with lessons. You can probably structure just the mornings, and use the afternoons to explore your new home.

Fingers crossed something comes up soon. International schools I know in the northern hemisphere have massive movements in the first few weeks of term when kids just dont come back.

So you are moving away from the UK to a country where you are trying to get your child a place in a school which follows an English curriculum? What sort of high school do you plan for him to attend the following year? Will he definitely get a place there (i.e. will you be home educating a maximum of one year)? Is it a permanent move?

The area to which you are moving - is it very international, with children coming and going from various countries, or...?

What I am thinking is that if the schools are used to many children arriving from different backgrounds then they will be quite used to dealing with that and perhaps it isn't such an issue as it would be elsewhere.

He isn't likely to fall far behind in four months, so maybe you could use that time to focus on any area in which he struggles, to help him catch up. You could combine that with some more fun activities which he might not otherwise be able to do at school: study a topic of his choosing, say, or do some travelling to learn more about your new home.

Have you familiarised yourself with the home education laws in the country to which you are moving? That might affect your approach.

If it’s in the right time zone I’d outsource the whole thing to Interhigh, get swimming lessons, music lessons and Cubs/scouts/whatever.

have you considered an online school if you are wanting to keep them in formal education.
I think interhigh you have to do a years contract, but myonlineschooling you can do month by month