Home Schooling ?

[Heskey]

Hi All

I am hoping you can help me? My daughter attends a local school in Gosport, she has had issues for some time, is very reluctant to attend but wants an education, currently under a Doctor and phychiatrist at CAMHS Fareham, I struggle to get her to school and when I do, the school send her home advising she is not in the right frame of mind and needs to go home....
I am considering Home Schooling, not sure where to start but am confident it is the right option for her, any suggestions on which sites to look on regards curriculum and the processes I need to follow.

I have loooked on the Gov.uk website which has been helpful but currently at a loss on what to do next?

Hi Op,
how old is your daughter?
Is it a mainstream or special school?
It can feel very daunting when you first start to consider home education as a viable option for your family.

I wouldn’t deregister unless you actually want to EHE. Parents can find it easier, although not easy, to get support when their DC remain in the system even if they can’t attend school. If DD can’t attend school, under s.19 of the Education Act 1996, the LA has a statutory duty to ensure she still receives a suitable, full-time education. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use to request this. Whereas, if you EHE, it is easier for professionals to sweep DD’s needs under the carpet. The LA will say you are making suitable alternative arrangements thereby relieving the LA of their duty.

Alongside this, request an EHCNA. Also using one of IPSEA’s model letters.

Join some Facebook groups including HEFA (Home Education for All) and Education Otherwise to give you a good grounding in the legalities and facts, and including some Home Ed groups local to you so you can see what's on.

These have been fantastic sources of information and encouragement for me.

You may also find it very useful to be in touch with other local home educators. They are likely to be organising social and educational events which you might enjoy, and can tell you about good places to go in the area. To find them, go on Facebook and type into the search bar "home education" followed by your area.

Hi
She is 15, has struggled with her mental health, currently in a mainstream school and they have put measures in place but they haven't followed it through, it's been really frustrating to be honest.
She is currently being tested for autism, my concern is she has fallen to far behind, I am considering home schooling as I can monitor her progress better and I know she will be more focused, there are online tutors I can approach and there is a lot of coursework I can submit to.
Just wandering I'd this is the right way to go?

Hi all

Really appreciate the responses and support, it has been really daunting and I want to ensure we are making the right decision for our daughter, I will definitely look at the IPSEA website for more information.
Any other info you think we may find useful I would be really grateful

You're just up the road from the exceptionally popular Faregos Home Education Exam Centre, which offers in-person IGCSE classes as well. Dedicated exam centres like this are quite rare, and I know people from all over the country who travel there for exams! As you'll see if you scroll through their Facebook page, if your daughter might want to sit exams there in spring 2025, you'd need to register her for them this autumn.

https://www.facebook.com/FaregosHEExamCentre/

There are other exam centres you could use instead, most of which are at schools. Also, unlike at school, home educated kids can sit the exams at the age when they are ready, and don't have to sit them all in one go. So I don't intend to put pressure on by mentioning that early deadline; I just don't want you to be disappointed if you were thinking of using Faregos and thought that you can register her late in the year. It's a common mistake to make, because the exam boards themselves have deadlines which are later - quite late indeed if you are willing to pay late fees, which rise and rise as you get closer to exam time. But exam centres will have their own deadlines, and some like Faregos fill up earlier than you might imagine.

Having said that, parents all agree that mental health is the top priority for kids who have suffered stress from school. A common recommendation is to start off by taking a complete break from all adult-led academic learning and just let the child relax and recover for a while. Your daughter may not be in the right frame of mind to engage with formal learning just now.

She can do informal learning about whatever interests her for the time being. If the Local Authority ask about the education she is receiving, you can give examples of what she has learned from her daily life. (For example, maybe the two of you discussed politics after hearing something on the news, or she learned practical life skills by redecorating or helping to replace a tap, or she watched a historical drama and learned about life in another era.) If I were you, while your daughter is decompressing, I'd go off and quietly read up about home education methods and exam options and tutors and all that, but don't even discuss any of it with her yet. At this early stage it might just make her anxious, which is the last thing she needs. There's no rush.

Again, really appreciate all the feedback and advice, I have sat down and discussed the basics, think I just need to do a bit more reading up to make an informed decision

You will need to fund the cost of her exams if you deregister now. If you think she’ll be able to sit any then can you keep her on roll but learn at home as she’s 15. Get a GP letter or camahs letter to enable authorised time off school. You can’t sit some GCSEs as a private candidate so it also depends on what’s she has as options. However there are lots of igcse options that schools don’t take. You also don’t have to take them all at once. We’ve hoping our DD will be able to take igcses spread out over sittings so no more than 2 at a time and start 6th/college age 17. As she’s also struggling with mental health. Also gcse aren’t compulsory at all so prioritise her health first there’s lots of options to gain a post-16 education when she’s ready.

for someone of her age I would definitely suggest you look into online school as an option for all or part of her home learning. There are lots of useful threads on here from the last couple of years on places like King’s InterHigh and Wolseley.

i agree with @Saracen that she will probably need a big old break to recover and regroup.

My daughter loves online schooling. She still has a schedule because her classes are on zoom, and she still has a social component because the school offers weekly get togethers. It also easier for her to focus on the lessons without the distraction of class dynamics.

It has been less stressful on the family because we don’t have to organize lunch boxes and uniforms and have the morning struggles. I will say though that it takes a couple of terms to get into the swing of things, including the detox stage. And parents do need to be involved. My daughter is much happier and has started to blossom since taking her out of mainstream school and I wish I’d done it sooner.

I don't seem to be able to post a link, but the Family Learning School in Orpington may suit your needs. You can do up to 3 days a week and they have separate forest school on other days. It is designed for people wanting to flexi school or home educate with some classroom too. There are fees, but certainly not as much as a full time private school.