Help! About to pull DS9 out of school. Where do I start?

[SnowyUnicorns]

As the title says really. DS9 goes to a small village school at the moment with just 70 kids. In his year there are only 3 other boys who have very different interests to DS and lots of girls. In fact there seems to be a disproportionate amount of girls:boys throughout the school which I guess is the downside of being in a small school.

In his class, they class share with the year above. There are 4 boys in that year and they are bullies. We have spoken to the school numerous times with no change in the boys behaviour. They have tried blackmail my DS by telling him that they will only play with him if he brings in money or Fortnite cards for them which the school did nothing about. The final straw was today when they got him in a corner of the playground, slammed his back against a rough, granite wall repeatedly and all took turns in kicking his legs. I'm not over reacting, am I? DS is loving, funny, kind and currently around a year ahead of his class mates. He doesn't deserve to be abused, especially in an environment where he should be safe. I'm so upset that he has been subjected to this.

Where do I start with home schooling? Do I need to register with the council or anything? Are there guidelines for what I am meant to be teaching? Presumably I am obliged to follow the national curriculum?

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Google DfE parents guidance home education. It will give you a starting point, really make sure though that this is right for you AND your DS. Have you looked at other schools?

Thanks for the reply. It's something that I have been considering for a while. My son is extremely close to me and a quick learner so I think home ed could be exactly what he needs.

I would have to drive miles to get him to a different school which wouldn't fit around my work hours. My work hours are early mornings and late afternoons (milking cows) so I would be able to school my DS easily during the day. He would also be able to come to work with me in the afternoons to develop practical skills.

Presuming your in England just write to the school saying you wish to remove him from the roll and never send him in again. Look up your local area home Ed group on Facebook.

You don't have to follow National curriculum though you may wish to do so. There are very few rules apart from the fact that he must be educated but that can take many forms the hours can be adapted to suit yourselves with no distractions etc you can probably achieve what takes five hours in school in three hours at home, he will need some activities to provide social interaction with his age group whether that's sports scouts or a home ed group doesn't matter but he needs friends from his peer group.

Your poor DS, those children sound cruel. Good luck with his new schooling venture

Rather than home educate, is there not a route relating to addressing the bullying issues and removing those responsible? I hate to see bullies win but i guess you may have explored all avenues?

Congrats on your decision, home schooling is a joy. I’ve recently pulled my daughter out of year 2 and it’s been the best decision ever so far.

So basically you just need to deregister by writing letter to head and I would copy to LEA.

You don’t need to follow national curriculum. Maybe just make yourself aware of it.

I would give your son some time to de-school, so time to recover, adjust, de stress with lots of play and immersed learning if he likes that, maybe some days out and walks.

There’s so much advice online; it’s overwhelming.

Join local groups and make friends.

Enjoy :) x

Find your local HE group - google or Facebook
There will be more going on than is visible (don’t panic!) so get to some meet ups - this is even more so the older the kids (eg I know a thriving HE teen group but it’s barely visible)

Give yourselves some time to deschool - there is no rush!

Think hard before paying for resources- there is loads of stuff for free.

No need to follow NC.

HAVE FUN!

I hope it is as good a fit for your family as it is for ours

Sounds like home ed could be a good fit for you and your son! Once you have sent the deregistration letter to the school, they must remove his name from the register. They may try to talk you out of leaving, if they are an undersubscribed school which needs all the pupils they can get or if they are worried they will look bad for not sorting the bullying. You don't have to meet with them, discuss anything or get permission.

The school is then required to tell the LA. Most LAs will make contact promptly. Some may make unreasonable demands such as wanting to meet in your home. Ask them to keep everything in writing. You can post here or on another home ed forum to check whether you need to do what they are asking. People will be happy to point you toward the relevant part of the government guidelines. It is never a good idea to ignore a communication from the LA in case they escalate matters, however.

I wouldn't worry about trying to reproduce school-style social settings, especially in view of the bad experience your son has been having in one! Social contact can take different forms and involve all sorts of people in varying numbers and of various ages. At this moment he might rather relax in the safe environment provided by you and any other family, while he regains his confidence after the bullying.

Eventually he may be lonely and want to be with other kids. Perhaps he will prefer the company of children older or younger than himself and he might like playing with one or two at a time rather than in a pack. Home ed kids tend to have a wider variety of types of friends. My 13yo's best friend is 10. Her other closest friends are aged 10, 13, 9, 16, 16 and 5. She likes chatting with adults and loves playing with a friend's toddler grandchild.

Home schooling was the best decision I ever made for my 8 year old child. She was bullied, was falling behind and the Headteacher was totally unsupportive...claiming she had emotional behavioural disorders. Turns out she had SEN, but with normal IQ. In four months of home schooing she has made so much progress, and is a happy child again. Really doing well in internet school (we use myonlineschooling, but there are others out there), and home tutoring. You can register with your local education authority for home schooling and use facebook to find your local home school groups so he can make friends. You are not required to follow national curriculum subjects, but it would be wise if you ever plan for your child to rejoin a school or college. You can buy KS2 books online, or in local shops. There are loads of resources available free online too. I found freddiesmummy.uk to be a great help in navigating the internet for suitable materials.