Home

Kicking off with our first topic - Home.

There's a movie to see to set the scene (it was pretty rubbish but K&W loved it), then work on houses through the ages and we designed and built awesome houses in Minecraft. A short, sweet topic to get the boys used to our new rhythm.

Every day we complete our maths exercises and I'm hoping to ramp spelling up to once a day (W not keen).

We're getting started so early, about 8am each day, as we've been freed from the uniform & teeth & shoes & bags nag-fest that blighted some days (notably Mondays!) This is having an unexpected impact in that we're finishing up by 1.30pm. By then, K&W are tired, they've achieved all their LOs and we're basically out of steam. Being virtually one on one means we crack on through material at a pace and they get none of the natural breathers that would happen in a classroom when you finish before the rest of your group/class, or understood the first time and zone out briefly while the teacher re-states. I wasn't expecting it to be so intense!

On the up side, it's letting us indulge in the traditional home school activities of free play in the afternoons (which means I can get caught up on essential jobs I'd usually have done in the morning). Everyone's a winner.

I've noticed K&W are both sleeping better.

Into the Unknown

Well, that's that. We've done the paperwork and notified the school and the council. All that's left is to ensure that the boys are in full time education (but the rules don't specify a curriculum - that's entirely up to us). If we decide that the only vital education is Harry Potter not Maths and English then that's our look out as parents and we can teach an HP curriculum to our heart's content. We don't have to keep to set times or fulfil a fixed number of hours.

The flexibility is liberating and terrifying.

So what's our approach? Well we're pretty boring. I like the National Curriculum. It's tried and tested, it covers essential skills, and most importantly if you follow it then you know if the kids want to slot back into the mainstream then they haven't lost any ground. So that's what we're up to and I'm struggling to find my people.

I've met some lovely EHE (Elective Home Ed to those in the know) parents. A pattern is emerging: most seem to have rejected traditional schooling because they hold a negative view of it. Either their childrens' needs weren't met or they feel traditional schooling stifles creativity and places too much focus on tests.

I nod assent but not agreement. I love free play and so do K&W. But I also want them to know long division, what an adverb is, equivalent fractions and be able to spell EXTRAORDINARY, not just be it.

Everything is about balance...

Why We Got Here

I suppose the biggest immediate issue with home schooling is that everyone, especially in a leafy middle class area, will think you are insane.

Before we made the decision we picked brains, researched, asked opinions and we were hugely grateful for our friends' honest and frank messages of support, concern and enthusiasm. Making a big decision in the wake of massive loss and grief was something we had to battle with between ourselves.

In the end, we got tired of the question 'why would you take your children out of school?' and turned it round. We asked ourselves (and others) - if we are fortunate enough to be able to meet their academic and social needs ... why would we send our children to school?

And there's the answer. We wouldn't. We'd take them places, show them things, get private tuition. We'd swap our 9am-3.30pm days for 8am-8pm and have a look to see what we could fit into that.

It would be an omission not to explain that the lovely local school the boys attended was terrific. It was great before we took the boys out - it was great after. We didn't move them because they weren't getting the education they need to succeed later. We did not move them for behavioural reasons - they'll proudly tell you they have never had a behaviour code in their whole school career. My boys are rule-keepers. They love order, safe boundaries, justice and fairness.

Maybe that's why we're different. We have every faith in the state school system - heck we might be back there next year or the year after - but that's not the point. My husband and I live and work in a flexible way. I'm a qualified teacher. We have a wonderful family and social network. Children grow up so very fast.............. Why would we send our children to school?

How We Got Here

Time for introductions. I've never been afraid of changing direction when life throws new stuff at us so my CV skips about a bit. My career was originally in banking until the London commute and juggling two small children had me re-thinking the decade ahead. With a supportive husband in tow, we downsized and I threw myself into a new project, becoming a secondary teacher which was rewarding and incredible ... and ended up taking up more hours than banking for a fraction of the income.

My ever supportive husband gave me a supportive nudge towards the figures (and the fact that he was a single parent while I marked and planned). Point taken and another change of direction was looming.

I left teaching to support our growing business and my retired parents and the 4 of us began living together. Fast forward 5 years and we have a fantastically rewarding (and exhausting) business, have just dealt with the devastating loss of my father after a sudden aggressive cancer, and there we were looking at whether we were really taking advantage of an exceptionally flexible way of life that we're so lucky to have.

The last piece of the puzzle in our brave new world was the boys. Meet K, 8 years old and wonderful. Careful, clever, thorough .. he's an analytical learner who has to understand the why of everything. 16 months his junior is W, 7 and a delight. Quick, creative, thoughtful... he's an experimental learner who loves to see how things work.

That's us. Thinking outside of the box...

Fast Learners

Welcome to my blog. It's a work in progress, much like me and the kids. It's a quick fire record of our personal journey into the mud-splatting, face-painting, national-curriculum-level-ignoring world of Home Education in the UK.

We want a different path. Is it possible to academically educate the children while reaping the benefits of flexible elective home education? Time to find out.