Advice

[1m2]

I’m thinking too home school my 6 year old as school cannot meet he’s current needs, he is suspected adhd/asd and he has some mental health problems currently going on and school isn’t helping him.
how do I go about home ed? I have had a look at the gov website so I know I will have to notify the school ect but I’m nervous on the whole teaching at home as this is all new too me, what are some of your guys routine such as are you following a certain guide, is it the same structure each week ect
(hoping it makes sense)
tia

Some have a structure/routine. Others don’t. There isn’t one right way. It doesn’t have to look like school at home.

Have you considered remaining in the system and pursuing an EHCP?

In the meantime, if DS is unable to attend school, the LA has a duty to ensure he still receives a suitable full-time education. That duty doesn’t apply if you EHE.

Start out with whatever you think will suit your son and then adapt it as you go along. You will find different resources which look better, and you will start to understand better how he learns, what works and what doesn't. You don't have to have it all planned out before you start. You can figure it out as you go.

It's not unlike parenting in general. You may have read some baby books or talked to other parents and had an idea of how you were going to feed your child and where and when he would sleep. But once you actually had your baby, you found that not everything was going to happen as you planned, and that is fine.

So one piece of advice often given to new home educators is to hold back from spending too much money just at first. You might soon discover that you need something different. Not only would you have wasted money, but you might feel like you have to try to make your son use it even when it's wrong for him, and that would not be a good start! If it feels wrong, it is wrong. Learning shouldn't be unpleasant. See what you can get on a cheap or free trial. Other local home educators might lend you some of their materials and tell you what worked for them.

We have EHE our youngest since September, he is on ASD / ADHD pathway too so we thought a solid structure would be the best option at the start.

We have tried different methods and are now leaning towards a more unschooling model with some 'lessons days' of more formal maths. This works better for him as he picks up interests and follows them into rabbit holes that can take up days resulting in lots of learning and research experience.

My advice would be similar to PP, start with what you think will work and pay attention to him, adapt as you go along. I keep a diary that helps me to look at what he's done, what has worked etc.

Good luck.

How expensive is EHE, out of interest @Saracen? It's a route I'm considering too albeit for different reasons, so following with interest.

Far and away the most expensive aspect of home education is lost earnings if either or both parents give up work to do it, or reduce working hours or choose a less lucrative career in order to fit in better with home educating. Or some people continue with their existing career but may need paid childcare to plug the gaps left when you turn your back on the free childcare which state school often represents. Next to that, everything else pales into insignificance.

For some people that might not be relevant if they wouldn't be working anyway, perhaps through choice, or due to their own ill health, or looking after a younger child, or being retired.

Direct costs really can be as little or as much as you can afford and want to spend. No doubt some kids have horse riding lessons and visit the Acropolis, but many use the library and park and use Khan Academy online, and get a very good education that way. We never spent much.

That does change at GCSE stage. If your children want to do GCSEs while being home educated, there is a significant cost. Depending how much help they need with learning the material - many people find tutor input helpful at this point - and whether you can find a cheap exam centre near you which does the subjects you want, you are looking at anywhere between £100 and £1000 per subject for usually five or six subjects. I would suggest setting aside money for that while your children are young if you can. The fallback options if you cannot afford that would be to either home educate up to Year 10 and then send them back to school for their last two years to do GCSEs there, or to do exams at college. College would be completely free, but will not offer the wide range of subjects available at school or via home education. Some colleges have dedicated 14-16 provision which might be suitable. It is common for colleges to offer a set of "catch up" GCSEs for over-16s who didn't achieve their desired results at school. English and maths GCSE is invariably available for free to ALL over-16s who want it at college, including adult learners, so they wouldn't miss out on those two at least.