flower79

Thanks for replying again hennypenny. Well I myself am still convinced that home education is something I would like for my children but my husband still is against the idea so if I was to do it I first need to do a lot of convincing! All the groups and activities you've mentioned sound great but they are a bit far away from us, as we are located near s20/s21 and so are looking to see if there are any other parents nearer to this sort of area with groups. I tried looking up home education in Chesterfield or Rotherham as they are a bit closer but can't find anything or anyone in those areas either. Perhaps there are loads of parents in those areas doing the same but I just haven't stumbled upon them yet. I do like the idea of doing some of the box type curriculum but also the child led way as well, I think I would probably do a bit of both, some days doing some structured learning but most days concentrating on things that my sons wanted to learn more about. When my eldest first started nursery he loved it and loved school until he entered year 1 and had a very impatient teacher who sort of killed off his love of school, something that really upset me as I felt disappointed that at the young age of 6 he had his enjoyment of school crushed. He went onto year 2 and had a brilliant, kind teacher who restored his liking of school and learning but now I see him disliking school once again due to the fact that he had to start somewhere new and that he has been bullied. I don't want him to be one of those children who just passes on each year and really dislikes going to school and then gives up on learning all together. I think home education could really help him rediscover how much learning is fun and make him much happier. He does enjoy the social aspect of school for the friends he does have aside from the handful of pupils who do upset him with some bullying, but I think that the fact that he has been bullied has also made him less interested in trying at school as he doesn't really feel comfortable there. It goes in a bit of a cycle, some days he is happy and has his friends to play with at school and that makes school more tolerable to him, but then he has days where a few children upset him and then he just hates school and it becomes a battle. Do you happen to know of any other pre-no school groups that are available? My youngest is now at the age of starting nursery but I am holding off a bit longer as I really don't know if I want him to go to our local nursery and also start school here, I honestly believe that home education would be better for them both. Thank you!

Hi Hennypenny, thank you for replying! I am glad to see that there are groups in and around the Sheffield area and that they do get together. I am quite convinced that home education is something that I would like to do for my children but for now my eldest attends our local junior school and I have not yet registered my 3 year old for nursery. I would prefer to home educate them both as we aren't 100% sure we are staying in this village and I know starting a new school might cause them both upset, but my husband isn't 100% sure he likes the idea of home education. I have been trying to show him all about it with articles etc., but he thinks that our two children would feel they aren't socialising enough. Hopefully I can convince him that home education opens up loads of opportunities for socialising and is better than forcing them into a school where they aren't happy and are being bullied. As for further questions I am interested in finding out more about the curriculum that most parents use, do you find they follow the national curriculum closely? What kind of resources are available for free to parents who choose to home educate their children? I've read up on the education-otherwise website that in order to take my eldest out of state school I would need to write a letter to his head teacher informing her that we wish to home educate and would like to with draw his name from the register, do you find that once this is done that the local education authority then starts harassing parents as to why they aren't sending their child to public school or are they quite understanding and supportive of a parent's choice to home educate? Thank you!

Hi, I am really interested in home education for my children and would like to know if there are any groups around the south Sheffield area or any parents in this sort of area who also home educate? I have been reading up on home education and I am quite impressed with it. My son just finished at his infant school last year and we also moved house so he had to start at a new junior school separate to his friends back in September. The new school has quite a good reputation but it has let me down on so many levels and my youngest child is due to start there soon but I am not wanting him to go there at all and would prefer to home educate them both. I am from North American and my husband was raised in the U.K., I find the education system here to be quite different to how it was when I grew up (like the fact that children start school so early here). My family is quite culturally diverse and the school that my son currently attends has no other children from diverse families. I never thought that this would be a problem in this day and age, but we have been exposed to some racist remarks from other children at the school and their parents have also made some inappropriate comments. My son has been subjected to bullying by children there as well and I don't want to have to move him into another school only for it to be an issue again. He is a very sensitive child and the thought of starting new at another school is quite upsetting to him but I feel that I do not want my child to continue on at his current school. Please if any one can help me out with information regarding home education and what groups there are to join as well for the socializing aspect please can you reply. Thank you!