Home Schooling

[TurboHatchback]

I was for school years 9-11 (in Berkshire too). My thoughts on the matter:

• I think school is a better option, I would only consider home schooling if there are real problems at the school and I would try moving schools first
• 8 is far too young to be doing this, real problems start in Secondary school so I wouldn't consider it before then
• If you do go ahead with home schooling then make sure the kids do loads of extra-curricular stuff. I did over 20hrs a week of music stuff plus Air Cadets etc which provided the essential social aspect (without the hordes of retarded chav scum). It would be easy to become rather isolated without that.
• At some point you have to re-enter the system. I went to 6th form college for A-levels at the same age as everybody else then on to University so home schooling hasn't negatively affected my academic results at all. If kids reach work age without any formal qualifications or a school record that will hinder their career prospects quite badly.

If you have an 8yr old son who is being bullied I would not take him out of school. I would make sure he was doing other activities outside of school so the negative school atmosphere wasn't his whole social experience, I would make sure he was exercising well and I'd teach him to fight or enroll him in a martial arts class to give him some confidence. If after another year or so things haven't improved then move schools. Seriously don't rush into the idea of home-schooling, it is a big step to take and not one to be taken lightly.

[Timmy40]

TurboHatchback said:

If you have an 8yr old son who is being bullied I would not take him out of school. I would make sure he was doing other activities outside of school so the negative school atmosphere wasn't his whole social experience, I would make sure he was exercising well and I'd teach him to fight or enroll him in a martial arts class to give him some confidence. If after another year or so things haven't improved then move schools. Seriously don't rush into the idea of home-schooling, it is a big step to take and not one to be taken lightly.

My first action would be a meeting with the form teacher to discuss the matter and agree a plan of action, and it I wasn't satisfied with the response onto the Head. ALL schools have anti bullying policies/ teams. OP if your son is being bullied why should HE be the one to be taken out of school.

[supersingle]

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

[TurboHatchback]

supersingle said:

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

I agree that many modern state secondary schools are a colossal waste of time. In a school day of maybe 8hrs from leaving the house to arriving back I reckon about 2hrs of actual academic education takes place and even that is very unfocused, distracted and untargeted. If you're intelligent it is possible to learn the entire curriculum covered in state school in 1-2hrs a day at home, if one studies more than that then a great deal more can be learned. Much of the problem stems from the total lack of disclipline and respect that most children seem to have nowadays. Classes in many schools are just a 45m riot (and not the good kind), the teachers are powerless to sort it out and there are no consequences to behaving like a so the kids never learn not to be s. A bad secondary school which is just a zoo full of untamed scum is not an environment in which an intelligent well brought up child will prosper.

However: Homeschooling well is difficult and time consuming. It gives the parent and children no respite from each other and mixing the jobs of parent and teacher is not always a good idea. There really aren't many parents who could or would give it what it takes to succeed and it can negatively affect the family dynamic. I would always try as hard as possible to find them a better school before withdrawing them completely.

[deckster]

TurboHatchback said:

I agree that many modern state secondary schools are a colossal waste of time. In a school day of maybe 8hrs from leaving the house to arriving back I reckon about 2hrs of actual academic education takes place and even that is very unfocused, distracted and untargeted. If you're intelligent it is possible to learn the entire curriculum covered in state school in 1-2hrs a day at home, if one studies more than that then a great deal more can be learned. Much of the problem stems from the total lack of disclipline and respect that most children seem to have nowadays. Classes in many schools are just a 45m riot (and not the good kind), the teachers are powerless to sort it out and there are no consequences to behaving like a so the kids never learn not to be s.

Read the Daily Mail much? I disagree with pretty much every single statement you have made (sources: two children at state schools, wife is a teacher, several teachers in immediate friend and family circles).

Of course not everything is perfect and teachers are the first to complain about the state of the school system, however to portray lessons as a 'riot', and kids as 's' is to grossly misrepresent the reality and is ultimately unhelpful in tackling the real issues which are undoubtedly present.

[GroundEffect]

supersingle said:

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

My OH is a Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and Year 1 teacher. The amount of work she puts in to engage the kids is unreal. I know no person who works close to much as she does. Her average work day must be at least 13 hours long. And she has a Masters in Primary Education. The idea that this can be easily replicated in a home environment is laughable.

[Timmy40]

GroundEffect said:

supersingle said:

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

My OH is a Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and Year 1 teacher. The amount of work she puts in to engage the kids is unreal. I know no person who works close to much as she does. Her average work day must be at least 13 hours long. And she has a Masters in Primary Education. The idea that this can be easily replicated in a home environment is laughable.

I can only speak as a parent, but my daughters school provides her with an excellent all round education there is no way I'd have he schooled at home, education is about more than just factual learning and problem solving and you can't replicate that with attending some 'clubs'.

[TurboHatchback]

deckster said:

Read the Daily Mail much? I disagree with pretty much every single statement you have made (sources: two children at state schools, wife is a teacher, several teachers in immediate friend and family circles).

Of course not everything is perfect and teachers are the first to complain about the state of the school system, however to portray lessons as a 'riot', and kids as 's' is to grossly misrepresent the reality and is ultimately unhelpful in tackling the real issues which are undoubtedly present.

I didn't say all schools were like that, I said many were just as not all kids are s but many are. It sounds like you live in a decent area and consequently have decent schools, not all of them are like that. The secondary school I went to was a zoo, I didn't learn anything there and all it did was to destroy my faith in humanity but that largely came down to the catchment of kids that went there. I didn't miss out on anything being taken out of there but it would have been better if I could have gone to a decent school instead. My primary schools and 6th form college were excellent on the other hand, just how education should be.

Also the secondary teachers I've spoken to as an adult (not many I grant) hated it, they thought the children were mostly vile, the job was pointless and they wanted to quit so not all Teachers share you family's experiences. Teaching in bad school were the whole job is powerless crowd control must be soul destroying.

[98elise]

sdyson31 said:

Our eight years old son gets bullied in schools alot.

Our 4 years old daughter is in nursery and the other day she came home telling us that her friend told her that she wants to kiss boy on lips.

socialising is not bad who are you socialising with is more important.

have you spoke to the school about the bullying? My son was bulled, and is was causing him real self confidence issues, and destroying his education. The school initially did very little as the bully's parents were having none of it.

One day the bully decided he was going to administer a beating to my son. The time was set for lunch time the next day. I send my son into school with a letter giving them until 11am to let me know they would be sorting it out, or I would be picking him up from school and not returning.

The school stopped my sons class, and got everyone to write anonymous witness statements about ANY bullying that was going on in the class. as a result the bully was temporarily removed from the class and taught in a separate unit especially for troublemakers.

If you are forced by the state to send your children to school, then you have the right to expect some level of responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

[IvanSTi]

Condi said:

Dont all 8 year olds get bullied? Isnt that what kids do? They call each other smelly, poohead and whatever. By the time thy get to 12 they're normal, well adjusted people who are able to deal with the st life throws at you over the remaining 80 years of your life. Otherwise they become overly sensitive wimps who will run away from any confrontation which is inevitable in life.

No way in hell would I want to be homeschooled, or do the same to my kids!

My thoughts exactly, there wasn't a single child in my school that didn't get bullied at some point. People are becoming far too sensitive. I had a conversation the other day about something similar with my OH. I'm 31 and something that always stuck with me and I'm sure everyone in my school is that saying, Sticks and stones etc. Just teach your kid to deal with it (unless they have problems which would stop them from doing so) and to stop being so sensitive to what people say/do. So long as they don't hit you with a bat, they can't hurt you.

Christ there has been a full blown argument in my office today about a lads attitude and tone, in his fking emails He told one lad to "do his homework" on a subject then he'd talk to him about it later to help him and then he wrote something in bold and highlighted it asking who was dealing with a problem. All hell broke loose this morning and it's all due to people taking offense at petty little things and running off to the teacher crying FFS grow a pair and deal with it.

Sorry for the rant, just boils my piss that people everyday have to pussyfoot around a subject so not to cause offence. Here's an idea, stop being such a fanny and deal with it. Life's st.

[Timmy40]

98elise said:

as a result the bully was temporarily removed from the class and taught in a separate unit especially for troublemakers.

THIS.

OP, why should you exclude your child from school because of a bully?

[Zerotonine]

deckster said:

TurboHatchback said:

I agree that many modern state secondary schools are a colossal waste of time. In a school day of maybe 8hrs from leaving the house to arriving back I reckon about 2hrs of actual academic education takes place and even that is very unfocused, distracted and untargeted. If you're intelligent it is possible to learn the entire curriculum covered in state school in 1-2hrs a day at home, if one studies more than that then a great deal more can be learned. Much of the problem stems from the total lack of disclipline and respect that most children seem to have nowadays. Classes in many schools are just a 45m riot (and not the good kind), the teachers are powerless to sort it out and there are no consequences to behaving like a so the kids never learn not to be s.

Read the Daily Mail much? I disagree with pretty much every single statement you have made (sources: two children at state schools, wife is a teacher, several teachers in immediate friend and family circles).

Of course not everything is perfect and teachers are the first to complain about the state of the school system, however to portray lessons as a 'riot', and kids as 's' is to grossly misrepresent the reality and is ultimately unhelpful in tackling the real issues which are undoubtedly present.

There is a school in Swindon that I shall not name (due to the name and shame rules) that this is/was definitely the case. I have heard instances where a child has been witnessed to have had his head repeatedly rammed into the ground, then the teachers say that 'he simply fell over' despite having five different marks on his face. This school refused to offer SEN support, punishes children by putting them into a 'hot room' with no windows if they have done anything even slightly wrong, amongst other things. There has been multiple staff quitting, loads of children leaving or transferring out. I could go into lots more stories about what went on down there, but I would have to ask the parents directly first. Lets just say it was hell on Earth.

[Fatrat]

We live in a village with plenty of home-schoolers and "alternative" ways of teaching
We have gone the conventional route as it has worked for our son but I see plenty of home schooled children who are great kids and well-educated. Equally their are some at my son's school who I look at and think that was a waste of school fees.

No two kid are the same so do what you feel is best but be prepared for a lot of hard work and also be prepared to put them back into school quickly if its not working so they don't fall too far behind.

Good luck

[supersingle]

GroundEffect said:

supersingle said:

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

My OH is a Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and Year 1 teacher. The amount of work she puts in to engage the kids is unreal. I know no person who works close to much as she does. Her average work day must be at least 13 hours long. And she has a Masters in Primary Education. The idea that this can be easily replicated in a home environment is laughable.

Your OH can work as hard as she likes but she'll never receive any thanks or recognition in the state system. She'll just give herself a nervous breakdown. The way to get on in the state system is to be a whinging, adsentee, entitled Marxist agitator. It's almost impossible to be sacked short of violently assaulting the pupils, which is often tempting! The worst that happens is that teachers are put on an improvement programme which they will generally ignore.

My OH left a secondary school to teach sixth form where things are much better. The pupils are generally self selecting and want to learn and the teachers are generally of a much higher calibre. It helps that the school is in a good area too.

Typical learning available in state secondary schools is trivially easy to replicate at home if the parents make some effort. If they make a lot of effort then results can be outstanding.

One thing to add is that if you can afford to send your children to the right private school they'll come out as more rounded and confident individuals than they would from a typical state school. The culture of low expectations is just so deeply rooted in the state system despite top down attempts to change things.

[Frimley111R]

sdyson31 said:

Frimley111R said:

Yes, my business partner lives near Reading and he has 4 boys.

Could you pls pm me the contact details.

Edited by sdyson31 on Thursday 21st May 18:14

NP, duntio

[GroundEffect]

supersingle said:

GroundEffect said:

supersingle said:

Lol at the teachers rallying round to protect the franchise.

School is a very inefficient learning environment. 90% of its purpose is as a holding cell for kids so that their parents can go to work.

Home schooling with plenty of outside social activities seems like an ideal upbringing for children. Good luck to the OP.

My OH is a sixth form teacher BTW. If the Marxists she works with found out who she voted for she'd probably be shot.

My OH is a Key Stage 1 Phase Leader and Year 1 teacher. The amount of work she puts in to engage the kids is unreal. I know no person who works close to much as she does. Her average work day must be at least 13 hours long. And she has a Masters in Primary Education. The idea that this can be easily replicated in a home environment is laughable.

Your OH can work as hard as she likes but she'll never receive any thanks or recognition in the state system. She'll just give herself a nervous breakdown. The way to get on in the state system is to be a whinging, adsentee, entitled Marxist agitator. It's almost impossible to be sacked short of violently assaulting the pupils, which is often tempting! The worst that happens is that teachers are put on an improvement programme which they will generally ignore.

My OH left a secondary school to teach sixth form where things are much better. The pupils are generally self selecting and want to learn and the teachers are generally of a much higher calibre. It helps that the school is in a good area too.

Typical learning available in state secondary schools is trivially easy to replicate at home if the parents make some effort. If they make a lot of effort then results can be outstanding.

One thing to add is that if you can afford to send your children to the right private school they'll come out as more rounded and confident individuals than they would from a typical state school. The culture of low expectations is just so deeply rooted in the state system despite top down attempts to change things.

Completely different experience from my OH in primary education. I have seen, through her, several teachers leave the profession after being put on capability (the improvement process you mention). In fact, from experience teachers that go on capability do not get another teaching job.

My girlfriend works at a school that was in special measures but is now listed as a good school. They have worked very hard to achieve that and she puts her kids first. It's no wonder she's rated the best teacher in the school. That should be applauded above anything else and she shouldn't be told 'it's not worth it love, the next year's teacher is a !'

[supersingle]

GroundEffect said:

Completely different experience from my OH in primary education. I have seen, through her, several teachers leave the profession after being put on capability (the improvement process you mention). In fact, from experience teachers that go on capability do not get another teaching job.

My girlfriend works at a school that was in special measures but is now listed as a good school. They have worked very hard to achieve that and she puts her kids first. It's no wonder she's rated the best teacher in the school. That should be applauded above anything else and she shouldn't be told 'it's not worth it love, the next year's teacher is a !'

I think the difference with primary education is that there is no shortage of teachers which means that schools can afford to get rid of the dead wood.

My OH teaches in a shortage subject. Most of the teachers in her previous school hadn't studied the subject at uni, just a vaguely related subject. When trying to recruit they'd get very few applicants and normally none of them were up to scratch. They end up employing unsuitable subjects just to fill the role.

As an example one teacher who was badly underperforming (not setting or marking work, pulling sickies and consistently getting poor lesson observations) was put on an improvement programme. After two years she left and sued for constructive dismissal. She won.

This same teacher got another teaching job locally, without a reference. fking unbelievable but true and hardly a unique case.

Needless to say the good teachers either left or burnt out then left.

If that's the choice a parent faces then I don't blame them for giving home schooling a go.

Edit: constructive not unfair dismissal

Edited by supersingle on Friday 22 May 16:33

[Sump]

Meh, it's bad but not that fussed. At the end of the day the world needs "work monkeys.."

[Leptons]

sdyson31 said:

Our eight years old son gets bullied in schools alot.

Our 4 years old daughter is in nursery and the other day she came home telling us that her friend told her that she wants to kiss boy on lips.

socialising is not bad who are you socialising with is more important.

I'm getting the impression you're from a different culture?


P.S My Daughter had two Boyfriends aged 4.

[Crush]

C

98elise said:

have you spoke to the school about the bullying? My son was bulled, and is was causing him real self confidence issues, and destroying his education. The school initially did very little as the bully's parents were having none of it.

One day the bully decided he was going to administer a beating to my son. The time was set for lunch time the next day. I send my son into school with a letter giving them until 11am to let me know they would be sorting it out, or I would be picking him up from school and not returning.

The school stopped my sons class, and got everyone to write anonymous witness statements about ANY bullying that was going on in the class. as a result the bully was temporarily removed from the class and taught in a separate unit especially for troublemakers.

If you are forced by the state to send your children to school, then you have the right to expect some level of responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

Better than my experience and glad to see things have improved from fifteen years ago.

My experience was asking the teacher to help out with a bullying problem where I was hit, had my work stolen, had my bags stolen etc and her response was that I had to reason with the bully. Apparently dislocating his jaw when I finally snapped was not the way to do it as I was suspended from school for a week- no punishment for the bully though