Leave State School

[AJenks]

I really hope somebody can help!
My daughter is being bullied at school and she is very unhappy which is why she is moving to a private school after the summer. This has been going on for a while and we reached a situation where she cries almost every day and doesn’t want to go to school anymore. Does she have to complete the school year or can we just take her out with only three weeks left to go?

You can take her out and simply state you will be home educating her until she goes on to private school - i.e. for three weeks. Then you can choose the form this will take (e.g. unschooling might work well!). I believe the LEA can then come out and check up on you if wished but can’t see what they’d make much of a fuss in this case. I would look in Home Ed for a link to a letter you can just adapt.

You should send letter to her school, I should have said.

Just take her out. If she is that unhappy and her current school cannot ensure the bullying doesn’t continue then I wouldn’t hesitate. Poor thing, I hope she is happier in her next school.

Thank you so much. I just didn’t want her getting into trouble if she doesn’t go back. Also, my son is still at the school, doing his A-Levels next year and I don’t want him to suffer any consequences! I am now working on a three week study plan with work for her to do at home. Fingers crossed the school doesn’t cause any trouble and just lets her go.

Will her new school allow her to start there now? A close friend is in the same situation as you, and she has moved her DC to the new independent school for the last week of their term this week, to allow her DC to make friends, get acclimatised etc before September.
Private schools are in their last days of this term, so it could be a good compromise.

I had the same thought but her new school is breaking up on Friday. She had her Induction day thee yesterday. It went very well but it probably highlighted the issues she has. It is all good now as the school already agreed to let her go. I have a very happy girl now, happily working through a pile of work. Thank you everybody! Xxx