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a lovely lovely piece about a Guardian journalist not sending his reception-aged daughter to school

31 replies

onwardandupward · 12/09/2008 20:02

here

OP posts:
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mumtoo3 · 13/09/2008 07:56

that is a great piece thank you for sharing

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Fllllight · 13/09/2008 08:06

Thankyou - have emailed link to my doubting parents!

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belgo · 13/09/2008 08:07

Flight - I was thinking about this - are you still hom-edding your ds1? How is it working out?

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Fllllight · 13/09/2008 08:12

Hello Belgo!
Yes - he seems fine, is learning about all sorts of things - mainly dissecting insects I have to admit - but building dens, machines, robots etc...we even did some maths the other evening!

I cannot imagine sending him to school now. We looked at a village school that is tiny and very good by all acocunts but the whole system just felt wrong to me.

He found the maths exciting for about 20 mins then his little brain got tired, and we stopped. At school he would have had to carry on until everyone else stopped iyswim. I think that would have been v counterproductive.

I'm decorating and laying floors atm which means there is not so much teaching time, but once things are settled I hope we have a long and happy ride ahead

You are nearing delivery, non?
I hope you are feeling Ok, very excited to meet mini Belgo!!

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belgo · 13/09/2008 08:19

that's lovely. I know I don't have the patience to home school, but I'm very glad I live in a country where it is at least an option, unlike Germany where school education is compulsory.

In Belgium formal education - reading, writing, maths etc- doesn't begin until age 6 and I'm so glad because dd1 is just four and a half and I really don't think she's ready for that sort of learning. She is finally becoming fluent in the two languages (english and flemish), and the rest of the time she's having far too much fun enjoying herself in her nursery and at home.

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Judy1234 · 13/09/2008 08:30

My children (who did go to school) have also learned a lot out of school but I think I would be worried if it were entirely child led home schooling (which it doesn't have to be) they would have become fairly idle lotus eaters rather than soaking stuff up like a sponge and would not have learned enough, they need some force and made to do things they don't want which most schools have more resources and force of will to achieve than most normal giving in to the child parents.

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sarah293 · 13/09/2008 08:54

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Fllllight · 13/09/2008 10:18

Hmm.

Link please Riven if you do have a nanosecond
otherwise will google it

Belgo - that sounds utterly sensible. It was my thinking entirely, that I was just so goddam bored at school, it really stunted my development in all sorts of ways.

Imagining my boy sat at a table being told to complete some worksheet of times tables and not allowed to stop when he had reached his limit, just fills me with sadness. He needs to be allowed to stop when he can't do it - not forced to plod on when his brain just won;t co operate.

IMO a lot of children are pathologically bored at school.

I don;t agree with you Xenia on this.

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Fllllight · 13/09/2008 10:20

Ooh have found it!! here

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sarah293 · 13/09/2008 10:25

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OneLieIn · 13/09/2008 10:27

Oh, how nice to read it! after 1 week of home ed I must say it is great!

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sarah293 · 13/09/2008 10:32

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sarah293 · 13/09/2008 10:34

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marmadukescarlet · 13/09/2008 10:37

Thanks for the link.

OK, If I was to consider HE could you guys point me to a thread which gives some information about how each day goes? Obviously not a timetable but what you do and how you get the information etc to do it?

Riven, am very impressed by you HE'd academics!

My DS has SN (not severe, a genetic problem, mild CP etc but is to all intents just a little (25%) delayed coupled with his late August birthday) but the LEA will currently only have him in SN school, not supported in MS.

I want him to be supported in MS but held back a year (as he is currently in the pre reception class of an independent school), we are going to tribunal over this, it is expensive and time consuming and there is no guarantee of sucess.

My other option is to HE but am V scared I will not be organised or intelligent enough to make it work.

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sarah293 · 13/09/2008 10:50

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marmadukescarlet · 13/09/2008 11:02

Thanks Riven. He has a proposed statement, but they have only named a special needs school in the part 4. They know I have employed legal assistance from someone who has a nearly 100% success rate against them in recent years. I got a letter this week suggesting that they may put a maintained mainstream school - although have not named a specific one- so they seem to be backing off quickly to avoid the expense of a tribunal.

He needs positive NT role models, I'm not against SN education - DS went to SN nursery. In fact he could have spent another year there (can go until 5) but the nursery suggested as one of their older most able pupils he would get little benefit from remaining in the mixed age (2.5 -5) class.

He has always done dual placement in MS and got on really well, far better than in SN.

LEA expected him to start full time school in Sept, but I knew he wouldn't be ready and didn't ever put his name down.

The positive part of having independent assessments done as we approach the tribunal is that I have discovered lots of things about DS, I'd always been told he had a language delay - he doesn't, he has a speech disorder caused by the muscle tone problems he has.

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Runnerbean · 13/09/2008 20:23

"The results show that 64% of the home-educated Reception aged children scored over 75% on their PIPS Baseline Assessments as opposed to 5.1% of children nationally."

Wow even I'm impressed by that!

Did anyone see my dd's on BBC Tuesday night?

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sarah293 · 14/09/2008 07:42

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Runnerbean · 14/09/2008 08:46

here

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Runnerbean · 14/09/2008 08:47
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sarah293 · 14/09/2008 09:06

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Runnerbean · 14/09/2008 15:05

Riven,

My dd is Lillibel, my other dd is the one reading and doing maths. We filmed a whole heap of stuff but they only used seconds of it, hopefully the rest can be used by EO media, we've filmed an interview for them too.
I'm looking forward to going to HESFES when the girls are a little older.

I thought this Guardian piece was the most positive article about HE I've ever read, so pleased to see it didn't end on a negative.

There's been lots in the media, radio, tv, press recently (surprise, surprise it's September) about HE, why is Paula Rothermel never quoted?
I guess they just don't do enough research.

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Runnerbean · 14/09/2008 15:08

LOL at

they need some force and made to do things they don't want which most schools have more resources and force of will to achieve than most normal giving in to the child parents

And how many children learn positively and enthusiastically and accurately something they are forced to?

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cheekysealion · 14/09/2008 15:34

lovely article

i am very tempted as my dd says she hates school... but as the only earner in the house i feel it would be impossible

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sarah293 · 14/09/2008 15:38

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