Hello, I am lookinf for informations about homeschooling a 5 year old child in the UK .?

Question

She is born in december, should she has to go to school in january of the same year, or can she wait till september of next year.

Can I homeschool her, to whom do I have to ask for permission etc....

Answer 1

If you want to know the step by step process that you need to know to homeschool your daughter,  there are some excellent homeschooling tips and information at http://www.grabsometips.com/homeschoolin...

There are some laws and regulations in UK on this website that will definitely help you.

I hope this info will assist you in your quest to educate your daughter!

Answer 2

Hi,

I am amazed at the general quality of answers on this subject and have little to offer.

In general, if you don't register your child to attend at a regular school, it will be (sadly) assumed that you are a delinquent parent and attempts will be made by the Local Education Office to contact you to find out why.

As the implementation of this policy varies so much from area to area in UK, the means of doing this will vary but usually this will take the form of an initial visit by an Educational Welfare Officer who will enquire about the arrangements you have made to educate your child. This approach may be intimidating (DON'T BE INTIMIDATED EVEN WHEN THEY ATTEND AT YOUR HOME IN BULK!) or helpful, depending on the individual's training, personal views and where YOU live. Your responses to him or her may result in you being warned that it is an offence not to send your child to school (UNTRUE if he/she has never been registered at a school!).

Even if you follow the correct path of stating that your child is or will be given an appropriate education at home, you may still find yourself being taken to court even after demonstrating adequate provision, simply because the LEA don't (at some future date) want to be found lacking in their "reasonable efforts to act in your childs best interests". You may be asked to offer reasons why you wish to educate your child at home (and not at state school).

It is simply a matter of personal choice and a belief that you can do a better job yourself. Better does not just mean educationally.

If you are reasonably able to say that, get on and enjoy an ultimately rewarding experience!

I would suggest that you look at all the home-ed websites. All have something to offer. Don't be convinced that you MUST join with other home-educators. It can help but also can also soak up precious time.

PROMISE yourself and your child that you will HONESTLY review regularly your joint performance.

Unless you have a very good educational background, and almost infinite time, your chances of being able to offer your child adequate tuition to Nat Cur GCSE level are remote and may stress both of you and damage your relationship at a critical time for your child.

If you regard formal qualifications as necessary (We all do!), you must review your situation thoroughly before the start of the cousework for GCSE in UK. By deferring this decision, you can leave your child in a difficult position.

Don't be stubborn. This is not admitting failure. It may be optimising educational resources. Remember, your child and your circumstances change.

If you are going to 'step off' the Home-Ed roundabout, choose your time accurately.eg The beginning of secondary education. Alternatively, and if you intend your child to go into futher education such as colege or uni, the latest time for this would have to be to register your child at around 13 yrs to enter a secondary school at the beginning of year 9 or at the latest year 10.

Of course, you can go the whole (purist, stubborn but not impossible?) route and attempt to enter your child as an external candidate. This was fine when there was almost no coursework assessment, but not now. The government is currently reverting to weighting exam results more heavily simply because coursework quality seems to depend more on the quality of the home PC and whether there is broadband provision at home for honing plagiarism skills. If this happens, your child being an external candidate will be a simpler process.

Anyway, you now have up to about 8 years to make all these decisions and get them right. If Home-Ed is your decision, don't be tricked or intimidated into registering your child for a school. Going backwards from this is difficult but not impossible.

BUT do take the time to think and discuss it with the most important 'other' - Your Child.

Enjoy!

(Did I say 'little'.)

(If we can be of further help, please reply here or eMail.)

Answer 3

By law she has to start school in the term following her 5th birthday, so if your Local Education Authority (LEA) has a January intake she has to start in January. Most schools don't have them though - so she would start in September.

You need to contact your LEA about home schooling, they will provide you (for a charge of course) with all the information you will need about the National Curriculum (which your daughter has to follow whether she is home schooled or not).

Answer 4

You don't have to ask anyone for permission to homeschool your daughter. The law says that as her parent, YOU (not the State, not the local education authority, not the local school) have to provide her with a suitable full-time education - in the eyes of the law, schools only exist to educate those children whose parents have chosen to delegate their legal right to educate their children to someone else.

At the very most, you tell the local education authority that you will be homeschooling your daughter but if your daughter has not yet started school and this is the important bit: her name does not appear on any school register, you are not obliged to tell anyone (including your local education authority) that she will be taught by you at home. As long as once she reaches compulsory school age, you are providing her with an appropriate education (and you can prove it!), you can just keep going. This is the reason why no-one knows for sure how many kids there really are being homeschooled in the UK (latest best guess-timate seems to be in the region of 150,000, they reckon it'll be 1 in 30 kids within the next 5 years so if you do go ahead and home educate, you won't be alone!).



Anyway, it is Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act

[quote] 7 Duty of parents to secure education of children of compulsory school age

The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—

(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and

(b) to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.[/quote]

Also section 9 of the same Act

[quote]Education in accordance with parental wishes

9 Pupils to be educated in accordance with parents' wishes. In exercising or performing all their respective powers and duties under the Education Acts, the Secretary of State, local education authorities and the funding authorities shall have regard to the general principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.[/quote]

source:http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/ukp...  

Check out Education Otherwise - they are the Umbrella group for home education in the UK. Their URL is http://www.education-otherwise.org.uk

You might also try looking at Primary Home Education UK

http://www.primaryhomeeducation.co.uk/

Oh and Libby is wrong (or was herself misinformed): Homeschooled

kids in the UK do *NOT* have to follow the National Curriculum. Neither do they have to do SATs etc. Those things are only compulsory in State schools, not in private schools and not amongst homeschoolers.

[quote]Children aged five to 16 in "maintained" or state schools must be taught the National Curriculum.[/quote]

source: http://www.direct.gov.uk

[quote]when you home educate there is no need to follow the national curriculum[/quote]

source: http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk

[quote]home-educated children do not have to follow the national curriculum[/quote]

source:http://www.education-otherwise.org.uk/Le... Aspects of Home-based Education.

Answer 5

If your child is registered to go to school then legally she needs to start the term after her fifth birthday. If she was to start in January then she'd go into the reception year and then into Year 1 in September. If she's registered and you want to home educate then you'll need to deregister her by informing the school that you'll no longer need the place.

You can home educate her, someone else above has quoted the law about education being the parents responsibility. You don't need to ask anyones permission but if she has been registered then the LEA may feel it is their resposibility to check on your educational provision. Some people allow Education officers into their home to inspect work and meet the children, others choose to send written reports in. Plenty of people home educate either unknown or known but left alone.

There are loads of very 'normal' families home educating, regular groups meet up in most areas, camping and holiday groups are arranged and often home ed groups get into zoos, museums, theme parks etc at the schools rate.

There's also no need to join up to hundreds of evening/weekend classes unless your child wants to and you can afford it. Socialising doesn't have to happen with twenty-nine other same aged children, my children socialise with all age groups from babies to octogenarians. We also regularly see the local community police, shopkeepers, librarians etc. And of course we go to the park so get plenty of play with schooled children. Our social life is probably richer for not being in school.

It doesn't need to cost alot of money and you don't need to follow a curriculum but I would say it is a good idea to do as much research as possible and you'd get a lot of support joining some online groups.

Here are some sites where you can find legal information and local contacts.

http://www.education-otherwise.org

http://www.freedom-in-education.co.uk

Feel free to e-mail me if you want more information.

Answer 6

Hi I home school my son now aged 9 years and have been doing so since July 2006.

It is the best thing we have ever done for him.

You will get so many conflicting views on this subject,the most important thing is that this is your decision wholly and most importantly from my point of view do you have the time to commit to educate your daughter at home.

Home schooloing does not have to be done the same way in which a local LEA school is run.Very rarely do you get help of LEAS for homeschooling ,mine does not help whatsoever.

You do not have to sit at a desk everyday,of course you can do things this way if you wish ,this is the great side to home education ,you ultimately choose how your daughter is educated.

You do not have follow any set timetables,you do not have to follow the national curriculum,you do not have do do SATS as long as you follow the what the government states about eductation,which the full wording can be seen on the EDUCATION OTHERWISE WEBSITE.Here you will see the exact wording and you will be amazed, just as so many other people are when they see this wording.

My close family where not happy that we decided to home educate, I think they thought we had gone hippish.

We are not anything weird and wonderful just an ordinary family living in the UK WHO WHERE LET DOWN BY OUR EDUCTAION SYSTEM.

My mother in law was talking to me the other day and she has hardly speaks to us about his home education and guess what she said.

She said she had to admit that her grandson was now so clever for his age,his confidence was so high,he was able to hold full age appropriate conversions  with all sorts of people and that he is the most caring little boy she knows and went on to say that it was the best choice that we could have taken for our son.

Learning at home does not have be done in a formal way,we do lots of trips and visits out to places of interest EG:old houses, museums,parks,we look at where we live .

Literacy ,maths and many other sujects can be incorporated in this way,which makes learning interesting and fun.Do you homework and you will know you have made the right choice.Kindest regards to you both.

Answer 7

I want to correct the idea that Home-ed children have to follow the national curriculum - they do not, and the person who stated this is wrong. You are not obliged by law to tell the LEA, or let them into your house, although we have always done this on a voluntary basis. If your child is being taken out of a school she/he already attended, then a simple note to the headteacher explaining your educational choice will do. You do not have to "ask permission" from anybody - you are the parent, and it is your right to educate your children in the way you deem suitable, as long as adaquate education is being provided.

Answer 8

i'd say u shouldent homeschool her tho shes very young and she should get a chance to go to school have friends

Answer 9

Most children go to school at the start of the academic year after they are five, that is in September. You can home school your child  if you want to do so , all you need to do is to inform your local education authority that you are going to do it; no permission required. Some authorities offer help with educational materials and some sort of curriculum structuring, some don't, but no one can make up for the lack of friends and ordinary experiences your child would have by going to school. Of course there are times when homeschooling is the best way forward but I would certainly try sending a child to school first and seeing how well it worked out before making other arrangements. Check out ..home schooling and the law  on www.ask.co.uk.

Answer 10

I have not read all the reply s but your child if in the uk does not actually by law have to start school until the year in which she is 6.

you do not have to pay the LEA a thing just tell the admissions department that you want to educate otherwise therefore you will not be registering your child for a school place

I home educate all my kids my 18 year old has just started a BA hons degree course at university.

Answer 11

Your child must start school the term she/he is five years old so she will legally have to start school in Jan. I know someone who didn't send her son to school until he was five and he had big problems settling in as all the other children had been there for four months already.

For more info on starting school try looking at up http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/inde...

I would say go for it as i have lost all faith in schools as i do not think that they can cater for the amount of children they have - afterall not all children learn the same.

I am tutoring so many young kids who are bright but are not given the time and help they need at school to 'unlock' their potential.

Try this web site for more into but you need to contact your local LEA for more advice on homeschooling as every area is slightly different. www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk

The only thing i must say, is that if you do homeschool, make sure you put your child into lots of evening and weekend activties such as dance classes, sporting classes as it is vital for her mix with other children and make friends.

Good luck and remember despite what people say (and many especailly the LEA will be against homeschooling!) you are her mother and you know what is best for your child.