Flexi schooling tips

[Holidaysandsunshine]

Does anyone Flexischool?

i am looking to flexischool at a school that I don’t think has flexied for a long time but did in the past. Though other schools are available. A closer one that is a big fat no flexi and a much further away one which would be a yes to flexi but would cause a 45 month per day extra commute. any thoughts on who would choose what choice? I am leaning heavily towards negotiating with the first school I mentioned but I am not sure if I should be considering the long commute if they say no or whether it’s just too bonoers

45 minutes is a long time on a dark January morning. Think about it for then not just on a sunny summer morning. I think it’s too far.

You say "45 minutes per day extra commute" - so what is the TOTAL time it would take your child to get to that school?

I mean, if the closer school is on your doorstep, then adding 20-odd minutes in each direction is still very little, probably less than most kids travelling time. But if the closer school is already 45 minutes' travelling time away, adding to that is another story.

How many days a week would they be attending? Extra travelling time is more of an issue if they go five half days per week than three full days.

Also what about you: are you going on to work or back home after you drop your child: how much of your time will be spent delivering your child to school every day and does it affect your ability to get to work? Or is it a secondary child who can get there on their own?

How old is your child and how hard is the commute? Maybe just talk to each of the schools and figure out what they’ll agree?

Yes the closest one is on the doorstep so it’s a five minute commute max. So it’s still not a huge commute but it adds up across a week. Ideally it would be three full school days a week and yes I would be working. There is potential for some after school clubs to bump up the hours for my work time. Child is going into reception

I am going to do my best to talk to the local school but I am just trying to figure out how much flexibility schooling is worth to me. So your responses have been useful. It’s totally true about thinking in January coz it’s so much harder in bad weather

Only doing three days a week would be hugely disruptive to a child’s progress. Teaching is carefully scaffolded to build upon the work from the day before. Missing two full days would create large gaps. I have a child in my class who does 3.5 days a week and he’s slowly falling behind despite being very bright. Would you consider doing 5 mornings instead?

Flexischoolig is not a legal right in state.
Schools around us said flat no so if you find a school 45 min away you have done good.
I wouldn't want to spend so much time on commuting.

In case it is of any use, you DO have the absolute right to send your child part-time until they reach "Compulsory School Age" in the term after their fifth birthday. See the School Admissions Code. So if you opt for the local school despite them being opposed to flexischooling, you could at least do part-time for a term or two or three (depending on your child's birthday).

Is there a particular reason you want to flexi school? I was surprised to see your DS is going into reception, so hasn’t tried full time education yet. It’s a very hard and complicated route to take, most people only do it if there’s a particular reason!

Of the flexi schooling families I know, none of us are able to simply say “my child will do 3 days a week”. I think especially at reception it will be impossible for a child to learn everything they’re meant to cover in those 3 days, because each day’s lessons are carefully planned to build on the last one.