Socialisation has never been a problem. Yes because of having 4 of them and also because we have a huge family and lots of friends. I could understand it being an issue for others in different circumstances though.
There is no requirement to follow the curriculum and we don't strictly. There is no support from the Education Authority because when you de-register them, they are no longer responsible for their education. Infact, they can't even tell you what to teach them! We are somewhat structured though - I am quite strict about them having a broad spectrum of learning, the main emphasis being on maths and english. I also am keen for them to learn a language (we are still having discussions on this after having dabbled with Gaelic and French) and encourage them to investigate the sciences, geography and history. Art plays a bit part in our week as I am an artist.
dd1 is 14 and dd2 is 12, soon to be 13. dd1 has decided she wants to sit GCSE's so she we have decided to opt for distance learning. We will probably use Oxford Learning as they have a home-schooling section. They have told me that if dd1 spends 4 hours a week studying, she can the sit the GCSE in 6 months She is starting with English and possibly Childcare (this is something she is interested in). No idea what dd2 is going to do as she is not as interested in sitting exams. She is very artistic and has decided she wants to work with animals...