HELP PLEASE

[MrsGJB]

We de-reg'd our 6 year old from school last year and have spent a year Home-Educating him. It has gone really well regardless of the isolation from other Home-edders. I got sick and tired of trying to find other home-edders who were willing to meet up and we were very much alone.
We've recently moved and I automatically registered him in a new school to start in September. I am now starting to panic - I don't know if I've done the right thing and am starting to wonder if I should persevere with the home ed. I really need advice on this. I can't see how I could go on when he doesn't know anyone his own age (actually any children at all - within a 40 mile radius) and when other home edders appear unsociable.
ON the other hand, I don't think I want him to go to school.
I really don't know what to do ... can anyone offer advice?

If you are desperate to get him out, you could always find some solution just for the days when you are tied up with the operations? It seems a huge pity to be in a non-optimal daily life for 6 months or more because of 3 or 4 days when you'd need help - there must be someone you could pay to help out?

There isn't anyone. My nearest friend who I know he'd be happy with lives about 50 miles away and anyway, she has four of her own under 6, plus a disabled husband. All other friends and relatives live over 350 miles away.
One of the operations is only a small day thing, but the other will take a month of 'recovery'.

Your description of your son at his new school sounded just like my son when he was at school himself, and I am positive that he would be like that if we put him back into school now (he is also 6, would be in year 2).

It is a hard situaion for you to be in at the moment. Where are you in the country? From reading the start of your thread, you sound like you were in the same position I was in around the same time with the isolation of home ed, but in the past couple of months, I have managed to turn everything around for my ds and he now has quite a few friends. I am in a very rural area too.

Is there any possibility you could get a au pair in while you are recovering from your op? Your ds could carry on with his reading/workbooks etc. It just seems like a horrible situation for you and your son, he doesnt sound happy at school.

Hi lolapoppins -apologies for only just seeing your reply. I've had no access to the internet since the 15th, as we've been on holiday. Anyway, We're now in Bodmin, in Cornwall. As for au pair - I wish!! We now live on a very restricted budget.
Friends came down from scotland and they had booked a large place to stay about 20 miles from here. It had been booked since January this year and we had agreed to go up and spend the week with them as we only usually get together once a year (if we're lucky). Anyway, I had mentioned this holiday to the headmistress when we re-registered him at school back in September. She wasn't very happy and could not grasp that it had been booked whilst he was home-eduted at a time when we had no inclination of a house move, let alone him going back to school. She insisted that he had to take some schoolwork with him for the week. We eventually gave in, but only becasue he had missed another 4 days due to being ill. We reminded the teacher everyday for four days prior to going, she claimed to have a small pack of 'stuff' for him to do and yet - never produced anything for him. We arrived home yesterday to find a very strongly worded letter from the headmistress stating that we had broken our agreement that he could only go on the holiday if he took his school work.
I am fuming - the woman and her staff are clearly incompetent. I cannot see him remaining in school for much longer.

Hello.

Gosh, the situtation at school sounds awful. The school work issue is clearly not your fault, you reminded the teacher, she should have given him work to do if it was so important. The tacher broke the agreement, not you. Incidently, we had a friend come to stay with us last year. Her dd (6) had to bring school work with her for the 5 days she was up here. I was like when I saw it, the kid did it all in under half an hour on the first day to get it over with, so I don't think your ds will have missed out on much.

I only mentioned an au pair as I was grasping at straws!! I really feel for you and your sitation as it is so similar to how I was feeling earlier this year.

I know Bodmin well. I grew up in Launceston and then Liskeard (although am in the wilds of East Anglia now!).

So, is the plan for now to keep him in school until after your op?

Well it's not really a plan, but I'm not sure what other choice I have at the moment. I'm going into schol in the morning to have a very detailed talk with his teacher and the head and we'll see where we go from here. I am really beginning to think that he won't be in school after christmas.

SOrry, I have only just seen your reply.

How did your meeting with his teacher go?

We had to schedule a 'booked' meeting. As his teacher was (and still is) off ill and the head has gone on flippin secondment (odd). SO I haven't had chance to speak to either of them. Not meeting until the 18th. I have an appointment with the consultant at the hospital on the 17th, so might be more certain about whether he has to stay in school until after my first opp.

Oh no, what a nightmare!

I hope everything goes well for you with both meetings.